THIS IS EXCITING.
LET'S MEET OUR NEXT GUEST TONIGHT.
HE'S A CHART-TOPPING SINGER, SONGWRITER, AND ACTOR WHO'S
PERFORMANCE IN "IT'S A SIN" HAS RECEIVED INCREDIBLE REVIEWS.
THE MAGICAL, YEARS & YEARS.
HOW ARE YOU?
I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU!
I FEEL LIKE I HAVE BEEN LONGING FOR THE DAY THAT YOU WOULD BE
HERE ON THIS SHOW.
HOW ARE YOU DOING?
HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?
>> OH, JAMES, I'M SO EXCITED TO BE HERE.
I'M SO EXCITED TO BE ON YOUR SHOW, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
BEGO WAY BACK, JAMES.
>> James: WE GO WAY BACK.
WAY BACK.
BACK IN TIME.
HOW LONG AGO WAS IT WE DID THAT FILM TOGETHER?
>> IT'S BEEN A DECADE.
>> James: JUST OVER A DECADE, 13 OR 14 YEARS AGO, YEAH.
WE HAD THE MOST FUN.
I HAD SO MUCH FUN HANGING OUT WITH YOU.
>> WE HAD SUCH A CRAZY TIME ON THAT FILM, JACK BLACK, EMILY
BLUNT, BILLY CONNELLY.
>> James: AND THEN ME AND YOU.
WE WERE, LIKE, WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?
( LAUGHTER ) I HAVE BEEN WATCHING WITH SUCH
PRIDE.
I MEAN THAT.
ALL OF THE THINGS, THE INCREDIBLE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE
BEEN DOING IN THIS PAST AT THE CADE, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A
MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR SIMPLY BRILLIANT AND BEAUTIFUL
PERFORMANCE IN "IT'S A SIN."
THE SHOW IS JUST A MASTERPIECE, AND YOU ARE A MASSIVE FACTOR IN
THAT.
WHAT'S THE REACTION TO THAT SHOW BEEN LIKE FOR YOU?
>> OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
HONESTLY, IT'S BLOWN ME AWAY BECAUSE, WHEN I FIRST READ THE
SCRIPT FOR "IT'S A SIN," IT MOVED ME SO MUCH I LOVED IT.
I LOVE THE SHOW AND I LOVE RUSSELL T DAVIS SO MUCH AND
EVERYTHING HE'S DONE.
BUT YOU NEVER KNOW IF SOMETHING YOU LOVE IS NECESSARILY GOING TO
CONNECT WITH AN AUDIENCE, ESPECIALLY SOMETHING LIKE "IT'S
A SIN."
IT SAYS SPECIFIC TIME, IT'S ABOUT A SPECIFIC GAY COMMUNITY
IN THE '80s IN THE U.K. AND YOU JUST DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S
GOING TO CONNECT.
IT'S BEEN AMAZING TO SEE HOW IT HAS.
THE U.K., THE DAY AFTER THE SHOW CAME OUT, THE WEEK AFTER THE
SHOW CAME OUT, WE HAD MORE H.I.V. TESTS ORDERED IN A SINGLE
DAY THAN EVER BEFORE.
>> James: IT'S SO BRILLIANT, IT'S SO BEAUTIFULLY DONE.
IT'S SO PERFECTLY JUDGED.
AND I'VE LOVED EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING WITH YOU AND THE
BAND WITH YOUR MUSIC AND EVERYTHING, AND THEN SEEING YOU
IN THIS PERFORMANCE SORT OF FLOURISH, CARRYING THIS WHOLE
THING HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE AND YOUR LIFE HAS JUST CHANGED SO
MUCH FROM WHEN WE HANG OUT IN THOSE DUSTY TRAILERS ALL THAT
TIME.
LIKE LOOKING AT YOU NOW, YOU'RE FRIENDS WITH SIR ELTON JOHN.
HOW'S THIS HAPPENED?
