Olly Alexander Talks Hair Transformations… Above and Beneath The Belt — Interview

Alexander: Shiori additionally dyes and cuts my hair. [Editor’s note: on his head.]

Royal: I keep in mind once we first began working collectively, questioning when you’d be up for doing red-red hair. And all people round you wasn’t positive…. Then on that first cellphone name you have been like, “Yeah, completely.” You have been solely brunette for an hour of me figuring out you. 

Alexander: The pop star powers are within the hair [now], so if it grows out or modifications coloration, am I nonetheless a pop star? Do I’ve to dye it once more? It is enjoyable to put on completely different characters. Off-duty Olly wears the identical stuff that I’ve had for years. Once I’m going into Olly-mode, even earlier than I stroll out the door, I must placed on jewellery. Then once I go onstage, it is extra jewellery, extra outfit, after which my remaining type is the superhero with every part occurring. Just lately, I have been having my nails painted. I used to color my nails and put on quite a lot of eyeliner once I was a youngster, so I am coming again to quite a lot of the issues I cherished once I was first exploring my identification. I needed to study to do my very own make-up on tour and I bought actually into simply doing handsome, pure, my-skin-is-just-amazing-and-glowy make-up. Then there was stuff I simply by no means even considered, like caring for my eyebrows. 

Royal: I really like your brows. I really like any time we bleach your brows. 

Alexander: The primary time I had it accomplished, it was fairly insane. They needed to be bleached eight occasions for it to go white sufficient. And the subsequent day, I used to be occurring [morning] tv and I confirmed up and so they have been nonetheless midway between bleach and brown, so I did a backstage dye job simply earlier than I went onscreen. It was fairly traumatizing.

Royal: It felt prefer it was a second for [morning] tv as a result of there wasn’t actually a lot [else] occurring…

Alexander: Most dudes costume boring. Nicely, most individuals costume boring, I hate to say it. So it is at all times a chance for us to simply attempt to get folks speaking about what I am sporting, as a result of why not? That is simply enjoyable. And I wish to embody a little bit of each energies, masculine and female, and provides out one thing that feels slightly bit intriguing.

Royal: I keep in mind after considered one of our first crimson carpets you stated that when you have been youthful and noticed anyone sporting [what you were] it could make you are feeling okay, like you possibly can relate. You’ve got bought to consider that little 14 yr previous who sees an image of Olly sporting an enormous feather cape and it is a bit like, “Fuck you! I am allowed to be who I need to be.” — As instructed to Dianna Mazzone

A model of this story initially appeared within the December/January 2021/2022 subject of Attract. Learn to subscribe right here.

Need extra movie star magnificence? Learn right here:

Now watch our cowl star Barbie Ferreira create an on a regular basis glam look with 10 thriller merchandise: