EXCLUSIVE: Olly Alexander on his brand new Years & Years track 'Starstruck'
It's out of this world!
Last updated 9th Apr 2021
Jordan Lee caught up withOlly Alexander to chat about his brand-new single ‘Starstruck’. The new release marks the start of a new era as it is the first music from the outfit since Years & Years became a Olly Alexander solo project.
On the new song, Olly said, “I’m hoping it makes people feel good when they hear it. I wanted something super positive and upbeat to go out into the world and for myself to feel good.”
The singer and It’s A Sin actor shared a snippet of the new track on TikTok last month, but the full version is now available on streaming services.
Olly confessed he felt “extra pressure” for his fans to like the track as it marks the start of the new era.
He said, “It’s definitely nerve-wracking. We’ve been away for a while and haven’t put any music out and so it is kind of extra pressure because I hope people like it.
“I mostly want to know what people are saying but I try and stay off social media. I try not to spend all of my time on it because it’s so easy to just get sucked in and not stop reading all the comments. I like to try and chill a bit.”
The intergalactic inspiration for the song came from Olly’s experience writing the record in the countryside.
He said, “You realise how much you miss it living in the city, you don’t see the stars at night. I wrote ‘Starstruck’ because being able to connect with the stars felt amazing which made its way into the music.”
Years & Years announced they would be going forward as a solo Olly Alexander project earlier this year after 10 years as a trio.
Olly told Jordan, “It definitely feels different to be doing it myself but it had kind of been a long time coming in lots of ways.
“We didn't fall out or anything, me, Mike and Emery. We just had a real honest conversation about where we were at, especially after the pandemic because I think it just gave everybody real time to be honest with themselves and reflect. Everybody had just been doing their own thing.
“I love Years & Years and I want to keep going, but it just wasn’t working in the way that it had been. Hopefully the fans will still be along for the ride.”
The ‘Desire’ singer confessed that he had considered using his own name for the new endeavour but decided to stick with the original.
He added, “I did think about it, but I didn’t want to let Years & Years go. Some of the songs I’ve written almost 10 years ago and I didn’t want to let those songs go. I felt that this is still Years & Years music that I’m writing so let’s continue with the name.”
Check out the Years & Years story so far:
Olly Alexander on the red carpet
Olly Alexander played Jason Banks in 2009 film Tormented. He had previously starred in TV movie Summerhill in 2009 and smaller roles in other TV series.
Olly Alexander at the premiere of Great Expectations
Olly played Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations, released in 2012. The film was Olly's first big hit. A year later, he went on to star in popular TV series Skins for two series as Jakob.
Years & Years formed
Years & Years formed in 2010, they are Olly Alexander, Mikey Goldsworthy & Emre Turkmen. The band formed when Emre and Mikey met on a website made for finding band members. Olly only joined after they heard him singing in the shower and liked his voice!
Years & Years release debut album
The band's debut album 'Communion' was released in July 2015. The album debut at number 1 in the UK Official Chart and outsold the rest of the top five combined in it's first week.
The band release 'King'
'King' was the band's first number one single and it went platinum in the UK.
Coachella
The band performed at Coachella Festival in 2016.
Years & Years at Glastonbury
Years & Years performed on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival in 2019. During their set, Olly gave a powerful speech about LGBTQ+ history.
Years & Years at The Brit Awards
Years & Years have been nominated for a number of Brit Awards including: British Single Of The Year and British Group.
It's A Sin
Olly Alexander plays Ritchie in the 2021 Channel 4 drama It's A Sin created by Russell T Davies.
Years & Years is now a solo Olly Alexander project
In March 2021 Years & Years announced they would continue as an Olly Alexander solo project. Emre will work as a writer-producer alongside the band whilst Mikey will only join Olly for live performances. The trio have been together since 2010.
Now read:
5 things you probably didn’t know about Years & Years