Three inspiring life lessons from Actor & Singer Olly Alexander
Whether it’s drinks, ideas or people, life is more interesting when we mix things up. That’s the ethos underpinning Absolut Vodka’s Born To Mix campaign, an ongoing project with a mission to show how connection, community and the power of mixing things up can produce genuine progress.
To facilitate this vision, Absolut has joined forces again with pop music icon and 2024 UK Eurovision entry Olly Alexander, as well as three of the UK’s leading changemakers, each responsible for disrupting the status quo and opening up paths in their communities: Lady Phyll, the founder of UK Black Pride; revolutionary dance workshop Curve Catwalk creator, Trina; and multifaceted performer and queer Asian cabaret founder Shay Shay.
The group are using the power of dance as an act of joyful disruption, to inspire the nation to take the first step towards change and get involved with issues they care about to drive positive change.
As a pop star and actor, Olly has led the charge for better LGBTQ+ representation, unashamedly expressing his queerness through his music. In 2019, on stage at one of the UK’s biggest festivals, he gave a now famous speech about how advocating for queer liberation goes hand-in-hand with standing up for liberation from racism, sexism, ableism, bigotry and the causes of climate change. “I believe that everybody here has the chance to change history,” he said. “We change history every day, and it’s up to each and every one of us if we want to change the world.”
To help people take the first step and put this into practice, Absolut and LADbible got Olly to share three pearls of wisdom to inspire others to create change, because even the smallest of actions make a difference.
1. “Always be yourself”
Being yourself can be challenging, especially for LGBTQ+ people, so let Olly lead by example. One moment he’s frolicking on stage, the next he’s sharing his experiences with his mental health – both represent who he is. It’ll not only help you feel more confident in yourself, but will lead you to find your community too. “It’s important to surround yourself with people who love and support you,” Olly says.
2. “Never compare yourself to anyone else”
While taking inspiration from people can help us become more authentic ourselves, the tricky thing is when you start to compare yourself to others. By embracing your sense of individuality, just like Olly, you can learn to celebrate yourself for who you are. As Olly says, “Compare; you despair.”
3. “Don’t be afraid to take risks”
As a queer musician, there’s a fearlessness to Olly’s boundless creativity that we can all learn from. “Taking risks can seem really scary,” he says. “But they can be super inspiring to other people.” Ain’t that the truth.
Only by celebrating our individuality and embracing each other's differences can we mix it up and become changemakers. To get inspired and learn more about how to take the first step with the Absolut #BornToMix campaign visit https://www.absolut.com/en-gb/absolut-born-to-mix
The LADbible Team