EXCLUSIVE: Years & Years – LGBT Love & Creative Change

Years & Years are breaking the boundaries and making all the right moves. Hannah Montgomery spoke with band member Mikey Goldsworthy about their creative ingenuity.
British synth-pop band Years & Years are becoming increasingly recognised for their top tracks and original style. The group, which consists of members Olly Alexander, Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Türkmen, have swiftly become a real mainstream wonder.
In 2015 their debut album ‘Communion’ landed at number 1 in the UK Albums Chart – it actually became the fastest-selling debut album of the year by a UK signed group. Their biggest single ‘King’ was an international hit and this top tune was soon followed by a stream of catchy tracks that continued to catch the attention of the public.
Years & Years are back with a new album, ’Palo Santo’, and Mikey was excited to tell us more: “Palo Santo’ literally translates to Holy Wood,” he laughed. “It’s kind of like a scented wood that you burn – they are made to clear away like, all the negativity and stuff.
“We kind of made like our own world, and it’s a place called Palo Santo where only the remaining humans are made to perform for these androids who want to learn how to feel and love.”
So, how has their music changed? “It is hard to describe music with words, but I think this album feels like Years & Years but in a older way. We have always been really honest and authentic with our fans and this is what I want us to be remembered for – that we are not playing anyone, we are all real.”
individuality is evidently important to the trio, as Mikey told us more about the creative process behind their music videos: “We basically meet up and Olly will blurt out all these ideas,” he laughed. “Our director will filter it down to the finished product.”
LGBT is another area of focus for the group, as Mikey explained: “It started off with Olly writing about his experiences coming out and people have really latched onto that. Its sort of snowballed into Olly becoming this icon to the LGBTQ community. It’s super important for us – it’s good to use your pedestal for good, rather than be like Kanye and support Trump!
“We’ve all been through like mental health things as well and we’ve sat down and talked about it, so yeah, it’s good to do that. Hopefully, for the next generation of people it will just like be the norm – that’s the goal.”
Mikey was also positive about his own development: “I have changed in the last few years,” he confessed. “‘Communion’ was such a life-changing thing. I used to get really stressed about like everything and then I turned a corner. I just try and enjoy life – I know that’s really lame and clichéd, but it seems to be working.”
With their upcoming tour, Years & Years have a busy few months ahead of them. Mikey concluded: “I’m looking forward to playing our new songs. We’re not really planners so I think we will do about 2 years of touring and then see where we are at.”
Years & Years embark on their UK/Europe tour from Aug – Dec.
> Hannah Montgomery