Eurovision is back, baby, and this year it’s being held in Malmö, Sweden – and we’re crossing all of our fingers that the UK Eurovision entrant, Olly Alexander, will take the top spot.
The 2024 Eurovision Song Contest will grace our screens this Saturday evening (May 11), where 33-year-old Alexander will be performing his song ‘Dizzy’, which he has teased will be ‘truly unforgettable’.
“I think what's important at Eurovision is to stand out, and so I am aiming for my performance to be truly unforgettable, to surprise the audience and to intrigue them,” Alexander told the BBC.
“I want to leave them with something that they will never forget and of course, I hope to bring an element of dizziness to the performance and capture the feelings of the song.”
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If you recognise the name, you’re not alone. Alexander is both a singer and an actor (double threat!) having been in the band Years & Years and in the show It’s A Sin. Still curious? Here’s everything you need to know.
Who is Olly Alexander?
Hailing from Harrogate in Yorkshire, Olly Alexander is an actor and a singer. After completing his GCSEs, he studies at the Hereford College of Arts before dropping out at pursue an acting career.
Before starting his band, Years & Years, Alexander appeared in several films like Bright Star and Tormented.
Is Olly Alexander still in Years & Years?
In 2010 Alexander was invited to join Years & Years by bandmate Mikey Goldsworthy who heard him singing in the shower. Emre Turkmen completed the band’s trio and spent the next decade putting out music.
You can’t keep Mae Muller down for long!
However, in January 2021, both Turkmen and Goldsworthy left the band and Alexander continued as a soloist.
“It had been on the cards for a really long time, in many ways, because we had changed so much as a band,” Alexander told PA at the time.
“We all still get on and we loved going on tour and playing songs and everything – but when it came to it creatively, we disagreed more and more. It became obvious that we all wanted to do different things."
Earlier this year, Turkmen and Goldsworthy hinted that they have joined forces once again and will soon be releasing new music as a pair.
“Turns out, we like to make music together and we’re working on something special. Can’t wait to share more soon. In the meantime, here is a little pic from ‘moving day’ into our new studio. Stay tuned for more,” they captioned an Instagram post.
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With Alexander’s Eurovision entry, he appears to still be steadfast in his solo career.
What acting credentials does Olly Alexander have?
Alexander is probably most recognisable from his turn as the lead in It's A Sin, the Channel 4 show written by Russell T Davies that followed three young men during the 1980s aids epidemic. The show ended up being the channel’s most-binged series ever (yes, it was that good).
Alexander also has plenty of other acting credits to his name, and it was recently announced that he will be making a cameo in EastEnders to coincide with his Eurovision performance.
What can we expect from Olly Alexander’s Eurovision performance?
Alexander will be performing his song ‘Dizzy’, which he says is about “an overwhelming feeling of love that someone gives you where they've swept you off your feet and they're literally turning your world upside down”.
He wants his performance to be a ‘stand-out’, so we have our hopes high that he’ll do just that.
