Multi award-winning British pop star and actor Will Young is back with his ninth studio album, Light It Up, also confirming he will play a series of exclusive album launch shows this week including Southampton tonight (10 August), Leeds (11 August) and Liverpool (12 August).
New 10-track collection, Light It Up, is the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s first album of originals in five years and features the moving new single, The Worst.
To celebrate the new album, Will is also embarking on his most intimate tour yet this autumn, kicking off on 3 September – for a full list of dates, visit here.
Light It Up is a shimmering return to form for one of Britain’s best-loved and steadfast pop singer-songwriters of the 2000s. The new body of work captures the musical richness of ‘70s and ‘80s soulful pop with a modern twist. A testament to Will’s magnetic vocals and storytelling prowess, each song – whether designed for escapism or reflection – feels perfectly tailored to soundtrack a moment.
Will Young says: “I really hope this is the go-to pop album for a dance, for a cry and for a celebration. I know I do all three with it. It is just so exciting to produce a complete pop album. Crafting pop music can be so fun and the challenge to sing those songs is something I’ve relished.”
Young has teamed up with renowned Scandinavian hitmakers PhD (who has worked with Kylie and Little Mix), and reunited with Andy Cato of Groove Armada, as well as long-term writing partners Jim and Mima Elliott (who worked on Will’s defining album, Echoes).
The euphoric lead single Falling Deep sets the tone for the ‘80s pop inspiration that colours the album. Punchy synth-pop numbers like Talk About It’ which Will wrote with Jim and Mima Elliott, and Feels Just Like A Win bring confessional lyrics to the dancefloor.
The Worst is an introspective song that stands tall next to Young’s evergreen classic, Leave Right Now, as one of his best ballads yet. It is produced by PhD, who co-wrote the track with Celine Svanbäck (Dagny) and Sam Merrifield (Mimi Webb).
The intimate acoustic arrangement illuminates every relatable lyric that portrays an overthinker terrified of opening up to the possibility of new love in fear of being hurt again. Young sings, “I hate not knowing how the hell it’s gonna end. What if you’re the worst? What if this could hurt? Maybe I should self-sabotage as for nothing, cutting you off when I start feeling something”.
A theme that appears to underscore the album is the joy and complexity of life in your 40s. The anthemic title track Light It Up is a life-affirming call to celebrate your individuality and to never let the world diminish your true self. Over a sumptuous, soulful ‘70s pop production, Will sings: “Light it up, and let them know it. You’re too loud to be quiet, too bright now to stop glowing… Don’t waste who you are.”
On the wistful electronic pop track Midnight, we get a glimpse of Young’s humour in the tongue-in-cheek lyrics. “Texting every ex, trying to get my fix. Why does no-one tell me that they are married?”
The album closes with a reimagination of ‘80s hit I Won’t Let You Down, co-produced by Andy Cato. Showcasing Will’s uncanny ability to breathe new life into a song, the new arrangement, with its transcendent electric guitar solo and spacious rhythmic beat, is the perfect soundtrack to drift away into the sunset.
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