Years & Years' Olly Alexander reveals BEST moment of being part of the LGBTQ+ community
The singer joined Jordan Lee for the launch of Hits Radio Pride
Last updated 1st Sep 2020
Hits Radio Pride is the brand new station from the people behind Hits Radio, and this morning (28th August) at 8am we launched the station with Years & Years singer Olly Alexander joining Jordan Lee, to talk about being part of the LGBTQ+ community and what it means to him.
The 'Shine' singer told Jordan how he's been very lucky to take part in Pride events around the world. Despite many events being cancelled this year, Olly reflected the best moment of being part of the LGBTQ+ community,
"I'm so lucky that I get to go to all these Prides around world," Olly told Jordan, "So we do this show in Russia, and it's very different for LGBTQ people in Russia, their lives are very different to the way they are here.
"But I cannot tell you how amazing and like rainbow-filled our show was there, and I think for me, being album to meet queer people round the world, and just see a tiny little bit of how their communities are."
Olly went on to explain, "There are so many queer people around the world doing things, making stuff happen, and that's really so wonderful and inspiring to feel like, 'wow', I'm part of a community so brave and courageous."
Hits Radio Pride has now launched and features a fantastic line-up of Fleur East, Jordan Lee, James Barr, Stephanie Hirst and Charlie Powell.
This weekend, you can expect to hear an exclusive interview with Kylie Minogue, with MNEK, Anne-Marie, Jess Glynne and Ella Henderson hosting unique shows and Olly Alexander, Mel C, Sigala, Regard and Gok Wan playing a mix of their favourite Pride party tracks.
Now take a look through the artists you can expect to hear on Hits Radio Pride:
Kylie Minogue
The Pop Princess, Kylie Minogue has had three decades of fantastic hits, from The Loco-Motion right up to her disco-inspired 'Say Something'.
Lady Gaga
After smashing into the charts in 2008, Lady Gaga has wowed fans around the world with her amazing outfits, and Number 1 singles and albums.
George Michael
Starting out as a member of Wham! back in the 80s, George Michael also became a very successful solo artist following Wham's breakup in 1986.
As a solo artist he had success with debut solo album 'Faith' in 1987, continuing into the 90s and 00s.
Sia
Australian singer Sia has been in the music industry for many years, but it was in 2014 with the release of her album '1000 Forms of Fear' that she began to see success in the UK.
The album included the lead single 'Chandelier' which received four GRAMMY nominations and was a Top 10 hit around the world.
Years & Years
Years & Years star Olly Alexander has had huge success with hits 'King', 'Shine' and 'If You're Over Me'. The It's A Sin actor also teamed up with Kylie in 2021, as well as dropping his singles 'STARSTRUCK' and 'Night Call'.
Ariana Grande
With hits like 'Side to Side', 'One Last Time', and most recently her collab with Lady Gaga, 'Rain On Me', Ariana Grande has enjoyed huge success in the charts since her debut UK hit, 'Problem' in 2014.
Britney Spears
Starting as a teenager back in the late 90s, Britney's success included her debut song '...Baby One More Time', and continued throughout the 00s and 10s, with the singer also hosting a residency in Las Vegas, where she performed many of her biggest hits.
Calvin Harris
He's now one of the highest-paid DJs around, but Calvin Harris started out releasing his debut album 'I Created Disco' in 2007 which featured 'Acceptable in the 80s'.
Since then, he has had a number of huge collaborations including, 'One Kiss' with Dua Lipa and 'Promises' with Sam Smith.
Madonna
Madonna has had huge hits in the last four decades, and seen some very iconic outfits throughout the years too.
Starting out with her debut album 'Madonna', she has had 14 Top 10 studio albums!
Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa rose to fame from a young singer at a theatre school, to a three-time BRIT Award winner.
Most recently she has released 'Don't Start Now', 'Physical', and her collab with J Balvin, Bad Bunny and Tainy, 'One Day'.
How to listen to Hits Radio Pride
The station will be available on DAB in Bradford, Stoke, Swansea, Liverpool, Humberside, North Yorkshire and Northern Ireland, as well as on DAB+ in London and Norwich. It will also be available online, on smart speakers, just say "Alexa, Play Hits Radio Pride" and through the Hits Radio app nationally.