Years & Years are a British synthpop band formed in 2010. It consists of three members: Olly Alexander, Mikey Goldsworthy, Emre Türkmen. The guys drew inspiration for their work from the house music of the 1990s.
But only 5 years after the creation of the band, the first Communion album appeared. He immediately gained popularity and for a long time occupied a leading position in the British music charts.
Creation of the Years & Years team
Mikey Goldsworthy met Noel Liman and Emre Türkmen in London in 2010. The guys listened to the music of the 1990s, so they decided to create a team that would reflect the spirit of that time. But in 2013, Liman left the group, although this did not stop the musicians from releasing their first single, Wish I Knew.
It became so popular that the band made regular appearances at regional venues. Then the team realized that they could become famous and commercially successful. Both members began to create material for further development.
In 2013 and 2014 they signed contracts with different studios, tried to record the first album. But so far it has been possible to create only individual compositions. One of the most famous was Take Shelter.
Career development
The group has been a welcome guest at numerous European festivals. This is what made them so popular. In 2015, the musicians released the song King. For a long time she was at the top of the music charts in Australia, Great Britain, Germany and Bulgaria. It was then that the guys decided to record their first album, Communion.
From the very first days it sold well. In support of him, the group went on a world tour, and they created exclusive clips for the three best songs. Marketers were able to create an effective social media campaign, thanks to which the fan base of the team expanded. At the end of 2015, the guys wrote some more interesting compositions.
In 2016, the band launched the biggest show in its history. Surprisingly, all the tickets for this performance were sold. In some cities, they even had to issue additional tickets, as there were many people who wanted to attend the performance. And in September 2016, the band continued their tour of Europe, the final performance took place in Berlin.
Ollie Alexander's personal life
The most interesting member of the band is, of course, its vocalist Ollie Alexander Thornton. He is not only a famous singer, but also a musician and an actor. Oliver was born on July 15, 1990 in Yorkshire.
When he was 13 years old, his parents divorced. The boy stayed with his mother, he was similar in character to his father, a native of the Netherlands. The boy's mother was one of the founders of the Coalford Music Festival.
At first, Oliver studied at a city school, then continued his education at an art college. Even in high school, he took part in performances and other theatrical productions. The young man knows how to play the piano, professionally engaged in vocals. After the creation of his group, he starred in several films and continued to play in the theater.
Oliver has long admitted that he is gay. For a long time he met with violinist Milan Neil Amin-Smith. But then the couple broke up. While Oliver remained single, he devoted his free time entirely to his career. Although he has a hobby - he loves watching anime, studying the biographies of Japanese animators.
Oliver has been a member of many TV series and films:
- "Bright Star";
- "Entrance to the Void";
- "Gulliver's Travels";
- "Good day for a wedding";
- "God help the girl";
- "Skins";
- "Scary Tales".
The BBC made a documentary on him, Gay Growing Up. Oliver, in this short film, spoke about his childhood, becoming a musician, personal relationships and the difficulties he faced because of his orientation.
Modern activities of the Years & Years group
In 2016 Years & Years recorded the soundtrack for the film Bridget Jones's Diary. And also the team continued to work on the creation of new compositions. During this period, the musicians began to collaborate with musicians from other groups. New songs appeared on the official YouTube channel, where they gained hundreds of thousands of views.
In 2018, the band embarked on a European tour in support of their new album, Palo Santo. According to the musicians, this is the name of a distant planet where only androids live. These robots do not have any sexual characteristics, and long-extinct people have become an object of worship for them.
This artistic image came from the imagination of the vocalist, and it also became the basis for the song Sanctify. She has been trending on YouTube for a long time.
The clips filmed on the compositions from the new album are fully consistent with his idea. Most of them depict dances with robots. In 2019, the band appeared on The Greates Showman: Reimagined.
More recently, the band has continued to collaborate with other bands, co-record songs and perform live all over the world. Information about whether a new album will be recorded soon was kept secret.
The breakup of the band Years & Years
On March 19, 2021, the team announced the breakup. The group is now owned by Ollie Alexander. From March the group will be listed as a solo project. Then it became known that Ollie was already preparing a longplay.
“We are on good terms with the guys. Mikey will continue to be part of the team. Sometimes he will perform at concerts. Emre is now focused on composing activities, ”the artists said.
