Will Young

Will Young emerged as a cultural force after winning the 2002 inaugural series of Pop Idol on ITV, making him the first victor of the worldwide Idol franchise. His debut single "Anything Is Possible" / "Evergreen" became the fastest-selling debut single in UK history, released two weeks after the show finale. Born 20 January 1979 in Britain, Young studied politics at the University of Exeter before training in musical theatre at the Arts Educational Schools in Chiswick, then paused his studies to audition for Pop Idol in late 2001.

His discography spans two decades of commercial success: the debut album From Now On (2002) debuted at number one, followed by Friday's Child (2003), which went platinum five times and produced three UK top-five singles. Keep On (2005), Let It Go (2008), and Echoes (2011) also achieved multi-platinum status, while 85% Proof (2015) became his fourth UK number-one album. Later releases—Lexicon (2019), Crying on the Bathroom Floor (2021), and Light It Up (2024)—charted at numbers 2, 3, and 5 respectively. Across his catalogue, four songs reached UK number one, and he has accumulated an estimated worldwide album sales figure of over eight million as of 2009. Young has earned two Brit Awards from 12 nominations.

Beyond recording, Young pursued acting in film, television, and theatre, earning a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his 2013 performance in the London revival of Cabaret. He has also authored multiple books: Anything is Possible (2002), On Camera, Off Duty (2004), the autobiography Funny Peculiar (2012), To be a Gay Man (2020), and The A–Z of Wellbeing (2022). In January 2022, he appeared on the third series of The Masked Singer as "Lionfish," and released the compilation 20 Years: The Greatest Hits in May of that year. As a Life Path 11 numerologically, Young embodies the idealistic and visionary traits associated with the master number.