366 | Paul Young

Paul Antony Young was born on January 17, 1956, in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. He began his music career in local bands but first gained wider recognition in the late 1970s as the lead singer of The Q-Tips, a British soul band. Although the band did not achieve major commercial success, Young’s voice attracted significant attention in the music scene.

His major breakthrough as a solo artist came in 1983 with the album No parlez. The album earned multiple platinum awards and reached number one in several countries. It produced international hits including Wherever I lay my hat (originally by Marvin Gaye), No Parlez, Love Of The Common People and Come back and stay. Paul Young became extremely popular, though he sometimes struggled with the pressures of idol status.

His second album, The secret of association, released in 1985, brought him further hits such as I'm gonna tear your playhouse down, Everything must change and Everytime you go away, written by Daryl Hall — a song that became his best-known worldwide.

He also collaborated with other artists, including a duet with Zucchero titled Senza una donna, and the Band Aid-single Do They Know It's Christmas?. As the years went by, he increasingly suffered from vocal problems, possibly due to his many live performances. Nevertheless, Young has continued to perform and release new music. His compilation album From Time to Time, featuring all his major hits, was highly successful and achieved platinum status.

In 2018, his wife Stacey Smith passed away from cancer, which had a profound impact on him. Young has since spoken openly about grief, loss, and mental health.