# Polari (album)

Polari is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Olly Alexander, that was released on 7 February 2025 through Polydor Records. Created with producer Danny L Harle, it is the first solo album released under Alexander's name following the disbandment of Years & Years, which last released an album in 2022. Polari takes its name from the coded language historically used in Britain by the LGBTQ community and will be supported by the Up Close and Polari Tour throughout Europe in early 2025.
According to Alexander, the album is inspired by electropop and other music of the 1980s such as Pet Shop Boys, Kate Bush, and Erasure. The album includes references to cowboys, gods, and music executives, and its themes include intimacy, desire, voyeurism, and fate. The aesthetics of Polari are inspired by filmmaker and gay rights activist Derek Jarman.
"Cupid's Bow", the album's lead single, was released on 11 October 2024, while the title track was released on 22 November 2024. In addition, "Archangel" was released as the third single on 13 December 2024, followed by "When We Kiss" on 10 January 2025. Polari also includes "Dizzy", Alexander's entry representing the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

## Background

Alexander was previously a member of British synthpop band Years & Years, who formed in 2010. They achieved their commercial breakthrough in 2015 after their debut single "King" topped the UK singles chart. The band, consisting of Alexander, Mikey Goldsworthy, and Emre Türkmen released two studio albums, Communion (2015) and Palo Santo (2018), and were nominated for six Brit Awards. In March 2021, the band announced that Goldsworth and Türkmen would be stepping down as active members, and that Years & Years would continue as an Alexander solo project who, at the time, admitted to being reluctant to giving the name up and release music under his own name. The final Years & Years album, Night Call was released in 2022 and promoted through the Night Call Tour that same year.
On 16 December 2023, it was announced that Olly Alexander will be representing the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 using his name instead of Years & Years. Following his Eurovision announcement, he told the BBC that he'd "wanted to do it for a while" and it "felt like this was the right time to start releasing music under my name".. Alexander's first song under his own name, "Dizzy" was released on 1 March 2024. With the song, Alexander ultimately finished in 18th place at the Contest scoring 46 jury points (13th) but zero points from the public (25th). "Dizzy" was later revealed to be included on the track list to Polari.
On 9 October 2024, Alexander teased an upcoming album in an Instagram post stating "you know it's coming..", with the lead single "Cupid's Bow" being released the following day along with the reveal of the album's title and release date. A music video for the single was released later on 11 October 2024.
In an interview with Attitude regarding the album's title, which is named after the form of slang commonly used by the LGBTQ community in Britain prior to the decriminalisation of homosexuality, Alexander explained, "I've always loved songs that play with hidden meanings, symbols and subtext. Many queer people will understand a penchant for secrets and codes, having had a backlog of thousands of years where we were unable to live openly." Discussing the language and its inspiration on the album, Alexander described it as a "guiding light" and described it as a "story that spans centuries, filled with hidden meanings and forbidden love".
On 22 November 2024, the title track was released as a promotional single alongside an accompanying music video. A second promotional single, "Archangel" was released on 13 December 2024.
On 10 January 2024, Alexander announced the single "When We Kiss". In an interview with Dork magazine, he described the track as "an epic love song that delves into the emotional turbulence of a pivotal moment in a relationship when you're unsure whether to part ways or commit to staying together forever." The song was co-written and produced with Danny Harle. He performed the song live for the first time on The Graham Norton Show. He will embark on the Up Close and Polari Tour around the UK and Europe to support the album.

## Track listing

All tracks are written by Olly Alexander and Danny L Harle; "Make Me a Man" written with Vince Clarke.
Notes
* signifies a co-producer.
* signifies an additional producer.
* signifies a vocal producer.

## Personnel
### Musicians

* Olly Alexander – vocals
* Danny L Harle – drum programming, electric bass guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, programming, synthesizer (all tracks); double bass, percussion, rhythm programming, string arrangement (1–5, 7–13); electronic percussion, orchestra, piano, vocals (6)
* Finn Keane – drums, keyboards, programming (tracks 2, 6, 9, 12)
* Vince Clarke – acoustic guitar, drum programming, percussion (track 5)

### Technical

* Matt Colton – mastering (tracks 1–5, 7–13)
* Randy Merrill – mastering (track 6)
* Eric J – mixing (tracks 1-3)
* Geoff Swan – mixing (tracks 4, 5, 7–13)
* Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing (track 6)
* Kieran Beardmore – mixing (track 6)
* Matt Wolach – mixing (track 6)

## Charts

Chart performance for Polari :
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) | 126 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 6 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 17 |

## Release history

Release history and formats for Polari :
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
| Various | 7 February 2025 | CDLPcassette | Polydor | |
| Various | 7 February 2025 | Digital downloadstreaming | Polydor | |