Oliver Sim

Aside from anchoring the xx as their baritone-voiced bassist, Oliver Sim crafts fervent, dramatic pop that diverges sharply from the band's understated melancholy. The xx's Mercury Prize-winning self-titled debut from 2009 first showcased his resonant singing, while the 2017 follow-up I See You signaled a sharper focus in his writing; yet Hideous Bastard, his 2022 solo debut, fully asserted his voice by weaving horror-film motifs and '80s synth-pop textures into an examination of shedding fear and shame as an HIV-positive gay man.

As a teenager, Sim often felt marginalized and gravitated toward science-fiction and horror protagonists such as Ellen Ripley from Alien and the title character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, while also drawing from Placebo's Brian Molko and other artists who blurred gender expectations. At age 15 he and Romy Madley Croft, both students at Elliott School in Putney, England, launched an early incarnation of the xx; once Jamie xx joined, the trio's restrained, emotive fusion of indie, R&B, and electronic sounds emerged as a widely praised and influential presence, earning the Mercury Prize for its 2009 self-titled album.

Following the xx's breakthrough and the release of their 2012 album Coexist, each member pursued individual projects. Jamie xx led the way with remixes and singles that resulted in the 2015 album In Colour. When the group reconvened for its third record, the chart-topping I See You of 2017, a more confessional tone shaped the songwriting and prompted Sim to compose some of his most intimate material to date. Tracks such as "Hideous," which confronted his experience as an HIV-positive person, later served as the core of his own album. During further writing, Sim contacted Jimmy Somerville, whose tenure as Bronski Beat's frontman and his advocacy around HIV issues resonated deeply, and Elton John, who introduced him to additional gay artists including Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears and Perfume Genius' Mike Hadreas. Sim's listening ranged from John Grant and Mykki Blanco to the resourceful heroines of his youth and cinematic figures such as Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs, Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, and Norman Bates from Psycho.

Collaborating again with Jamie xx, Sim issued Hideous Bastard in September 2022; the final version of "Hideous" featured Somerville. Around the album's launch, the short horror film Hideous—directed by Yann Gonzalez and incorporating several tracks from the record—debuted at the Cannes Film Festival.