My Take
I have a real soft spot for Paul Young — the kid from Luton who somehow became one of the smoothest voices of the entire 1980s. After kicking around in short-lived bands like the Q-Tips, he hit the stratosphere as a solo act with "Wherever I Lay My Head," his blue-eyed soul cover that felt more authentic than it had any right to be. Then came "Every Time You Go Away," and honestly, that falsetto break still gives me chills. What I love about him is that he was never trying to be a rock star — he was a genuine soul singer trapped in a pop moment, and he owned it completely. He doesn't get enough credit these days for how effortlessly he bridged British pop and classic American R&B at a time when that crossing was genuinely hard to pull off.
Overview
Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Paul Young
- Name (Japanese)
- ポール・ヤング
- Reading
- ぽーる・やんぐ
- Born
- January 17, 1956 (age 70)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Monkey
- Origin
- Luton, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- singer / songwriter / recording artist / musician / composer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Imperial College London
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.