My journey to becoming a Years & Years / Olly Alexander stan may have been slightly delayed but I'm definitely on board the Olly train now. For those who are still unfamiliar with the magic that is Years & Years, the predominantly electropop band formed in 2010 and went on to release two hit albums, namely Communion in 2015 (which debuted at number one in the UK) and Palo Santo in 2018. However, last year, Years & Years became the solo project of lead vocalist Olly Alexander.
Indeed, 2021 was quite a year for the 31-year-old. He was nominated for a Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for his leading role as Ritchie Tozer in It's a Sin. To coincide with his role in the series, he released a stripped down version of The Pet Shop Boys' hit It's a Sin, which he went on to perform with Sir Elton John at the Brit Awards. A fantastic 'global reach mix' of the collaboration with Sir Elton also appears on the latter's Lockdown Sessions album.
Olly also collaborated with superstar Kylie Minogue on two amazing tracks last year. The first was a remixed and rereleased version of his song, Starstruck, which Billboard named as one of the 25 Best Pride Songs of 2021, highlighting the song's "luminous, oh-so-catchy chorus for the burst of serotonin we’ve all been desperately seeking over the past year." The second was the lead single from Kylie's Disco: Guest List Edition, namely A Second To Midnight. The accompanying video is also super fun. Shot in a concrete underground theatre in London, the video pays tribute to 90s Kylie and sees her and Olly switching looks while the dancers wear cardboard Kylie and Olly faces (which it turns out was part of the required Covid protocols).
Here are my 10 favourite Years & Years tracks - so far. The list is definitely going to grow with the imminent release of the third album, Night Call, at the end of January.
Desire (Communion)
A heady dance track from their debut album. A remixed version featuring vocals from Tove Lo was subsequently released in 2016.
King (Communion)
I think this was the first Years & Years song I heard and their first number one single. Time magazine also named it the 10th-best song of 2015 - and justifiably so. It remains one of my favourites.
Meteorite (Bridget Jones's Baby)
The catchy single featured on the soundtrack of the third film in the Bridget Jones trilogy. Interesting fact: in the video, Olly wears a sparkling ensemble made of 86 000 Swarovski crystals.
If You're Over Me (Palo Santo)
The bouncy, toe-tapping second single from their sophomore album. Euphoriazine points out that the song has a "playful, retro game chime" underlying sound while the lyrics have a "taunting and vengeful bite".
All For You (Palo Santo)
Olly has said that the purpose of the song is to "get deep on the dance floor and release your inner demons" so that you can bask in the resulting freedom.
Come Alive (The Greatest Showman: Reimagined)
Olly teamed up with Jess Glynne on this reimagined version of the self-empowering anthem from the film, The Greatest Showman.
Starstruck (Single)
Olly described the song as follows: "'Starstruck’ is about the rush you get when you’re with somebody you’re really into, it’s about holding onto a good feeling and not letting it go...I wanted to create something super positive and fun for people (and myself) to bop along too. Whatever we’re doing or wherever we are in life, I think we all deserve three minutes of interstellar ecstasy.”
The Edge of Glory (Born This Way Reimagined)
Another Olly highlight from 2021, featured on my top 10 songs of the year, appears on the 10th anniversary reimagined edition of Lady Gaga's iconic Born This Way. On this version, Olly's vocals compliment the steady synths perfectly, building to a soaring chorus that does indeed take you to the edge of glory.
Crave (Single)
This is another single from the third album. Olly described the track as “a playful way of inhabiting the deranged sexual energy I’ve always wanted”.
A Second To Midnight (Disco: Guest List Edition)
The aforementioned duet with Kylie Minogue is a perfect disco-tinged dancefloor gem that will also appear on the deluxe edition of Night Call.
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