Olly Alexander’s Attitude cover, in 7 stylish shots – as star talks ‘maximalist approach’ to new LP
“I never thought I’d do an ‘Olly Alexander album’, to be honest," says the star of Polari in his accompanying Attitude interview
Olly Alexander has been unveiled as Attitude’s new cover boy – his first appearance on our front page since 2016 – complete with fashion-forward photoshoot.
In the accompanying interview, the former Years & Years singer – who also leads the TV, Music and Film Category in Attitude 101, empowered by Bentley – revealed all about his new album, Polari.
“The sounds are too loud and a bit janky,” the 34-year-old explained. “It’s an approach that is the antithesis to how you make music today, where things tend to be slicker and about creating sound beds.
“With this record, we were trying to go for a much more maximalist approach.”
“The way that I perceive my sexuality and identity has really changed” – Olly Alexander
Elsewhere in the interview, Alexander told Attitude: “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.”
Opening up about life in the public eye in 2025, Olly said: “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.”
Issue 363 of Attitude magazine is available to order here, and alongside 15 years of back issues on the free Attitude app.
