Artists
Will Young
Will Young's debut album
"From Now On", released on
October 7, 2002
The day before ever first "Pop Idol"-winner Will Young released his 2002 double A-side single, "Anything Is Possible/ Evergreen", he had yet to sell a single record. Twenty-four hours later, Young found himself on his way into Guinness World Records by selling more than 385.000 copies its first day.
Originally released on Westlife's "World Of Our Own"-album, A Side Productions' song "Evergreen" was early suggested by the record company BMG Music as the winner song in a new UK reality ITV1 show named "Pop Idol".
Devised by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller, the show premiered in the fall of 2001 instantly becoming a huge success launching the solo career of a pop wannabe. Featured in a prime time slot on national UK TV, viewers wishing to place a vote could do so via web or telephone. Through the series, telephone votes alone exceeded an amazingly total of 32 million.
In the finals on Saturday February 9, 2002, Will Young became the first ultimate Pop Idol after polling more than 4.6 million votes in front of a record breaking 14 million TV viewers. The grand prize: a record contract with BMG Music.
Young with a Guinness
Expected to become one of the fastest selling singles ever by a British artist, Young's "Anything Is Possible/Evergreen" surpassed everyone's hopes. The double A-side, released on February 25, entered the record books, not once but twice, as: Best-Selling Debut Single For The First Day and First Week (1.108.000 copies).
Six days later, on March 3, the single opened at No. 1 on the UK Chart holding the position for three consecutive weeks. Only eight months later, "Anything Is Possible/Evergreen" had already climbed to the #12 spot on the "UK Top 100 List of Best Selling Singles" of all time. At last count, the single has sold in excess of 1.8 million copies.
But A Side Productions' co-written and produced song "Evergreen" was up for even more. See Artists/Gareth Gates.