brits 2021

Olly Alexander and Elton John Sexed Up ‘It’s a Sin’ at the Brit Awards

Photo: Dave Benett/Getty Images

Fresh off his collaboration with Rina Sawayama, Elton John joined forces with another next-generation English pop star at May 11’s Brit Awards. John performed with Years & Years’ Olly Alexander, debuting a new version of Alexander’s cover of the Pet Shop Boys’ “It’s a Sin” from the series of the same name, which he starred in earlier this year. “By fighting together, we’ve changed the world. Today, HIV is no longer a death sentence,” John’s husband, David Furnish, said to introduce the performance, explaining how medication can make HIV undetectable and untransmittable. “The fight goes on until we can banish stigma, ignorance, fear, and the virus itself forever.”

That introduction gave way to an emotional performance, opening with Alexander laying on John’s piano in a fabulous black lace outfit. But then the lights went up, the dancers emerged, and we were treated to a high-energy, wildly sexy performance. There were drag queens, there was confetti, there were multiple moments when Alexander stared right into the camera and my gay soul left my gay body. And Sir Elton sounded great! The duet between John and Years & Years (now an Alexander solo project) is out now, with proceeds benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation. If, you know, the sexiness of it all wasn’t enough to get you to click buy already.

Photo: Brit Awards
Photo: Brit Awards
Olly Alexander, Elton John Sexed Up ‘It’s a Sin’ for Brits