Will Young unveils electric blue hair as he talks feeling ‘othered’ as a gay man in his 40s
"I just thought it'd be funny to write a song about someone who’s in their 40s and single and a bit tragic!"
Will Young has reflected on the ageing process in a new interview – accompanied by a shoot of him rocking electric blue hair.
The Pop Idol champion – whose forthcoming album Light It Up out 9 August via BMG – revealed this new look on the cover of ZERO.NINE Magazine, released today.
In the new issue of the publication, the ‘Leave Right Now’ singer also discusses his place in the British pop landscape.
“Sometimes you can feel a bit othered” – Will Young
“There’s a lot of positive, celebratory queer stories out there, which is great, but I don’t think we hear enough about gay men my age and older,” explained Will. “Sometimes you can feel a bit othered and a bit outsider still.”
The star – who’s new single ‘Midnight’ is out on Friday 7 June – also told the outlet: “There’s something interesting about being a gay man and getting older. You know – texting your exes and getting it wrong and all that. There’s a line in the song ‘Why does no one tell me that they’re married?’ I love that line.
“I’ve never written a song like that before. I did that with the Kish Mauve guys who did ‘Jealousy’ – I love them. I just thought it’d be funny to write a song about someone who’s in their 40s and single and a bit tragic. Wandering around drunk at midnight, eating kebabs. We’ve all been there.”
Elsewhere, the ‘Switch It On’ singer continued: “Sometimes as you get older, you look in the mirror and think ’what happened to me?’ I saw some pictures of myself the other day, and I thought ‘who the fuck is that?’ I looked like an old man! I think it’s good to be honest about that stuff rather than always trying to cover it up, always pretending everything’s perfect.”
On his music legacy, Will – also known for tracks like ‘Your Game’ and ‘Grace’ – said: “I watch the BRITs now and think I don’t know any of the people! I’m just being honest. That’s not any reflection on them, it just shows where I’m at in my life now. It’s just not my world.”