Interview: Paul Young reveals perils of fame before forthcoming Harrogate show of hits and revelations

On the 40th anniversary of his quadruple platinum selling No Parlez album and iconic songs such as Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home), this major star is releasing a remarkable new record and publishing an extraordinary memoir; both called Behind The Lens.

The singer is also touring the UK, where he’ll meet fans, sing hits and tell stories about his incredible career, including a date at a slightly bigger venue in Harrogate than the fantastic but now deceased Warehouse.

Looking forward to appearing at the Royal Hall later this month as part of a 96-date Behind The Lens tour, Young tells me he still enjoys playing with Los Pacaminos but it was time to look back at a life that has taken the Luton-born singer to the top across the world.

"Talking as well as performing is a very new thing for me,” said Young.

"I did a musical cruise in Florida in March 2021 where I had to do an interview on stage with a VJ, as well as sing.

"My partner said to my manager “Paul is really good at this. How can we get him to do this in the UK properly?””

The end result is a book, a tour and a new album where Young looks back to his heart-throb days of Live Aid and Come Back and Stay and household fame.

Not that the soulful singer misses the hullabaloo.

The music has always come first for an artist who is more serious than his impressive mullet haircut might have suggested in the 1980s.

“As a youngster, I was fascinated by music because of how it made me feel emotionally, rather than posing in front of the mirror.

"The big thing for me was to perfect my voice like Bill Withers, Billy Paul or Rod Stewart.

"I’ve never really done what is expected of me.

"I’ve never conformed to that idea of creating a single indentifiable sound.

"That’s why I still play with Los Pacaminos after all these years.

"Music is my job but it’s also my hobby and love.”

The album, also called Behind The Lens, which will be available exclusively on vinyl at venues, was partly re-recorded to reflect the musical journey of the book.

The latter, too, was substantially revised when Young decided to write it himself rather than relying on the ghost writer.

Older and wiser but full of beans at the age of 67, there’s a sense that the man who took Everytime You Go Away to the top of the US charts feels a sense of responsibility to his own past and his family

"I did go to quite a few parties and premieres back in the 80s which ended up in the papers, which I never liked, but that was better than selling your family down the river in a double page spread.

"The older I get, the more private I get.

“The last thing I want to do is make my kids feel uncomfortable.”

Paul Young is at the Royal Hall, Harrogate on Thursday, March 30.