Olly Alexander
Oliver Alexander Thornton is an English singer, actor and LGBTQ activist who rose to prominence as the lead singer of the English pop band Years & Years, achieving two No. 1 albums on the UK Albums Chart, a No. 1 single and five Top 10 entries on the UK Singles Chart. He continued to release music under the band’s name between 2021 and 2023 until their dissolution in 2024. During their career Years & Years were nominated for six Brit Awards.
As an actor he rose to critical acclaim for his performance as Ritchie Tozer in the Channel 4 drama series It's a Sin, earning Best Actor nominations at the British Academy Television Awards, Critics' Choice Television Awards and Independent Spirit Awards. Alexander represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden, with his song "Dizzy", which marked his first release under his own name; in the grand final, he finished in 18th place with 46 points. His debut solo album Polari was released on 7 February 2025.
Early life
Alexander was born on 15 July 1990, in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. His mother, Vicki Thornton, was one of the founders of the Coleford Music Festival. Alexander attended St John's Primary School in Coleford and Monmouth Comprehensive School. While at Monmouth Comprehensive School, he acted in two school plays: Guys and Dolls, as Benny, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle, as the Corporal. After completing his GCSEs Alexander studied Performing Arts at the Hereford College of Arts. The New York Times reported that he wrote his first song on his father's Casio keyboard aged 10. His parents separated when he was 13, and he and his brother Ben, were thereafter brought up solely by his mother.He obtained the services of an agent when he was 16, while auditioning for a part in British TV series Skins. Alexander said he dropped out of the Hereford College of Arts to pursue his acting career as parts were offered, stating: "I started acting when I was young; it just sort of happened. I dropped out of school to work around the world, which was amazing." "I really wanted to become a singer or a musician... All of a sudden I was an actor. It was never something I'd set my heart on being. I'm still trying to work it out... I really hated school because I was totally bullied. But you're never bullied in drama class because the weird kids do well in drama class. That's a safe place". Alexander also experienced bulimia as an adolescent.
Career
Acting career
Alexander starred in CBBC's Summerhill in 2008. The show was about the radical Summerhill School in Leiston in Suffolk, and was subsequently nominated for three children's BAFTA awards. His first film Bright Star was nominated for an Academy Award in the United States for Best Achievement in Costume Design. He also acted in the 2009 films Tormented starring Alex Pettyfer and Enter the Void. In 2010, Alexander played Evan in the Bush Theatre production of The Aliens. Alexander contributed to the script and music for the independent film The Dish & the Spoon, released in early 2011. In 2012, he appeared in the theatre production of Mercury Fur, taking the part of Naz at The Old Red Lion, Islington.From March to June 2013 Alexander starred as Peter Pan in the West End play Peter and Alice acting alongside Ben Whishaw and Judi Dench. Alexander also had a supporting role in the final series of Skins, playing Cassie Ainsworth's stalker in the two-part episode "Skins Pure", which aired in July 2013. Also in 2013, Google Analytics released an internal corporate video which featured Alexander as a demanding shopper under the sub-heading "That is what happens when you save on usability".
Alexander also appeared in The Riot Club, the film adaptation of Laura Wade's stage play Posh alongside British actors Sam Claflin, Max Irons and Douglas Booth. He briefly portrayed the vampire Fenton in the British-American horror series Penny Dreadful in 2014. In the independent film Funny Bunny, which first premiered at SXSW 2015, Alexander played Titty, a troubled teenager. The film was directed and written by Alison Bagnall, who directed The Dish & the Spoon, while Alexander was a co-writer together with the other two leads. The film was shown at art houses during the summer and was theatrically released on 13 November 2015.
In January 2021 Alexander appeared in a leading role in the Channel 4 and HBO Max drama It's a Sin, which depicted gay life in the 1980s and early 1990s, and the onset of HIV/AIDS. The show and Alexander's performance earned critical acclaim, with some critics expressing their desire for Alexander to win a BAFTA for his performance. In 2024, Alexander made a cameo appearance as himself in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders, in an episode that aired on 2 May.
From September 2025 to January 2026, Alexander will star as Algernon Moncrieff in the National Theatre production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by Max Webster at the Noël Coward Theatre in London's West End. The production also stars Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Shobna Gulati, Hugh Dennis and Stephen Fry.
