Olly Alexander Tickets at 3Olympia Theatre

It all started in the shower. When Michael Goldsworthy, Noel Leeman, Olivier Subria and Emre Türkmen wanted a vocalist for their new band, the answer came unexpectedly at friend's house, when they overheard Olly Alexander in the bathroom, singing in the shower. That was the beginning of Years & Years, and the start of Alexander's path to pop superstardom.

Releasing their first record, I Wish I Knew, in 2012 as a five-piece, Years & Years gained momentum with their 2013 debut EP, Traps, after signing a deal with French label Kitsuné as a three-piece.

In 2014, the group announced they had signed a deal with Polydor before releasing their second EP, Real. That same year, Years & Years released multiple singles including Take Shelter and Desire. The group won the BBC Sound Of award in 2015 before embracing the momentum to release their first full-length album, Communion. The album topped the charts in the UK and reached similar highs in the Irish and US dance charts. The album also featured lead singles King and Shinewhich nabbed the No.1 and No.2 spots on the UK charts, respectively.

At the same time, Alexander was also developing his acting career. Making his screen debut in 2008's children's television drama Summerhill, by the time Years & Years were being nominated for four BRIT Awards in 2016, Alexander had already starred in Skins, Penny Dreadful, Great Expectations and The Riot Club.

Years & Years' sophomore album, Palo Santo, was released in 2018 and featured production from Kid Harpoon, Greg Kurstin and GRADES. The album included hit singles Sanctify and If You’re Over Me and climbed to No.3 on the UK charts.

Collaborations with DJ Jax Jones, producer MNEK and Pet Shop Boys followed throughout 2018 and 2019. In 2021, Years & Years announced that their upcoming album would be a solo project by Olly Alexander – the same year he starred in his biggest and most influential role to date, as the lead in Russell T Davies' landmark It's A Sin. Chief amongst the many awards the show won was the accolade of raising global awareness of HIV, with The Terrence Higgins Trust charity seeing a a huge influx in donations after the show aired.

By April that year, Alexander had released the single Starstruck with a remix of the song featuring Kylie Minogue following in May. Alexander and Minogue returned with another collaboration for Kylie’s Disco album later that year called A Second To Midnight. In September, the band released the single Crave and the studio album, Night Call, was released in early 2022 at the top of the UK album charts.

A Night Call tour followed, as did the decision to retire the name Years & Years and press ahead with new music under Olly Alexander's own name. First up was one of the biggest jobs in pop: representing the UK at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. Alexander's Eurovision entry, 'Dizzy' landed the UK 18th in the contest final in May 2024, and set the stage for the next chapter in Alexander's career – with Polari set to be his first studio album under his own name, backed by a huge European tour in 2025.