Olly Alexander: Pressures of the media can ‘f**k up’ gay relationships
Years & Years singer Olly Alexander has spoken about his relationship with Clean Bandit star Neil Amin-Smith – saying he worries being a “gay couple in the media” will “f**k up the real thing”.
The singer, who has been open about his sexuality throughout his rise to success, spoke to GQ Style about the pressures of his relationship with the violinist.
He said: “I found someone that I love and that’s a new thing and that has its own world. And then it exists in this world where we’re both conscious about being open about it.
“The response has been incredibly touching and heartwarming and overwhelming, but I feel like if you invest too much of yourself in the construction of yourself as a gay couple in the media you end up f***ing up the real thing, so I try not to think too much about it.”
Of being a ‘role model’ to younger gay fans, he added: “When I meet gay kids and they know who we are, I remember that’s amazing because literally every gay person in every gay story I knew growing up was doomed to die.
“There weren’t any positive gay stories and it’s incredible that has changed.”
The singer recently backed a campaign to stamp out homophobic bullying in schools.
He has hit out in the past at gay singers who sing about gender-neutral “lovers” in songs, saying: “It is kind of sad to me that we don’t have gay popstars singing about men using a male pronoun, but that could change hopefully.”