Music career
2010–2022
was formed in 2010, after Mikey Goldsworthy moved to London from Australia and met Noel Leeman and then later, Emre Türkmen online. Alexander later joined the band as its lead vocalist, after Goldsworthy heard him singing in the shower and liked his voice. The band was originally a five-piece group, with Noel Leeman and Olivier Subria.Their debut single "I Wish I Knew" was released in July 2012 on the Good Bait label, with the band performing as a five-piece group. Leeman and Subria left the band the following year, leaving them as a trio. In 2013, the group signed a deal to the French label Kitsuné as a three-piece and released their second single, called "Traps", in September 2013, which achieved support from Radio 1 and Radio 6, as well as many online publications such as The Guardian and The Fader. "Traps" also featured on Kitsuné Maison's 15th compilation.
File:Olly Perfoming Palo Santo at London 02 Arena 5.12.18.png|thumb|upright=1.2|Alexander performing "Palo Santo" at The O2 Arena during the Palo Santo Tour in 2018
The band released their second single "Real" on Kitsuné and iTunes in February 2014. The music video featured an appearance from Alexander's Peter and Alice co-star, Ben Whishaw, and former Misfits actor Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. In 2014, the group changed their record label from the French smaller label Kitsuné to Polydor as they gained prominence. In January 2015, the band won BBC's Sound of 2015 poll.
In the same month the band's sixth single, "King", was previewed on BBC Radio 1 and selected as Zane Lowe's Hottest Record in the World. "King" was released on 1 March 2015, and reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, earning the band national recognition. Internationally, the single peaked within the Top 10 of the charts in Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Ireland and Switzerland. On 25 February 2015, Years & Years were nominated for the Critics' Choice Award at the 2015's BRIT Awards. Their debut studio album, Communion, was released on 10 July 2015, and entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1.
Years & Years' second studio album, titled Palo Santo, was released on 6 July 2018. Five singles were released from the album: "Sanctify", "If You're Over Me", "All for You", "Play" and "Valentino with "Sanctify", "If You're Over Me" and "Play" making the Top 40 on the UK Singles Chart, and "If You're Over Me" and "Play" became Top 10 hits. To promote the album, Years & Years embarked upon the Palo Santo Tour which began in New York City on 24 June 2018, and concludes in Lembang on 16 March 2019. The tour included shows in nineteen countries, including the band's first UK arena shows.
In September 2018 Years & Years released the official music video for "All For You", featuring an angelic version of Alexander dancing within an abandoned warehouse before transforming into a demonic version of himself and engaging in a dance-off with an android. Alexander collaborated with the Pet Shop Boys on their 2019 single "Dreamland" and later released a cover of "It's a Sin" to coincide with his starring role in the drama series of the same title.
On 18 March 2021 Years & Years became Alexander's solo project. Regarding the decision, Alexander later explained: "Bands are like marriages. Any separation is difficult, and I think it went as well as it could, with us." Alexander released his third studio album Night Call in 2022, the last under the Years & Years name. The album was commercially and critically successful, receiving critical acclaim from music critics and debuting in the Top 3 on the UK Albums Chart.
2023–present
On 16 December 2023, during the final of the twenty-first series of Strictly Come Dancing, it was announced that Alexander would be representing the in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Following the announcement he told the BBC that he had "wanted to do it for a while" and it "felt like this was the right time to start releasing music under my name". His Eurovision competing entry, "Dizzy", was released on 1 March 2024, and marked Alexander's first release under his own name. Alexander performed "Dizzy" at the first Eurovision semi-final on 7 May 2024, making the UK the first pre-qualifying country to perform in a semi-final. Alexander came 18th in the contest final on 11 May 2024, scoring 46 jury points but zero from the public vote.His first album under his own name called Polari was released on 7 February 2025. The first Single "Cupid's bow" was released on 11 October 2024, followed by a music video on 24 October. The second single Polari was released with a music video on 21 November. The third single "Archangel" was released on 13 December 2024. The fourth single "When We Kiss", was released on 10 January 2025 with a music video. On 21 March 2025, Alexander announced on his social media that he parted ways with his long-time record company Polydor Records. In November 2025, it was announced that Alexander had teamed up with Mighty Hoopla to perform a one-off concert, Trans Mission, on 11 March 2026, in aid of trans-solidarity charities Good Law Project and Not A Phase. Other performers in the line-up will include Sugababes, Wolf Alice, Beth Ditto and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.