Born in Derby, England, Young was discovered by The Jam frontman, Paul Weller, through an advertisement in Smash Hits magazine for his Respond Records label. The ad solicited demo tapes from female singers between the ages of 18 and 24, for the purpose of hiring a vocalist alongside the group The Questions. Although just 17 years old, Young replied and sent Weller a cassette of a Phoebe Snow-inspired version of the Betty Wright hit "Shoorah Shoorah". Young's tape was singled out from among the hundreds received, and shortly thereafter was invited to London for an audition. Performing old soul numbers "Band of Gold" and "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" for the audition, Young impressed Weller enough to win the job and become his priority signing for the Respond label.
