‘Utterly incredible’: Fans applaud Elton John and Olly Alexander’s performance of ‘It’s a Sin’ at Brit Awards
Elton John and Olly Alexander’s performance at the Brit Awards on Tuesday night (11 May) has been hailed as “utterly incredible” by viewers.
John and the Years & Years singer debuted a new version of Alexander’s cover of the Pet Shop Boys hit “It’s a Sin” from the acclaimed series of the same name.
“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.”
The performance opened with Alexander lying across John’s piano in a black lace outfit. As the lights went up, dancers, drag queens and confetti filled the stage.
“Woah. Holy f***. That @yearsandyears @alexander_olly @eltonofficial performance was utterly incredible,” tweeted one viewer.
“This is the gayest thing I’ve ever seen,” posted comedian James Barr, before adding in another tweet: “Thoughts after the #itsasin gay rights extravaganza ... elton and olly flirting was hot, we should all wear capes, when the beat dropped I was living, elton’s cuffs are cute. I kept thinking of all the young queer people watching at home that are finally seeing themselves.”
The incredible @eltonofficial and @yearsandyears perform their brand new charity single 'It's A Sin' in support of Elton John AIDS Foundation 🌟 #BRITs
You can download the track now: https://t.co/1llrPerdNW pic.twitter.com/9bOMYBuwqV— BRIT Awards (@BRITs) May 11, 2021
Wow! I got quite tearful watching that performance of #ItsASin by @eltonofficial and @alexander_olly. I felt like they were doing it for all those who lost their lives to AIDS - and they really did them proud! 🏳️🌈#brits2021
— Matt Cain (@MattCainWriter) May 11, 2021
don’t need to watch the rest, this is what you call a performance 👏🏽👏🏽 #ItsASin #brits2021
— Natasha. (@natashananner) May 11, 2021
Seriously...Olly from Years and Years is one of the stand out performers of our generation.
It feels he's just consistantly honouring and respecting all of the artists of the 70's and 80's that paved the way before him.
And with Elton John?! 👌#itsasin #brits2021— Lara Terry 💙 (@LaraRixon) May 11, 2021
Even just talking about HIV/AIDS and highlighting U=U on such a massive platform is so vitally important! I am loving this!#BRITs #ItsASin
— Hannah 💙 (@hm_quigley) May 11, 2021
The performance of the night! Olly looks and sounds amazing. Love this song, loved the TV series, love this version! #brits2021 #itsasin #olly #yearsandyears #ollyalexander #thebritawards #LGBTQ #hiv #love pic.twitter.com/wsvfLosohX
— Nyree (@the_blondejones) May 11, 2021
I feel like I've only just moved on with my life after Colin in #ItsASin and now I'm reminded of him again #brits2021
— Rachel Bull (@RachelBull10) May 11, 2021
The cover is being released as a charity single in support of the Elton John Aids Foundation.
Jack Whitehall hosted the Brit ceremony, which featured performances by Coldplay and Dua Lipa.
The 2021 award ceremony marked the first live large-scale indoor event in London since March last year.
Big winners on the night include Dua Lipa, J Hus, Little Mix and Arlo Parks. See the full list here.
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