Olly Alexander reveals the inspiration behind the Years & Years' hit 'King'
It was released back in 2015
We're just a few months away from the Eurovision Song Contest, where Olly Alexander will be representing the UK with his song 'Dizzy'. While Olly has been a solo singer for a few years under the name Years & Years, he rose to fame as part of the band which started as a trio, and he has now opened up about one of their biggest hits, 'King'.
'King' was the band's second single released back in 2015. It was their first Number 1 in the UK, and has been certified 3× Platinum. In the Queer The Music podcast with Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters), Olly was asked about the inspiration behind the hit, and he explained: "It's about a couple of different people, but really, the actual song's relationship was about one person who I was really like caught up about at the time.
"I felt like I was just kind of finding myself in these relationships with like dudes that I felt like, just kind of didn't treat me very well, or like I was just going in for the like the wrong guy, and getting my heart broken and getting trampled on a bit and and just feeling like."
He continued: "Why does this keep happening? You know? But kind of being drawn to those relationships, you know? Drawn to that dynamic and that kind of attraction to the toxicity in a way. So that song was really about that contradicting feeling."
The singer, who is set to release his Eurovision entry 'Dizzy' on Friday 1st March, previously spoke to us about his upcoming song and album, saying: "So the song that I have for Eurovision I made with Danny L Harle, who's a brilliant pop producer.
"And we made basically did a whole album. So my whole album is almost finished... not quite, but I've got a lot of music there ready to go. So this Eurovision song, I'm just so, so, so excited it's going to be coming soon."
You will be able to hear 'Dizzy' on Downtown Radio when it is released.
Take a look through albums due out in 2024:
James Arthur
Release date: Out now
James Arthur released his fifth album 'Bitter Sweet Love' on 26th January 2024, having previously teased it would be out in 2023.
In an interview with us, he said one of the songs has a country vibe and: "I'd love Taylor Swift to be part (of it), or Miley Cyrus. Those girls cross over into the country and pop world and I'm kind of going there on this new album."
Zara Larsson
Release date: Out now
Zara Larsson has now released her fourth studio album, in addition to heading on a UK tour. The album is called 'Venus'.
Usher
Release date: Out now
Usher is set to release his first album since 2016 on the same day that he performs at the Super Bowl Half-Time show. The album is called 'Coming Home'.
Justin Timberlake
Release date: Out now
Justin Timberlake released his sixth studio album 'Everything I Thought It Was' on 15th March, which features his song 'Selfish', as well as a collab with *NSYNC.
Beyoncé
Release date: Out now
'Cowboy Carter' is Beyoncé's first country music album - and it did not disappoint! The singer announced the release date for her highly-anticipated second 'Renaissance' album during a Super Bowl advert, and released the tracklist just days before its release on 29th March.
Dua Lipa
Release date: Out now
Dua Lipa finally released her highly-anticipated third studio album on 3rd May 2024. Taking to Instagram, Dua revealed that the title of the album is 'Radical Optimism'.
Zayn
Release date: Out now
Zayn has now released his amazing fourth solo album. The album is called 'Room Under The Stairs', and features his popular song 'What I Am'.
Shaznay Lewis
Release date: Out now
Former All Saints singer Shaznay Lewis released her second solo album, her first in 20 years, in May. The new album is called 'Pages'.
Becky Hill
Release date: Out now
Becky Hill released her second album 'Believe Me Now?' in May 2024. The singer said she was: 'going back to my dance music roots'.
Charli XCX
Release date: Out now
Charli XCX released her hit album 'brat' in June 2024, the album became a massive hit spawning the 'brat summer' phenomenon.
Meghan Trainor
Release date: Out now
Meghan's highly-anticipated new album is called 'Timeless', and talking about the release, the singer wrote on Instagram: 'This album means so much to me and I cant wait to share even more soooon 🥹 GET READY.'
Eminem
Release date: Out now
Eminem has announced his 12th album 'The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)' will be released in the summer of 2024. The rapper has also announced that he will make his 'career disappear', so this album could be the last from the 'My Name Is' rapper.
Natasha Bedingfield
Release date: Out now
Natasha Bedingfield will release her debut album 'Unwritten' on vinyl for the first time, to celebrate 20 years since it was released. It will be issued 20 years to the day it was originally released.
Katy Perry
Release date: Out now
Katy Perry will release her sixth album '143' in September, the album features her songs 'Woman's World' and 'Lifetimes'.
Tom Walker
Release date: Out now
Tom Walker has announced he will be releasing his second album in 2024, called 'I Am'. The album will feature his hits 'Burn' and 'Freaking Out'.
Coldplay
Release date: Out now
Coldplay set new sustainability standards when they released their 10th studio album on 4th October 2024, called 'Moon Music'. The band's album is available on four physical formats, however there was a limited release in order to reduce waste. They vinyl version of their album was made from recycled plastic bottles.
Charli XCX
Release date: 11th October 2024
Just four months after the release of her sixth studio album 'brat', Charli dropped her first remix album, offering us up 16 new versions of the original tracks - but this time, featuring some HUGE artists. Released on 11th October, the remix album - titled 'Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat' featured names such as Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Troye Sivan, Bon Iver, The 1975, Lorde and Addison Rae. Check out the full list here.
Kylie Minogue
Release date: 18th October 2024
Kylie Minogue has announced her 17th studio album, called 'Tension II', it is the sequel to her 2022 album 'Tension' and will feature her upcoming single 'Lights Camera Action'.
Shawn Mendes
Release date: 18th October
Shawn Mendes will release his fifth studio album, 'Shawn', in October. The album features 12 songs including 'Why Why Why' and 'Isn't That Enough', which he will release on his birthday (8th August).
Gwen Stefani
Release date: 15th November
Gwen Stefani has announced her fifth album will be called 'Bouquet', the album will features 10 songs, including one with her husband Blake Shelton, and include several songs that have a flower theme to them.
Olly Alexander
Release date: Unknown
Olly Alexander is expected to release his first solo album under his own name in 2024. The singer told us in an interview in December 2024: "My whole album is almost finished... not quite, but I've got a lot of music there ready to go. So this Eurovision song, I'm just so, so, so excited it's going to be coming soon."
Perrie
Release date: Unknown
Perrie has announced her album has been finished and will be out this year, however she hasn't revealed what it will be called, or the exact release date. This album will be her first solo album since Little Mix started their hiatus in 2022.
Now read:
Olly Alexander: How the Bright Star actor became our Eurovision 2024 entry
Years & Years' rise to fame: From a trio to solo project
Olly Alexander's fantastic outfits through the years