Olly Alexander

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Traits

English musician, singer, songwriter and actor, known as the lead singer of the synthpop band Years & Years since 2010. Alexander's voice has been commented on for its unique tone, with the music being described as "Nina Simone ...crooning a melodic lullaby to the folktronic lovechild of Beach House and Terry Riley". The New York Times reported that he wrote his first song on his father's Casio keyboard aged 10. From March to June 2013, Alexander starred as Peter Pan in the West End play Peter and Alice acting alongside Ben Whishaw and Judi Dench. Alexander also had a supporting role in the final series of teen TV drama series Skins, playing Cassie Ainsworth's stalker in the two-part episode "Skins Pure", which aired in July 2013. As a gay songwriter, Alexander has stated in interviews he would like to see greater use of the qualified male pronoun in music. He explained that, whenever he used to write a diary, he would refer to "you and I" because he wanted to hide who he was writing about. Several Years & Years songs feature male pronouns. Through various interviews and charity campaigns, he has promoted safer sex and HIV screening, and anti-LGBT bullying initiatives. He has also spoken openly about his own struggles with depression and anxiety from age 13 onwards. In 2017, Alexander presented a BBC Three documentary investigating the link between being gay and the development of mental health disorders where he opened up about his bulimia. Link to Wikipedia biography