HOW'S THIS FRIENDSHIP BLOSSOMED?
YOU AND ELTON TOGETHER ON A NIGHT OUT WOULD BE AN ABSOLUTE
BLAST.
>> CAN YOU IMAGINE THE CARNAGE?
HE'S SO NAUGHTY.
ISN'T HE?
IT'S, LIKE, OH, MY GOSH, HE WATCHED "IT'S A SIN," AND HE
CALLED ME UP, HE CALLED EVERYBODY UP IN THE CAST JUST TO
TELL THEM HOW MUCH HE LOVED IT.
HE'S HONESTLY A LEGEND.
HE'S SUCH A SWEET GUY.
HE'S BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A COUPLE OF REALLY SPECIAL THINGS I'M
REALLY EXCITED TO SHARE WITH PEOPLE SO PEOPLE CAN LOOK OUT
FOR THAT AS WELL.
>> James: ARE YOU DOING MUSIC OR JUST CREATING A NEW NFT?
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
( LAUGHTER ) >> NO, WE'RE DOING SOMETHING
MUSIC TOGETHER.
>> James: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE MUSIC.
A FEW WEEKS AGO UMP HERE AND YOU ANNOUNCED THE BAND YEARS & YEARS
IS NO LONGER A BAND, IT'S STILL YEARS & YEARS AND IT'S YOU AS A
SOLO ACT.
HOW HAS THIS HAPPENED?
HOW DID IT COME ABOUT?
IS EVERYTHING OKAY, IS I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING.
>> YES, EVERYTHING'S GOOD.
LIKE, THERE WAS NOTHING BAD THAT HPPENED.
YEARS & YEARS STARTED, LIKE, OVER TEN YEARS AGO, AND WE
STARTED AS A BAND AND MYSELF, MIKEY AND EMERY.
BUT, HONESTLY, OVER THAT TEN YEARS, WE'VE HAD AN AMAZING
RIDE, YOU KNOW, TWO ALBUMS, WE TOURED THE WORLD.
BUT WE JUST CHANGED A LOT, AND OUR LIVES HAVE CHANGED AND WE
WANTED TO DO DIFFERENT THINGS.
WE ALL DISCUSSED IT AND IT WAS JUST TIME FOR A CHANGE.
SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT NOW.
IT'S LIKE A FRESH START AND I'M REALLY EXCITED, TOO.
I DIDN'T WANT TO STOP MAKING YEARS & YEARS SONGS SO I'M GOING
TO STILL KEEP GOING.
>> James: THANK GOD YOU HAVEN'T.
YOUR FIRST SINGLE AS A SOLO ARTIST, STAR STRUCK, WENT TO
NUMBER ONE INSTANTLY IN THE U.K.
WHICH IS SO INCREDIBLE.
I LOVE THE SONG.
WHAT INSPIRED THE SONG?
>> UM, WELL, IT'S REALLY, LIKE, I WROTE THIS SONG DURING
LOCKDOWN LAST YEAR, LIKE IN BETWEEN RESTRICTIONS BEING EASED
SO I COULD TAKE A TRIP OUTSIDE OF LONDON.
I WAND TO MAKE UP-TEMPO MUSIC TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD.
"STARSTRUCK" IS ABOUT FEELING FOR SOMEONE.
THAT'S WHAT TYPED CREATE FOR MYSELF AS WELL.
I HOPE PEOPLE GET A LITTLE BIT OF IT FROM THE SONG.
>> James: WELL, WE APPRECIATE YOU, WE DO.
SO MUCH.
I'M SO PROUD TO BE A FRIEND OF YOURS WITH EVERYTHING THAT
YOU'RE DOING AND I'M SO HONORED THAT YOU'RE ON THE SHOW BECAUSE
WHEN WE COME BACK, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YEARS & YEARS WILL
PERFORM BRAND-NEW SINGLE "STARSTRUCK."
COME ON BACK, EVERYBODY!