Olly Alexander joins Rebecca Judd on Apple Music 1 for a special episode of 'The Rebecca Judd Show' and talks about his performance at Eurovision 2024, new music, the success of Years & Years and his solo career Discuss your decision to start. He also talks about the support he received from his hometown, guest appearances on EastEnders, and how ABBA influenced his music.
Olly Alexander talks about why Eurovision is the next step in his career…
We finished touring for the album last year and started working on the next album at the beginning of last year. All of the new music was created with Danny L. Haar. Danny L. Harle is a great producer and he also loves Eurovision. And we were talking about Eurovision and thought it would be really cool to take one of our songs to Eurovision. Wouldn't that be a lot of fun? I'm coming back with new music and it's a great platform, so I thought the timing made sense. For any artist. So I thought, “Okay, this could be an advantage for me.” And I love putting on shows, so I thought, “Why not give it a try?”
Olly Alexander talks about the success of Years & Years and the experience it gave him.
In a way, I think that helped. It's obviously good to gain experience and know a little bit of what it's like to have to perform on stage under pressure. But on the other hand, I think there are some people who are like, “Okay, we've seen what you can do, so you've got to really impress us.''
Olly Alexander talks about Eurovision results and wanting to make Britain proud…
No matter what the result is, I just do my best and give a performance that I'm proud of, and after that it doesn't really matter. Just participating is enough for me. Of course I want to do well and mainly I want to be proud of myself, but of course I want to make Britain proud, but you never know what will happen. not. So we'll have to wait and see.
Olly Alexander talks about performing and releasing a new album under his own name rather than Years & Years…
Obviously, some people know me as Olly from Years and Years, and some people don't, so in a way there's less pressure. do you understand? They'll say, “Oh, your voice sounds a lot like the guy from Years and Years.” “He's my biggest idol.” So I think maybe it's like a brand new, fresh, new artist for people to discover. It's obviously very exciting as well. And I think it's great to start a new chapter with a little bit of freshness, a little bit of newness. It was really good. I obviously love Years and Years, but I think it feels good to start a new chapter. I'm working on a new album, which I'm just finishing and I can't wait. I'm very happy with it and can't wait for it to be released.
Olly Alexander talks about guest starring on EastEnders…
Ollie Alexander: That was the highlight of my career. I think they just got in touch and said, “Would Olly be interested in doing a little walk-on little cameo in an episode of EastEnders?” And of course I was like, “Please, yes, let me.” I grew up watching EastEnders, so it's my mum's favorite TV show. I knew that if she saw me, she would just lose her mind. And it was a very enjoyable experience. I just showed up at the Vic and had a drink. I can't say much about it since it hasn't been released yet, but it was really great. I met a lot of icons, Natalie Cassidy, Pat Just icons. And it was a wonderful, wonderful day. It was just a dream. I want to return. I want a repeating story.
Rebecca Judd: Tell me, the Queen Vic actually smells like a pub. please tell me. Otherwise, my dreams will be shattered. Does it smell like a pub?
Olly Alexander: It does smell a bit like a pub, it's got real kegs in it so maybe it's fake ale, but it smells like leftover beer. So there was some truth to it.
Olly Alexander talks about other Eurovision contestants…
This year is a really strong year. There are a lot of really great performers. I love the Spanish work “Nebulossa”. A great pair. And I love the Ukrainian girl Alyona Alyona. I'm friends with Irish artist Bumby and Swiss artist Nemo. Nemo is the winner. I think they'll probably win. they are really great. Sylvester from Lithuania. There are a lot of really cute and wonderful artists. I’m so excited to see them kill it on stage and take off. And Luna from Poland. There are a lot of really sweet mustis from Belgium. There are also a lot of really great LGBTQ artists, which is really great to see.
Olly Alexander talks about support from home…
I'm very touched, I'm getting a lot of support from home and they're a really nice group of people. I think they're going to see this movie at their local movie theater. This is a small, locally owned movie theater. I really appreciate your support.
Olly Alexander talks about his love for ABBA and how they influenced his music.
ABBA created some of the best pop music ever made. They have an incredibly wide range, and many of their songs truly take you on a journey. They weren't afraid to use unusual chord sequences or unusual progressions, and they're clearly always focused on melody and hooks, which sounds obvious. And obviously, singers use that range, their entire range, all the time. So I always try to do that with my music. Using the full range of the melody, this is where the chorus will come, but after that you can add some modulation or maybe even introduce another chord sequence. And ABBA always nailed it. They're all really complicated songs. ABBA's songs are very difficult, which is why not many people cover them.