Cassie22 asks:
My son came out when he was 25 and I often wonder if he suffered during his school years. What could have made your teenage years better and what advice would you give on coming out?
AlexNeedham asks:
Your book is called How to be a Gay Man. Who do you think has got it sussed out? My other question is, what kind of world would we currently be living in if all the people who died of Aids had survived?
MichaelCragg asks:
Do you think losing out to Danny from The Script as a judge on The Voice was actually a blessing in disguise?
RossWilliamQuinn asks:
You’ve done a bit of acting (Mrs Henderson Presents) and of course singing. If you had the opportunity to do one of these big film musicals that are all the fashion which would be your perfect role? Or would you like to do something totally new?
Harriet Gibsone asks:
Do you think the X Factor can survive in the modern era? And did you watch the Jade Goody documentary? Wondered if you had any thoughts on early 00s celebrity culture.
The last time I went on Loose Women, Janet Street-Porter and I had a love-in about tomatoes
SamWolfson asks:
You do a lot of terrestrial TV appearances on Sunday Brunch, Loose Women, One Show etc. Which of those shows is the most enjoyable to do and which makes you wish you had never become a pop star?
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I think social media is the devil incarnate. My phone is broken and I am so happy!
organicplastic asks:
If you ruled the world how would you tackle some of the most pressing problems of our age?
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ID7188412 asks:
I always thought you could have been a bit more adventurous in your early career. Was it a relief to cast off the shackles of Simon Cowell’s record label and how much influence did you have on your song choices?
Nina Simone is a favourite lyricist – I love singing her music
Gill10 asks:
Some of us know how you love jazz music and singing it live. So who is your favourite songwriter and lyricist combination from the Great American Songbook era?
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Lisatymon asks:
Your battle with ptsd & depression is a well-documented one & as I myself & family members have struggled I really appreciate you keeping it in the public eye. Have you any plans to do more talks and would you consider coming more up north? It really is good to see you much happier!
unclearleo asks:
You must have met the Spice Girls on your travels across the children’s entertainment circuit. Which one was the least annoying?
surrealteacher asks:
If we all moved to an alternate universe where there is no music, how would you spend your time?
Nick Hardy asks:
I’m gay and know lots of gay men but they are all quite different and some wouldn’t want to be like the others if you paid them. How can you tell anyone how to be a gay man? What is a gay man?
I was surprised to win a Brit award for Your Game – I felt there were actually better singles, including See It In a Boy's Eyes by Jamelia
Raphael Howard asks:
How did it feel to win a Brit award for Your Game? Are you disappointed that the song remains relatively obscure despite its success?
ProjectXRay asks:
I used to look a little bit like you about 10-15 years ago, and I was mistaken for you a few times in the 2000’s. A couple times your fans approached me with tears in their eyes, and teared up even more when I told them I wasn’t actually you. That was OK, but one time I was actually followed around Coventry city centre for what felt like ages by a group of extremely obnoxious teenage girls who thought I was you, and decided to harass ‘us’. They stalked me for ages, making snide homophobic comments and I ended up screaming at them to leave me alone (accidentally spitting out chewing gum in the process, and probably making you look like some kind of scuzzbucket- apologies), before running away through a shop to get away from them.
All of which is a roundabout way of saying that I had a tiny taste of your life in the 2000’s, and it stressed me the hell out. I really respect the way you’ve pursued your career then and since, especially your honesty about experiencing mental health problems.
So, in order to make this spiel a question, what are your top 3 survival tips for those experiencing accidental or sudden fame? Or even those being chased around by accident?
Martinnew asks:
How do you write songs? How much of the music we hear has been rewritten hundreds of times, or do you just write something and think “That’s it”! I’ve written loads of music, but have finished hardly any of it. I wish I knew why.
HJGB246 asks:
101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure was one of my favourite Disney films growing up, and I particularly like the song Try Again you did for the film. Would you ever do any singles exclusively for films again?
TheBigBadWolf asks:
Pre-social media days, your coming out was splashed across the tabloids whereas for LGBT performers today it feels like we know they’re gay from the first moment they emerge in the public eye. How hard was that time for you and was there ever any temptation to delay saying anything?
laurasnapes asks:
Why do you think so many musicians have started podcasts? What itch does it scratch for you that being a pop star couldn’t?
Will Young is with us now!
Post your questions now!
It’s wild to think that we’re coming up on almost 20 years since Will Young entered the public eye. In 2002, he beat Gareth Gates to win Pop Idol – and a brilliant British pop star was born. Since then, Young has travelled pretty far from the machine-tooled pop industrial complex: his latest album, Lexicon, is his seventh, and first for an independent label (Cooking Vinyl).
In recent interviews, Young has spoken about how liberating he has found independence. (“At 40, my new thing is: oh, fuck off,” he recently told the i.) He also ditched his management team and found that the resulting calm reinvigorated his love of pop – aided by collaborators including Richard X and Eg White. Lexicon, he says, is about fun and freedom rather than digging too deep personally, and it sounds like welcome relief after a difficult period. In 2016, he withdrew from Strictly Come Dancing, citing his anxiety, depression and PTSD. He suffered personal losses and professional compromises and, in 2017, said he was going to quit pop.
A period performing in Strictly Ballroom in the West End proved reinvigorating, as did leaning in to his activist side. Young was one of the early 2000s’ few out gay pop stars; in recent years, he has been an active campaigner on LGBTQ issues, promoting inclusive kids’ books on CBeebies and presenting two seasons of the award-winning podcast Homo Sapiens with pal Chris Sweeney. (His comments accusing Jeremy Clarkson’s The Grand Tour of homophobia earlier this year were particularly gratifying: “Screw them and the show and Amazon … for putting this shaming archaic tripe out,” he tweeted.)
Thankfully, Young came back around to pop: he has spent the summer playing festivals and seen two singles from Lexicon hit the BBC Radio 2 A-list, while the album only just missed No 1 due to the reign of chart behemoth Lewis Capaldi. This October, he’ll undertake a 21-date tour of the UK, and next year, he’ll release his first book, How to Be a Gay Man.
You can ask Young about all that, and anything else, when he comes into Guardian HQ at 1pm on Monday 2 September. Post your questions below.
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Thank you very much everyone for your questions. I feel bad that I haven't spoken about my tour enough. It's actually really fun! The band are really good. And if you don't like the performance, the merchandise is rocking. Do have a google and see where I'm playing. Thanks so much everyone for being so much fun, it's been a real laugh. Lots of love.