With George Michael increasingly accident-prone, Will Young has slid comfortably into the role of Britain’s favourite openly gay, blue-eyed soul singer. A surprise public choice as the original Pop Idol in 2002, the articulate politics graduate faced down Simon Cowell and demanded his independence from the star-making machine.

Four million sales later, Young’s brand of smooth pop, lifted by his honeyed vocals, is pleasing Radio 2 listeners and music critics alike.

After pursuing a stage acting sideline, a new album, Let It Go, contains more carefully crafted hits.

Now Young is looking to add some country grit to the polished surface with a move to Nashville.

“I was determined to have a career,” he says of his post-Pop Idol ascent.

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