Young was born in Southampton, Hampshire and grew up in the New Forest. He is a great-grandson of the prolific English painter and postcard artist Walter Hayward-Young who was commonly known as "Jotter". He has stated that his father is a musician and that he grew up in a "musical household" and began playing music by borrowing his father"s guitars.
In June 2010 Justin graduated from King"s College London with a degree in history.
He is currently the lead singer and guitarist of English indie rock band The Vaccines. He loved Elvis during his childhood, and bands such as Nirvana when he was a teenager. During his teenage years, he played in a band called The Eldora Parade, and at 16 he started a group called Fashion Police Brutality.
In his early 20s while living in London, Young started a solo project and performed under the stage name Jay Jay Pistolet.
As Jay Jay Pistolet, Young released an European Parliament "We Are Free" with Chess Club Records in 2008 and "Happy Birthday You" with Stiff Records. In December 2008, Justin Young announced that he would be no longer be performing as Jay Jay Pistolet and left his fans with a 25-track "Goodbye Civil Defense".
In 2010 he started his current band, The Vaccines, along with current bandmates Freddie Cowan, Árni Árnason and Pete Robertson. In 2011, Young underwent three separate throat operations to treat haemorrhaging due to recurrent vocal polyps.
