Olly Alexander says the internet is increasingly becoming an unfriendly place to be if you’re gay.
The 34-year-old singer-songwriter said he has experienced online hate himself and feels like it is getting worse.
Appearing on the March/April cover of Attitude magazine, the King hit-maker explained: I have definitely noticed that I get a lot more of those [homophobic comments on social media] than I did five years ago. Anything I do is met with this instant negative reaction because someone is seeing a gay person and they feel threatened and offended.
“That didn’t exist in the same way five years ago. Maybe it is a pendulum swing, and we have to just endure this backlash. It’s odd because I’m doing the same thing I’ve always done.”
Alexander is not prepared to change who he is for anyone, as demonstrated by his decision to call his new album Polari – underground slang adopted by gay men in the first half of the 20th century.
Over the last decade, Alexander has been putting out music under the name Years & Years. Polari marks his first record under his own name.
Explaining the decision, the Harrogate-born star told the publication: “I never thought I’d do an ‘Olly Alexander album’, to be honest. But the way that I perceive my sexuality and identity has really changed and developed since I began releasing music a decade ago. I’m always trying to get at what it means to be gay and be an artist.”
Last year saw Alexander represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest and while he went in with high hopes, he disappointingly finished in 18th place out of 25. The result came after his entry Dizzy received no votes from the public with all of his 46 points coming from the jury.
Some have claimed that his performance which featured a sexualised gay aesthetic could have played a factor, of which Alexander has some strong opinions.
He said: “In that performance, there’s nothing explicit happening. But once I started doing it in production rehearsals, some of the responses... People couldn’t believe it. They were so outraged. I expected some pearl-clutching, but I was a bit taken aback by how many pearls were clutched…
“I thought it was playful and sporty, but people don’t like to see sexuality portrayed in that assertive way. And it was a bit dirty and rough. We were sticking our tongues out. It was confrontational. A lot of people watching probably didn’t have a point of reference for that. Maybe they felt threatened or scared. Possibly. Or perhaps they just f***ing hated it.”
The March/April issue of Attitude is out now.
