Years & Years’ Olly Alexander lends his crystal clear vocals for a spell-binding performance of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” with Jools Holland on his UK show Later…with Jools Holland.
As part of the series’ 57th run, Alexander featured as a guest on the show which also included performances from Griff, Nitin Sawhney, and Ayanna Witter-Johnson. During the episode, which now takes on a new socially distanced format, Holland interviewed the singer-songwriter on the musicians that influenced him growing up as well as his journey from actor to musician, and Alexander’s recent role as Ritchie Tozer in the hit TV series It’s A Sin.
Among the songs that influenced Alexander growing up was Stevie Wonder’s hit single, which the pair performed before the episode concluded. With Holland assuming his signature position at the piano, Alexander threw himself into the performance with his delicate vocals, bringing new meaning to Wonder’s powerhouse track.
His appearance comes on the heels of Years & Years’ announcing a new single as a solo venture lead by Alexander. After the news of the band’s reformation, Alexander revealed that the new track “Starstruck” would arrive on April 8.
Years and Years’ last studio album as the original trio was Palo Santo. Released via Polydor Records, the eclectic concept album received widespread acclaim for both its sonic experimentation and world creation. In a five-star review, NME‘s El Hunt wrote: “Taking intense sadness out for a night on the glitter-soaked tiles, Palo Santo links the intense escapism of pop music with the sanctuary the queer community seeks in their own special, sacred spaces.
“From start to finish, Years & Years worship at the triple-altars of limb-thrashing hedonism, religious iconography, and guilt-tainted desire. Filthy, sexy, thoroughly debauched pop at its finest; Palo Santo feels like a magical album.”
Listen to the best of Years & Years on Apple Music and Spotify.