20 years 20 facts: Will Young on tour to celebrate Pop Idol anniversary
We like to think of him as our own – after all, he grew up in Hungerford and is patron of Newbury Soup Kitchen - Will Young hits the road with his 20 Years Tour this month in celebration of the anniversary of his Pop Idol win. With extra dates now added and many shows already sold-out (and very limited seats remaining at others), he comes to Oxford on October 26. (Tickets via axs.com or Ticketmaster).
Since winning Pop Idol’s first series in 2002, Will Young has gone on to become the most successful contestant to ever appear on the show, with in excess of 10 million records sold, eight UK Top 3 albums including his recent 2021 album Crying On The Bathroom Floor, and the No.1 best-selling single of the noughties, ‘Evergreen/Anything Is Possible’.
Pop Idol was broadcast to as many as 10 million viewers when it originally aired, shooting Will to fame and rewarding him with a record deal to release his beloved UK No.1 debut album From Now On after receiving a massive 4.6 million votes from the public. The singing competition was one of the first of its kind and, with just two series, it cemented its legacy in British pop culture as well as becoming an international TV franchise.
As he heads off on the road, he answers a few questions about the tour
What can fans expect at the 20 Years shows?
We are going to be doing what it says on the tin. I released a Greatest Hits album this year and I’m going to be performing all of my singles - possibly even in order of their release. It will be a true musical voyage through time. I also will have a request section where people in the audience can message in to hear any song from my back catalogue - which is rather daunting as there’s about 140 to choose from.
How is the request section of the show going to work?
I tried this a couple of years ago, but as more of a Q&A. I had a website where people could message in and ask questions and I would read them out live on stage from my iPad. This year I thought why not change it to requests for any song from my catalogue. I think it gives fans the opportunity to hear that one song they’ve maybe never heard me sing live before.
What is life on the road like for you, do you have a specific routine?
It’s very much about routine, especially the nearer to stage time I get. I aways like to exercise and I make sure I do a lot of stretching. Then I have a routine of always showering before and after and I do my vocal warm-up - and then I get dressed and ready for the show!
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Not really any true rituals apart from vocal warm-ups, but I always try to remember my mantra which is that this is all about having fun.
What’s on your rider, any extravagant demands?
Gnomes!
Has touring changed for you since you won Pop Idol 20 years ago?
The main thing I have changed is that I don’t have any electronic programming in my show anymore, so everything you hear is being played live as you hear it.
What’s next for you in terms of music, writing and podcasting?
Next is a new studio album I’ve been working on for about a year now, on and off. I’m still very much enjoying doing a lot of talks and writing on mental health, so definitely more of that. I tend to be drawn to telling people’s stories who perhaps don’t have a voice themselves, so I am hoping to do more documentaries on various topics that interest me.
We hear you are also fronting a brand new charity initiative called Wellstock and have a certain Ed Sheeran doing something a bit special for you in London soon – can you tell us all about it?
Yes, it is very exciting. Wellstock is about bringing attention and information about mental health and it is just in its infancy at present. I have partnered with the charity called SHOUT and an initiative called One Night Only to provide one-off unique events where people can donate £10 for a pair of tickets and they are chosen at random. It is a wonderful new democratic way of raising money, allowing artists to do special one-off things and raising funds for much needed causes. SHOUT is a text message service predominantly used by people under 25 who help people in crisis or who just need to talk to someone knowing they are being heard and validated. Most calls are to do with anxiety, depression and often suicidal ideations. I’m very excited about Ed’s gig - he will be performing for the first time at the Union Chapel in Islington, London on October 11, playing old songs acoustically as well as some never heard before music. Make sure you enter and donate by texting “ED” to 84903 or visiting http://foronenightonly.org/ to enter online or by post.
20 YEARS: 20 FACTS
1. The original Pop Idol from the first-ever worldwide series, paving the way for artists including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Carly Rae Jepsen and Adam Lambert
2. Scored the #1 biggest selling single of the noughties with ‘Evergreen/Anything Is Possible’
3. Released FOUR number one UK albums and EIGHT top 3 UK albums in the twenty years since winning Pop Idol, including the recent 2021 album ‘Crying on the Bathroom Floor’
4. Achieved FOUR number one UK singles (including ‘Leave Right Now’ and ‘Light My Fire’) and more than TEN top ten UK singles
5. ‘Evergreen/Anything Is Possible’ officially the fastest-selling debut single of all time in the UK
6. Over 10 million records sold worldwide
7. 10 Brit Award nominations and 2 wins including ‘British Breakthrough Act’ and ‘British Single of the Year’ for ‘Your Game’.
8. Olivier Award nomination for his 2013 role as The Emcee in Cabaret in London’s West End
9. Performed at the opening of the Commonwealth Games, Nelson Mandela's Unite The Stars charity concert in South Africa in 2006 and at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium in 2007
10. Has performed live duets with Elton John, James Brown, Queen & Burt Bacharach
11. Starred in the critically acclaimed 2005 film ‘Mrs. Henderson Presents’ alongside Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins and, as a result, was voted ‘Young Actor To Watch’
12. Will is a mental health advocate, an official ambassador for Women’s Aid as well as an animal rights activist
13. Author of the acclaimed 2020 Sunday Times best-selling book on gay shame, ‘To Be A Gay Man,’ with several follow-up books in the works
14. Will regularly guest presents the Jo Whiley Show on BBC Radio 2
15. ‘Leave Right Now’ winner of an Ivor Novello award for ‘Best Song Musically & Lyrically’
16. Will has embarked on eight x sold-out headline UK tours and performed at Glastonbury Festival three times
17. Successful podcaster who launched and was co-host of season 1 of hugely popular podcast ‘Homosapiens’, with new mental health podcast launching 2022.
18. Winner of Best Male Music Star at the Elle Style Awards, Best Newcomer at the GQ Awards and Culture Award from Attitude Magazine
19. Musically, Will has collaborated with Eg White (Adele), Sia, Steve Lipson (Annie Lennox), Burt Bacharach, Cathy Dennis (Britney Spears, Katy Perry) and Richard X (M.I.A, Roisin Murphy)
20. Visually, Will has collaborated with Wiz (Oasis), Michael Gracey (Greatest Showman) and Bailey Walsh (Massive Attack)
