| Years & Years | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, United Kingdom |
| Genres |
|
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Polydor Records |
| Associated acts | The Magician |
| Website | yearsandyearsofficial.com |
| Members | |
|
Olly Alexander Mikey Goldsworthy Emre Turkmen | |
| Past members | |
|
Noel Leeman Olivier Subria | |
Years & Years are a British-Australian electronica trio founded in London. The group consists of frontman and keyboardist Olly Alexander, bassist Mikey Goldsworthy and synth player Emre Turkmen. Years & Years' music has been described as electropop, mixing R&B and '90s house elements, with Flying Lotus, Diplo, Radiohead and Jai Paul being their core influences.
Career[]
Early years[]
The band formed in 2010, after Goldsworthy moved to the United Kingdom from Australia and met Turkmen online. Shortly afterwards, Alexander joined the band as lead vocalist after Goldsworthy heard him singing in the shower. The band was originally a five-piece group, with Noel Leeman and Olivier Subria. Leeman left the band in 2013.
2012–present[]
Years & Years' debut single "I Wish I Knew" was released in July 2012 on the label Good Bait, with the band performing as a five-piece group. In 2013 the group signed to French label Kitsuné Records as a three-piece and released their second single "Traps" in September 2013. Their third single "Real" was released via Kitsuné in February 2014 and its music video featured an appearance from Alexander’s Peter and Alice costar, Ben Whishaw, and former Misfits actor Nathan Stewart-Jarrett.
In 2014 the group signed to Polydor Records and released their fourth single "Take Shelter". The EP reached the number 1 spot on the iTunes UK Singles Electronic Chart. In December 2014, the group's fifth single "Desire" was released, peaking at No. 22 on the UK singles chart. In January 2015, Years & Years' sixth single "King" was previewed on BBC Radio 1, selected as Zane Lowe's Hottest Record of the day. In March 2015, the single reached number 1 on the Official UK Chart.
In January 2015, Years & Years won the prestigious BBC Sound of 2015. Years & Years were also nominated for the Critics Choice Award for the Brit Awards 2015 Their single released on March the 1st 'King' became number one the the UK Singles Charts on the 8th of March 2015.
On March 18, 2015 Years & Years announced their debut album "Communion". The album is to be released on June 22th 2015 by Polydor.
Members[]
- Olly Alexander – vocals, keyboards
- Mikey Goldsworthy – bass
- Emre Turkmen – synths, beats
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Communion |
|
Extended plays[]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Traps |
|
| Real |
|
| Take Shelter |
|
| Desire (Remixes) |
|
| Y & Y EP |
|
Singles[]
As lead artist[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
UK Dance |
BEL |
NL |
SCO | |||||||||||||||
| "I Wish I Knew" | 2012 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||||||||||||
| "Traps" | 2013 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| "Real" | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | Communion | ||||||||||||
| "Take Shelter" | 140 | 33 | 53 | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| "Desire" | 22 | 5 | 57 | — | 20 | ||||||||||||||
| "King" | 2015 | 1 | — | 13 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||||
As featured artist[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
UK Dance |
AUS |
BEL |
FRA |
NL | ||||||||||||||
| "Sunlight" (The Magician featuring Years & Years) |
2014 | 7 | 3 | 20 | 7 | 184 | 37 |
|
Non-album singles | ||||||||||
| "Illuminate" (Tourist featuring Years & Years) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||||
Music videos[]
| Title | Year | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| "I Wish I Knew" | 2012 | Ayshea Halliwell | |
| "Real" | 2014 | Robert Francis Müller | Features Ben Whishaw and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett |
| "Take Shelter" | Features Emily Browning | ||
| "Desire" | Sing J Lee | ||
| "King" | 2015 | Nadia |
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Organisation | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Popjustice | Popjustice £20 Music Prize 2014 | "Take Shelter" | Shortlisted |
| BPI | Critics Choice Award | N/A | Shortlisted | |
| 2015 | BBC | BBC Sound of 2015 | Won | |
| MTV | MTV Brand New For 2015 | Lost |