Olly Alexander, the openly gay frontman
of the British band Years & Years, talks in a new interview
about how the “landscape has changed dramatically for queer
artists.”
The 27-year-old Alexander told the BBC
News that his group's new single “Sanctify” from their upcoming
studio album Palo Santo is based on a brief relationship he
had with a straight man.
“I've been out as a gay guy for
nearly 10 years, and I know how that journey of coming to terms with
your own identity can be really painful,” he said. “I wanted to
write something that spoke to that experience.”
Alexander added that the “landscape
has changed dramatically for queer artists.”
“In the past, we've all been familiar
with pop stars coming out in the middle of their careers, or after
they've become huge and that feels like a heavy narrative to queer
people,” he said.
"Now it seems to be really
changing that artists can be out from the start of their career; and
it's not some sort of sensationalized headline.”
“Of course, there are people who
still really struggle with being out, and I know some artists think
it might damage their career – but I don't think the tabloids
making a splash about sexuality would still happen. I think – I
think – we can call that progress,” Alexander said.