Years & Years singer Olly Alexander talks ‘difficult second album’, break-ups and LGBTQ rights

THERE were times making album number two when Years & Years singer Olly Alexander wanted to run away.

The trio’s first collection, Communion, was the fastest-selling debut album in the year — which also saw them named BBC Sound of 2015, propelling them to fame.

Questioning whether they could do it again as they made the follow-up was, at times, terrifying.

Alexander, 27, tells me: “There were moments when things got quite crazy and tough and I thought I should give everything up and go and live on an island or a farm for the rest of my life.

“We were halfway through the album process and it felt like we had nothing. It was a really hard, difficult second album syndrome.

“I’m the person I am because of all the support we have but inside there is still a scared, gay kid, worried he’s going to get bullied and people aren’t going to like what I do.”

We are sitting at a table in a noisy North London restaurant and Olly, sporting cherry-red hair, is telling me how he got through the tough times.

“When I go on stage and perform, I’m an extreme version of myself. Reminding myself of that, that I can do it again, got me through times of self-doubt,” he says. “I remind myself I’m ambitious and I’m very hungry to do new things and experiment. That I like taking leaps of faith.”

Years & Years’ second collection, Palo Santo, is a concept album Alexander hopes will surprise and excite.

The singer wanted to create the theme of a dystopian world run by androids where only a few humans remain. “I want to blow people away. I’ve always loved sci-fi and fantasy,” he says. “And pop music is all about escapism, creating different realities and having fun.

“I got a sketchbook and read lots of books. I began approaching it like I used to do with art projects at school.

“I made collages and poems and got in touch with Fred Rowson who directs our videos. We basically bounced ideas off each other for a year and then we arrived at Palo Santo.

“Once we had reached that point, we scrapped all the songs we had and went back to old ones. Palo Santo was a song we went back to. I always really loved it, but we just didn’t know if we were going to use it. It was all a jigsaw puzzle that came together through the concept for the album.”

Alexander — who with bandmates Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Turkmen make Years & Years — says Palo Santo is “a world where all the rules regarding gender and sexuality are not there”.

He adds: “I’m fascinated by technology and how it is changing the way we live and view our humanity. I was wondering what AI (Artificial Intelligence) will be like. What if the androids wanted to be more human and know what it’s like to fall in love? Or what it meant to be gay, or to be a man, or to have gender?

“I thought it would be a really interesting way to explore all of those topics in songs in a way that is playful, but interesting. There’s a lot of my own story on the album too.”

Palo Santo is another album of exceptional dance-pop numbers.

First single Sanctify was inspired by Alexander’s love of Britney Spears’ Slave 4 U while Hypnotised “came about in a weird way” after Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann wanted a song for an H&M advert he was making.

“I’m a fan and I hung out with him,” says Alexander. “He’s passionate about music and so entertaining and funny.”

Alexander says the album is a reflection of him “trying to figure out my place in the world”. He continues: “I’m trying to work out who I am and what it means to be alive.

“The songs are things I was thinking about in the past two years. I’m a little older than I was on the first album and I’ve had two proper relationships during that time.

“I’ve been single for almost two years and doing a lot of reflecting on past relationships.

“When you break up with someone, you go through the checklist of what you did or didn’t, like an autopsy. You start looking at yourself in a different way and navigate all of that. I guess a lot of that went into the themes of songs.”

Alexander dated Clean Bandit’s Neil Amin-Smith for nearly a year in 2015 but split after the pressures of success and touring put a strain on their relationship. How was it having a famous boyfriend?

“It was quite difficult, especially when we split up,” he says. “There were lots of things that were great about it — we were in love and honest and open. We were happy to be seen in public together. I don’t regret anything about it. But when the relationship ended it was awful.

“Going through a break- up and reading about the other person in the news or on Twitter was hard but a good lesson. If I was ever in a situation like that again, I’d be better prepared.”

For now, though, Alexander is enjoying single life.

“Hypnotised is about that initial stage of a relationship. I wanted to write about that feeling of being intoxicated in the romance of it. And I do sometimes wonder if I am ever going to fall in love with someone again, but recently I’ve been putting giant 10ft walls between me and all men.

“After my last relationship, I knew I wanted to be single and I’m really happy being single, but I’ve become more protective. The thought of letting someone into my life seems too much for me right now.”

Alexander is a supporter of LGBTQ rights and is proud of his role in championing these issues. The singer is also a successful actor who starred in TV series Skins and films including The Riot Club, Enter The Void and, alongside Greta Gerwig, The Dish And The Spoon.

He was also in Michael Grandage’s stage production Peter And Alice, alongside Dame Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw. And he made a powerful documentary shown on BBC3 called Growing Up Gay in which he discussed his own experiences with his sexuality and linked problems including bullying and mental health.

He says: “I get messages every day from fans who reach out to say they’ve watched the documentary and can relate to my story.

“It can be overwhelming but I feel so positive for making it. If it helps others then it can only be good.

“I was very effeminate as a kid. People used to make fun of me for looking like a girl and I found that really tough. All you want to do is fit in. I had issues with food and not eating and self-harming.

“Growing up, my dad was quite ill, he had his own mental health problems. He was drinking a lot and it was very turbulent at home.

“My parents split up and Mum didn’t have any money and we had to move. It was tough on me, my brother and my mum.”

Therapy has saved my life

Olly Alexander Years & Years

Alexander — who was born in Yorkshire but grew up in Blackpool and Coleford before moving to London — is frank about the troubled relationship with his dad. Following Alexander’s initial fame, his father tried to contact him on Twitter. It’s something the singer says he is still dealing with personally.

He says: “I’ve not closed the door on that yet. I don’t feel any loyalty to him but I have felt slightly protective over the whole situation. It made me annoyed because why am I still trying to protect someone who has hurt me and my family so much? It’s complicated. I’m just trying to be as kind as possible, but I am still angry about certain things.”

The singer says therapy has helped with his anger as well as songwriting. “I’ve had a lot of therapy and it’s saved my life,” he says. “I am so grateful to have had it.

“I was holding on to a lot of anger towards my dad and my exes and you can see that in my lyrics — songs like Rendezvous, Lucky Escape and All For You. Therapy is amazing but you have to be ready for it.

“I am so much nicer to myself now. I am so much better than I was.

“Making Palo Santo has been a real experience and I want people to hear it and enjoy it. It’s an album for people to dance and sing along to and if they look a bit closer, it speaks about something deeper too.”

• Palo Santo is released on July 6
• Rating: ****