Olly Alexander

Olly Alexander was involved in a very high-profile relationship with Neil Amin-Smith, the violinist of Clean Bandit. In September 2015, they shared a kiss on stage at U.K. festival Jersey Live in front of a cheering audience. However, in December, Alexander told the Attitude magazine that they had broken up. He has also been in an open relationship with a past boyfriend.

Alexander is a self-described “real-left winger” and has mentioned that he used to have a crush on the Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. He has actively campaigned for LGBTQ rights, safer sex, and HIV screening. He has been open about his personal struggles with depression and anxiety which he has been dealing with since he was 13 years old.

During his tenure as the host of ‘Olly Alexander: Growing Up Gay’, he has also spoken about his bulimia. In 2018, he joined the likes of Nadiya Hussain and Stephen Fry in Sport Relief’s initiative to cast a light on mental illness.

Born on July 15, 1990, in Harrogate, Yorkshire, Olly Alexander is the son of Vicki Thornton, who co-founded Coleford Music Festival. He was educated at St John's Primary School in Coleford and later at Monmouth Comprehensive School before enrolling at Hereford College of Arts to study performing arts.

During his time at Monmouth, he participated in two stage productions, playing the character of Benny in ‘Guys and Dolls’ and of the Corporal in ‘The Caucasian Chalk Circle’.

According to the New York Times, Alexander composed his first song on his father’s Casio keyboard when he was only ten years old. Three years later, his parents separated and subsequently Alexander was raised by his mother acting as a single parent.

At the age of 16, he got an agent who agreed to represent him. He eventually dropped out of school hoping to work as an actor.

He is homosexual. He came out to his mother when he 20 years old and received her full support. He never told his father as he had lost touch with him since his parents’ separation and never felt the need to reach out to him to tell him this.

Olly Alexander’s first role was in the TV movie ‘Summerhill’ (2008), portraying the character Ned. In 2009, he made his cinematic debut in the British-French-Australian biographical fiction romantic drama ‘Bright Star’. He was cast as Tom Keats, poet John Keats’ brother.

In 2009, he appeared in his first TV show as well, in ITV’s detective drama ‘Lewis’. Alexander did three more films the same year, ‘Tormented’, ‘Enter the Void’, and ‘Dust’.

In 2010, he appeared as himself in ‘The Fades’ and co-starred with Jack Black, Jason Segel, and Emily Blunt in the commercially successful film ‘Gulliver's Travels’. In 2011, he landed his first main role, in Alison Bagnall’s comedy-drama ‘The Dish & the Spoon’.

He worked with Felicity Jones, Luke Treadaway, and Elizabeth McGovern in the 2012 comedy drama ‘Cheerful Weather for the Wedding’. That year, he was cast in the film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel ‘Great Expectations’, portraying the character Herbert Pocket.

In 2013, he appeared in two episodes of the acclaimed E4 teen drama ‘Skins’ and in Roger Michell’s directorial venture ‘Le Week-End’.

The band Years & Years was established in 2010 by guitarist Mikey Goldsworthy and Olly Alexander. Goldsworthy had heard Alexander in the shower and found his voice to be unique and interesting. Thus, he recruited him as a vocalist. The band also included Emre Türkmen, Noel Leeman, and Olivier Subria.

They released their debut single, ‘I Wish I Knew’, in 2012. It was followed by their debut EP ‘Traps’, which was released through Kitsuné Records in September 2013.

Leeman and Subria quit the band in 2013. The group has since released three more EPs: ‘Real’ in February 2014, ‘Take Shelter’ in August 2014, and ‘Y & Y’ in February 2015. They put out their first studio album ‘Communion’ in 2015. ‘Palo Santo’, their second studio album, was released on July 6, 2018. It peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart and also charted in countries like Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, and Sweden.