Olly Alexander says he was told ‘you can’t have two men kissing’ in music videos (EXCLUSIVE)
“Often we would turn in a video for approval and they would be completely freaked out,” Alexander said as he joined trans+ songwriters and producers at Transpose London 2026
By Aaron Sugg
Olly Alexander has opened up about the censorship of queer artists in the music industry, recalling how producers told him “no” after he submitted music videos featuring two men kissing, as he joined trans+ songwriters and producers at Transpose London 2026.
The former Years & Years frontman was among the artists taking part in the three-day songwriting camp, which ran from 12 to 14 October in the capital.
Organised by SongTeller in partnership with The Ivors Academy, Sound Royalties, SESAC, QUBE and the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP), the camp brought trans+ artists, songwriters and producers together to create new music.
Transpose London 2026 artists
Across the three days, nine new songs were written, with artists including jasmine.4.t, Scout of Porij, Tom Rasmussen, Haviah Mighty, Nxdia, Sans Soucis, Catty and Andro collaborating with songwriters and producers.
Speaking about the importance of creating these spaces, Alexander said: “It’s not often you’re in a songwriting session and everybody’s queer. That’s really, really rare. There’s just so much brilliant trans talent around the world, but it’s not always easy to get all those people together collaborating in a space. This is literally what these camps are so good for.”
Alexander also reflected on his experiences as a younger queer artist, starting his professional music career at 20 years old, recalling a moment where a music video idea was denied because of same-sex intimacy.
Olly Alexander on queer censorship in the music industry
“As younger queer artists, there were a lot of straight men telling you what you should or shouldn’t be doing. Often we would turn in a video for approval and they would be completely freaked out – edit, edit, edit, take this out… You can’t have explicit two men kissing – you literally just can’t.”
Alexander said to him this didn’t make sense. “We see that kind of iconography in other videos, but if it’s a straight artist, it’s considered different. Because I’m gay, and it’s tied in with my identity – I’m an actual gay person that is alive – it’s slightly different.”
Alexander looks up to Jeff Buckley growing up
On representation in the music industry, the singer reflected on his teenage admiration for Jeff Buckley, he recalled how hearing a man sing about another man shaped his understanding of romance and music.
“I was a big Jeff Buckley fan… I’m like 15 years old listening to this, and it just confirms all my romantic ideas about this man that I’m completely in love with. I’d read his lyrics like poetry… Just hearing a man sing about another man had a really big lasting effect on me.”
The singer also explained that his decision to take part in Transpose was partly down to his existing relationship with its founder, SATCH, a songwriter who has worked with Grammy Award winners and Top 40 artists.
“I know SATCH, who helps put it all together. I’ve worked with him and love him. It’s just a good excuse to come and make music with some great people,” Alexander said.
LGBTQ+ inequality in the music industry
Transpose is a songwriting and production camp series run by SongTeller, designed to support trans+ creatives and provide opportunities for collaboration, professional development and community-building.
Transpose comes amid ongoing concerns about inequality in the music industry. According to research from the Musicians’ Union, only a third of LGBTQ+ musicians earn all their income from music, with the figure falling to 15 per cent for trans musicians. More than half of trans+ respondents had also experienced discrimination based on their gender identity.