Olly Alexander: all about UK's 2024 Eurovision candidate

This year's contestant for the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest is Olly Alexander. The English actor, singer, composer, and LGBTQ+ activist is 33 years old and known for his music (with the group Years & Years) and his appearances in acclaimed series and movies.

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Olly was born on the 15th of  July, 1990, in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. His family is involved in the arts, as his mother is a co-founder of the Coleford Music Festival in Dean Forest.

He started as an actor when he was in his teens. Eventually, he even dropped out of the Hereford College of Arts to pursue acting, and he has no regrets. As he told NylonMagazineTV on YouTube, "I dropped out of school to work around the world, which was amazing."

There was another reason for Alexander to leave school. "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," he told NylonMagazineTV.

As he told The Standard, Olly developed an eating disorder because of the bullying. "Bulimia and self-harm were a way of coping with that. Cutting was a coping mechanism. I was in a really dark place. It’s still really difficult for me to talk about."

Meanwhile, he quickly rose as a star on the small and big screen. His first role at age 18 was in the TV movie 'Summerhill' (2008). He then got a part in the acclaimed movie 'Bright Star' (2009) which was nominated for an Oscar for Costume Design. At age 21, he had a leading role in 'The Dish & The Spoon' (2011).

Important TV performances for Olly were that of the stalker Jacob in the successful British series 'Skins' (2013), the vampire Fenton in 'Penny Dreadful (2014, image, Showtime)' and his main role in the HBO series 'It's a Sin' (2021).

In the impressive drama about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, written by Russell T. Davies, and streamed on HBO, Olly Alexander played the young British man Ritchie Tozer who has to deal with a growing number of friends falling fatally ill in the 1980s. Alexander's leading performance was praised and nominated for the BAFTA and Critics Choice Awards, among others.

Image: HBO

By the time he starred in 'It's a Sin,' Alexander was already widely known as the singer of the band Years & Years. They started in 2010 and released their first single, 'I Wish I Knew,' in 2012.

The group's album 'Communion' was a big success. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 1 and brought about seven singles. The most successful song was ‘King’. In 2016, Years & Years made a new version of their song ‘Desire’ featuring the Swedish singer Tove Lo.

As Olly Alexander aspires to be a voice for the LGBTQ community, a comparison of the group with the Pet Shop Boys was easily made. In 2019, they recorded a song together with the legendary British group. It was called 'Dreamland' and had been written by Olly Alexander and Pet Shop Boys together. Then, in 2021, Alexander made a cover of the Pet Shop Boys hit 'It's a Sin' for the series of the same name.

As Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys told NME: "It’s so exciting that our new single is a collaboration with Years & Years, one of the most original and successful bands to emerge this decade, and we really enjoyed writing and recording it with Olly Alexander."

In 2021, Years & Years became a solo band with Olly Alexander as the remaining member. As he told The Guardian, "bands are like marriages. Any separation is difficult, and I think it went as well as it could, with us." That year, the 'group' released its third album, ‘Night Call’.

Also in 2021, Olly performed with Elton John at the Brit Awards. They sang Pet Shop Boys' song 'It’s a Sin' together. The performance went viral and OK Magazine called it "jaw-dropping."

2021 was a busy year for Olly Alexander, and you could say he made his international breakthrough. If Australia hadn't known him before, they would now! Along with Kylie Minogue, he wrote and sang the song 'A Second To Midnight'. It's part of the album 'Night Call'.

In 2024, a new, big challenge is awaiting Olly Alexander. He's representing the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Dizzy.' The track is released on March 1st.

The UK has participated 65 times in the Eurovision Song Contest and has a fixed spot in the final as one of the 'Big Five' countries in the organization. In 2023, it hosted the contest because the winner of 2022, Ukraine was unable to do it and UK's Sam Ryder had come second.

The UK has won the  Eurovision Song Contest five times: Sandy Shaw (1967), Lulu (1969), Brotherhood of Man (1976), Bucks Fizz (1981), and Katrina and the Waves (1997). In recent decades, it has also ended as one of the last countries in the final quite a few times. 

On March 11, 2024, the final of Eurovision is held in the Swedish City of Malmö. There, Olly Alexander will sing his track 'Dizzy,' which he describes as 'electronic' and 'danceable'. We look forward to hearing it!

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