Olly Alexander announces first solo Years & Years single and we can already smell a bop
Olly Alexander on the Years & Years “Starstruck” cover. (Twitter)
Olly Alexander has announced “Starstruck” as his first solo Years and Years release.
“Starstruck” will be the first new Years and Years single in its new guise as an Olly Alexander solo project.
The singer shared the single’s artwork on Twitter Tuesday (23 March), a week after it was announced he’d be taking on the mantle without bandmates Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Turkmen.
“I’m really, really excited,” Alexander tweeted alongside the cover art, which sees him arms aloft, chest covered in gold chainmail, heavy chains and a heart-shaped brooch.
🌟 S T A R S T R U C K 🌟 april 8th 💛❤️ i’m really really excited 😭✨ https://t.co/nj61n4boKU pic.twitter.com/LZesv3UPXN
— olly alexander (@alexander_olly) March 23, 2021
Excited fans were restrained in their responses, ranging from “quaking” to “omg I am shaking”. The track will arrive on April 8.
Olly Alexander, who recently starred in Channel 4’s acclaimed drama It’s A Sin, recently confirmed the new album will a solo endeavour.
In a statement released 18 March it was announced Goldsworthy and Turkmen had departed the band amicably.
“This upcoming album has been an Olly endeavour and we’ve decided that Years & Years will continue as an Olly solo project,” a statement said.
“The three of us are still good friends. Mikey will be part of the Y&Y family and play with us live and Emre will focus on being a writer/producer.”
In an early incarnation the band was a five piece, but found major success as a trio after winning the BBC Sound of 2015 poll in January of that year. Months later, their single “King” hit number one in the UK, followed swiftly by their debut album Communion, which also topped charts.
The band’s most recent release was a cover of Pet Shop Boys’ “It’s a Sin”, inspired by the series of the same name that Alexander led.
The drama, created by Russell T Davies, saw the singer play a young actor discovering his sexuality in 1980s London as the AIDS crisis began to unfold.
The success of the show inspired record numbers of people to contact HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust to request a HIV test kit, something that Alexander teared up over during a BBC interview.
