Olly Alexander: ‘I think you’ve got to accept that everything’s an influence’

Olly Alexander Tells Apple Music About The Forthcoming Years & Years Album Coming Out In January…
It’s a good feeling. After the two years we’ve had, I’ve become a solo artist. So making this record has been challenging. But it was like my escape.So I put all the kind of stuff I was missing, like going out, dancing, having sex. Just put it all into the record. And it’s just such a good feeling because you never know when something’s going to be finished, if you’re ever going to put it out. But it’s coming out.

Olly Alexander Tells Apple Music About The Album Title “Night Call”…
Well, ‘Night Call’ the song kind of came sort of towards the end of the writing process and recording process. But I knew all these songs, a lot of them about hookups or about kind of encounters at nighttime. So it was an album that I imagined being played at nighttime. And then I was thinking of really other terms for hookups. And ‘Night Call’, it pleased me because I felt like it worked on lots of different levels. It just felt like something that would… It was a little mysterious, but it felt sexy as well.

Olly Alexander Tells Apple Music About How Sadness Fits Into “Night Call”…
I tried to keep sadness as far away as possible, but it crept into a couple songs. There’s one song called ‘Make It Out Alive’, which I wrote before the rest of ‘Night Call’, but I love the song and really wanted to keep it in. That was from a much darker place where I was just, “Wow, things are really feeling a bit tough.” And then another one of the songs called ‘See You Again’, really just came from after my gran died. I was, “Oh, I’d love to see her again.”

Olly Alexander Tells Apple Music About His Songwriting Process…
Well, I think you’ve got to accept that everything’s an influence, like everything’s going to influence you and then process of making music is really just like sifting through all the stuff that you’ve heard before and that you like and then trying to put your own stamp on it. And for me, like I’m a songwriter. Like I have to write the lyrics. I have to sing, know that that’s my point of view. And then when you’re making the music, the process is a process. You’re just in the studio figuring out and then anything can happen. It’s like when people talk about flow state, I never really understood what that meant until I realize that’s what it’s like when you’re in the zone, making music. You’re like in a special place. You’re like in a flow place.

Olly Alexander Tells Apple Music About Being Supported By His Mum…
I have to say, because my mum, she was like in a band when she was a teenager too. She did backing vocals, just for a local band in London where she’s living at the time. And she’s always been such a massive supporter and she has my CDs in her car. Like she can’t, I think, play CDs anymore in the car, but she still has my CDs in the car.

Olly Alexander Tells Apple Music About Rooting For Lil Nas X…
I’ve got to say, being a queer artist, being a gay artist, I’ve felt so many different types of ways about that label and going into lots of situations where I feel like I’m the only gay person on the line up or whatever, but there have been all these like punches and like little like inroads into mainstream culture, but way before I was making music. But now, I don’t know, earlier this year of Lil Nas X… I might have already said this to you, but like just wanted to run through the street, screaming with happiness. When he went to number one, I was just like, this is so amazing. He’s so undeniable and brilliant, and so gay. It’s so good.

Olly Alexander Tells Apple Music About Brandy…
Gosh, I think it’s when you really feel someone has put themselves into the music. They’ve put who they are into making it and you feel it, I feel. Like it just hits you on a level that you can’t quite explain. And I just think Brandy is one of those artists who right from the start of her career has done that and made just such great music. And vocally she’s… I mean, the greats want to be as great as Brandy because her voice is so crazy.

Olly Alexander Tells Apple Music About Britney Spears’ ‘Unusual You’…
Oh my gosh, this song. I just feel like it has this haunting quality to it. It was on Circus, which is actually a great album. It’s just after Blackout. She’s kind of the dance pop queen. But this song, I feel like hits a little bit different. I just love it.

Olly Alexander Tells Apple Music About Discovering Holly Humberstone…
I have been listening to her for the past year and this song, Scarlet, really, as soon as I heard it, I was just, “Oh my God, this is a killer song.” And I watched her perform it live on an American chat show and she’s blown up basically. But I was just very moved by how tender it feels, but it just hits me right in the spot.

Olly Alexander Tells Apple Music About Zero 7…
My mum loved Zero 7. And she used to play this record and I loved it too. I just was very captivated. I thought at the time, I hadn’t really heard something like that. And obviously the first introduction to Sia’s voice.Who sings on this one. But it’s a very warm, nostalgic sound. I just love it.

Olly Alexander Tells Apple Music About Looking Forward To Performing Live…
I’m mostly excited because it is the best part of the job for me, getting to perform the… Getting to do it, live. And it’s a great opportunity to like totally refresh everything. And I’ve got an amazing creative team. So I know we’re going to pull together a fantastic show. But I mean, the way things are going at the moment, anything could happen. I’m like, oh my God, just fingers crossed. And I just hope and pray that it will go ahead. But it feels like… I’m not going to say anything, but it’s going to be great.

Olly Alexander Tells Apple Music About His Favourite Live Performers…
I mean, I’ve seen Robyn perform and she is unbelievable and one of those performers that come out that has such an unearthly presence in a way, on stage. You’re just like… Twigs is like that too. I mean, a lot of my kind of favourite performers, I guess, are like that. They just… Perfume Genius, he is unbelievable live.