Will Young turned down BRITs gig after he was told he had to kiss George Michael on stage

WILL YOUNG has opened about how he was once told that he had to kiss George Michael on stage if he was to perform at the BRIT Awards.

By Hannah McGreevy, Content Editor

BBC Breakfast hosts joke about Will Young’s ‘inappropriate’ kiss

Pop Idol winner Will Young was reportedly once told he would only be allowed to perform at the if he kissed the late George Michael on stage. The singer has opened up about homophobia he experienced within the music industry back in the noughties. 

Will, 43, spoke about the time he was invited to perform at the awards ceremony, only to be faced with homophobia. 

The Leave Right Now singer came out as gay soon after his Pop Idol win in 2002, when things were much harder for people in the LGBT+ community. 

He claimed a record company executive had told him he would need to have a “Madonna and Britney moment” with George Michael if he was to perform at the BRIT Awards.

Madonna and Britney Spears made headlines when they kissed live on TV at the MTV VMAs back in 2003. 

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Will

Will said he was asked to kiss George (Image: GETTY)

Will

Will was on the first ever Pop Idol (Image: GETTY)

The executive wanted Will and George to recreate the moment, which was a deal-breaker for the young star. 

During a Q&A on stage at The Box Soho hosted by DJ, presenter and comedian James Barr, Will spoke candidly about that time.

He recalled: “They tried to get me to perform at the BRITs. They were like, ‘We can only get you on The BRITs if you perform with George Michael and you kiss at the end.”

“I was like – this is an exclusive – the only way I could get on The BRITs is if we [George and I] did a duet, and then did a Madonna / Britney thingy.

George

George shot to fame as part of Wham! (Image: GETTY)

Will

Will has sold millions of albums worldwide (Image: GETTY)

“But I said no. It’s a sign of what it was like then,” he added during the interview at Metro’s Pride party event. 

Discussing homophobia within the industry, he added: “I’m probably in quite a privileged position. I noticed that when people realised they could start making money out of it, then it was like, make him gay, make him gay.”

Will shot to fame back in 2002 as the first ever winner of ITV’s Pop Idol, which went on to be a worldwide franchise. 

His debut single Anything Is Possible/Evergreen was released two weeks after the show's finale and became the fastest-selling debut single in the UK. 

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Will has been nominated for 12 BRIT Awards over his music career, taking home two trophies, and has estimated album sales of over eight million worldwide. 

The star has also been nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical after starring in London’s 2013 revival of the musical Cabaret.

Will has partaken in further reality shows as well, including The Masked Singer this year. 

He appeared as Lionfish in the third season of the bizarre ITV show, making it to episode three. 

George, who rose to fame as a member of the music duo Wham!, is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musicians of all time.

He sold over 120 million records worldwide, won two Grammy Awards and took home three BRIT Awards over the course of his life. 

The star also achieved seven number-one songs on the UK Singles Chart and eight number-one songs on the US Billboard Hot 100.

George tragically died on Christmas Day in 2016 at the age of 53. 

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