Years & Years’ songs are inspired by a string of "dysfunctional relationships".
The trio’s frontman Olly Alexander has revealed he has been "addicted to rejection" in the past, with the failed relationships inspiring tracks including ‘Memo’ and ‘Desire’.
He explained: "That comes from experience, you know. I just have had a lot of dysfunctional relationships.
"I’ve really gone from one to another to another. I’ve been stuck in a cycle of being addicted to rejection in some f***ed up way and always choosing someone who is going to reject me. But, I’m in a less dysfunctional relationship now. I’d say it’s relatively functional."
Although the 24-year-old singer – who is in the band with pals Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Turkmen – is now settled, he admitted he does still draw on his previous dating experiences when writing music, which is something he was inspired to do after listening to other honest singer/songwriters.
He continued: "I’m definitely writing from that perspective. There’s a choice when you write a song with how you talk about someone else. I watched Joni Mitchell do this interview where she said songwriting became easier when she started writing about ‘you and me.’"
Despite opening up about his relationship issues in tracks such as their chart-topping single ‘King’ – which will feature on their debut album ‘Communion’, which will be released in June – he finds it strange people feel the need to find out whether he is gay.
When asked if he is planning to come out in a "big interview," he told The Downtowner newspaper: "This has only been a thing recently. I’ve done a few interviews and been like ‘I’m gay and I’m singing about my boyfriends.’ I guess for a lot of people you need to say something before they’re really accepting of it."
Years and Years inspired by failed relationships
