Eighties icon Paul Young has revealed that it was "amazing" and "a privilege" to step into Freddie Mercury's shoes at the 1992 tribute concert, as he paid a sweet tribute to the Queen star.
The Wherever I Lay My Hat and Love Of the Common People singer was one of many music icons including David Bowie and Elton John to perform at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, which was held at Wembley Stadium on April 20, 1992.
The concert was held less than a year after Freddie Mercury had died on November 24, 1991 at his Kensington Home, from bronchial pneumonia due to AIDS-related complications.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star, Paul Young reflected on the tribute concert, saying: "It was a privilege to be asked, but it was amazing to step into Freddie's shoes.
"To do just one song and see the love that he got from the crowd. The crowd were just loving every moment."
Paul Young performed Queen's iconic hit Radio Ga Ga during the concert, and reflecting on his performance, paid a sweet tribute to Freddie's legacy as a musical performer, saying: "They're big shoes to fill.
"He was an amazing performer. I can only do my best.
"He had a very high, semi operatic voice, whereas mine is more of a baritone really. The songs were very high, but I managed to get through."
Paul Young was one of many artists who rose to fame during the eighties to perform at the concert, as well as performing on the same stage as Queen at Live Aid seven years previously in 1985.
He also famously sang the opening line on the 1984 charity single Do They Know It's Christmas?, as well as having huge chart success with albums including No Parlez and The Secret Of Association.
Nearly 40 years later since the release of his debut album, fans can enjoy hearing some of Paul's biggest hits as he heads back onto the road for a series of live concerts with fellow music stars Carol Decker and Hue and Cry, as part of the Essential Eighties Tour.
Paul said he is excited to get back on the road for the tour, and cannot wait to be reunited with stars including Carol Decker, saying: "Carol I've worked with in a variety of different countries for TV shows and eighties tours.
"The last time was about 15 years ago I believe. I haven't seen Carol for a while, so it'll be nice to hook up. She's got a lovely husband who works in the restaurant industry, which is something I'm obviously interested in.
"We tend to buddy up once we're out on the road."
Paul Young is as well known for his love of cooking, as he is for his music career, even revealing that he would love to take part in a cooking competition for charity, after taking part in programmes like ITV's Hell's Kitchen.
"Coming out of Hells Kitchen it was getting quite elaborate," said Paul.
"I got a barbecue outside, then I was doing other things in the kitchen, running backwards and forwards.
"Yeah it would be good fun. I suppose it is very similar to Masterchef, but it could be for a charity thing, not unlike Red Nose Day."
However before then, Paul will be cooking up a storm on stage as he performs some of his biggest hits of the eighties, including Everytime You Go Away and Come Back And Stay.
Asked why he thinks the eighties still hold a fascination for music fans, Paul said: "Every decade has had its period of good music, but the eighties was quite strong. Like the sixties and the fifties – it holds a fascination for people even now.
"I think about the eighties music – although there was a lot of problems politically and financially, there was still a lot of confidence and optimism in young people.
"They wanted to create something for themselves. That makes it a very strong decade to remember."
Paul's take on classic soul music hit the charts across the world, landing him number one records in the UK and America, as well as two BRIT Awards for Best British Male in 1985, and Best Music Video for Everytime You Go Away in 1986.
Reflecting on his success, Paul said it was "fantastic" that he was able to bring soul music to a new generation of audiences, saying: "It was just a confirmation of the fact that I knew there was still a lot of life left in that music.
"What I did – I took soul music and put it back into rock music, which a lot of bands did in the seventies. I was doing that, but with the modern instrumentation that was at hand.
"Dressing something up to show it is still great music, great songs, great lyrics. It's a great thing."
However, he did add that his fans became very confused when they saw him driving around in an old car that would stall at the traffic lights, despite having hit fame and fortune back in 1983.
"It was very strange. Everybody sees you on TV and thinks automatically a cheque landed on my doorstep the day I did Top Of The Pops and I became loaded," said Paul.
"It doesn't happen that way. It takes a time to start to filter through.
"It was very amusing though. It was the look on people's faces when they thought, 'he can't be driving that.' They were crossing the street because the traffic lights had stopped me, and they just couldn't work it out then.
"They thought it's obviously not him, but it was. It was the car I bought off my dad. It kept stalling at all the traffic lights and it was a nightmare."
From there, Paul released albums including his self titled solo album in 1997 and Good Thing in 2016, as well as touring No Parlez in 2018 to celebrate its 35th anniversary.
He also formed the band Los Pacaminos, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year – with Paul revealing that they also have plans for a new album.
Not only that, but he also gave an insight into the film director that inspired some of their songs – Quentin Tarantino.
"I think that as a band is perfect for movie soundtracks and things like that," said Paul.
"Anything where it is based in the South West of America, going down to Mexico way. There are a lot of movies and stories in film that are based in that area, so it lends itself well to that kind of thing."
He added: "It was From Dusk Til' Dawn that inspired us. In that story they end up going to Mexico.
"Then Django Unchained – I watched that and then shortly after that, we came up with an instrumental called Razor Wire for the last album.
"Then I thought, I really hope they make another Django movie and I've got to try get this to someone."
With the Essential Eighties Tour and a new Los Pacaminos album in the works, there's plenty for Paul Young fans to look forward to – with Paul adding that a new solo album is on the way as well.
Expected to launch ahead of Paul's co-headline tour with Go West in May, on both streaming and vinyl record, Paul gave Daily Star an insight into what fans can expect, saying: "I wrote a lot of songs in Nashville in the mid to late nineties, and they were registered with the publishing company in Nashville, but I'd never registered them with mine.
"I had to demos of the songs of the songs I had written, but they turned out really well, so I just took them back into the studio and added some instruments to make them less of a demo and more of a finished article.
"I think the thing you get from a lot of my albums is a lot of variation, if you think about it.
"The songs don't sound the same, the arrangements don't sound the same – from Come Back and Stay to Love Of the Common People to Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home). This album is similar really. I'm moving through styles."
PAUL YOUNG, T'PAU & HUE AND CRY WILL PERFORM AS PART OF THE ESSENTIAL 80'S UK TOUR IN AUTUMN 2022 – TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW
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