Will Young Says Standing Up to Simon Cowell on Pop Idol Was a Defining Moment
The singer claims the music mogul disliked him, but believes the confrontation ultimately benefited his career.
Will Young has spoken about his contentious relationship with Simon Cowell during his time on the reality competition show Pop Idol in 2002. Young, 47, shared on the Dig It podcast that Cowell "hated him," but he asserted that the friction between them was a pivotal moment in his career.
Young recalled that his advancement in the competition was influenced by an imbalance in the number of male and female contestants. He eventually won the show after a notable final against Gareth Gates.
A memorable instance occurred when Cowell described Young's performance of The Doors' "Light My Fire" as "distinctly average." Young directly challenged this assessment on air, stating, "I don’t agree with it. I don’t think it was average." He now views this moment as crucial for his career.
"Well, I mean, non-existent. I mean, he just sort of hated me. I don’t think he ever got over it... But it was fine. But I didn't know it was going to be like probably one of the most defining moments of my life," Young told the podcast hosts Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball.
He further elaborated to PA, "I have to remind myself how young I was and how powerful he was - and I stood up for myself and for others. And I am very proud of that. It was kind of my defining moment really."
Young also stated that he had a negative impression of Cowell from a previous encounter. "I also knew that I really disliked that man. I'd met him before on the This Morning boy band competition… I remember thinking I really don't like that man, and I went to a school where I was surrounded by quite unpleasant men. So, my radar for people who I perceive as unpleasant is quite on... And I just want to be careful. I'm not saying that he's abusive, but my radar is pretty good. So my reaction was on live TV when I came across him... So it was, give myself a moment, but also I'm not going to stand, he needs to be put in his place. Because I had to sit and watch him make people cry for weeks, building up to my live performance in front of him."
Young explained his motivation for confronting Cowell: "And I just thought, 'no one's telling this man. Why is no one telling him?' And so I was like, 'I'm going to tell him'". He suggested that individuals in the entertainment industry often exploit people's ambitions.
"By that stage, I'd already had my first bout of depression. I'd lost someone close to me. I knew a bit of life. It wasn't the be all and end all. And so I didn't care about letting someone like him get away with it... Whereas I think lots of people in subsequent programs, I think there has been some awful behaviour actually, which is pretty well documented," he added.