Oliver Sim

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Oliver Sim
Positivus 2013 IMG 1273 (9974463854).jpg
Sim in 2013
Background information
Born (1989-06-15) 15 June 1989 (age 36)
London, England, United Kingdom
Genres
OccupationsMusician, singer, songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, bass, synthesizers
Years active2005–present
Member of The xx

Oliver Sim is an English singer and bass guitarist. He is a member of the xx and released a solo album, Hideous Bastard , in 2022, which peaked at No. 58 on the UK Albums Chart. [1]

Contents

Music

The xx

Sim met Romy Madley Croft at nursery school in London when they were 3. [2] Sim grew up living in a Fulham council flat with his mother, 5 minutes away from Madley Croft. [3] They attended the same primary school and then met Jamie Smith (Jamie xx) when they were 11, at the induction day for Elliott School, the secondary school they all attended. [3] [2] The future bandmates all studied GCSE Music together. [4] Sim received his first bass guitar on his 14th birthday. [3] Romy and Sim formed the band in 2005, with Jamie xx and Baria Qureshi joining in 2006. [3] [5]

The band released their debut album xx in 2009, their second album Coexist in 2012, and their third album I See You in 2017. [5]

Solo Work

2022-2023: Debut album Hideous Bastard

Sim's first solo album draws on queer and horror imagery, as well as a range of pop-culture references, as "he grapples with identity, shame and expectations of masculinity." [6] Sim has described growing up identifying with characters in horror films, the monsters who come back to wreak revenge, as well as the "scream queens" and "final girls", such as Sissy Spacek Carrie, Sigourney Weaver in Alien, Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as they represent both femininity and anger. [7] [8] The album was produced by Jamie xx. [8]

Sim describes the album's single Fruit as being the first song he has written using the male gendered pronoun, which he never did with the xx, as a significant marker of him being more open about being gay. [9] He described the use of gender non-specific pronouns in the xx, as coming both from an agreement with Romy to make the lyrics universal, but also from a place of insecurity about his sexuality. [7] He describes the song as a love letter to himself as a child/teenager struggling with his sexuality. [9]

The song Hideous was the first time Sim spoke openly about his HIV status. [7] The song features Jimmy Somerville.

Sim has said that his music is influenced by John Grant, Bronski Beat's Jimmy Somerville, who he became friends with during the Covid-19 pandemic. [8]

A short film, Hideous, was created to accompany the album. [6] In the film, "Sim plays an artist who, after coming out on live television and performing the undeniably celebratory Fruit with sensual self-possession, transforms into a clawed, horned and green-skinned monster to exact violence on the production crew that mocks him." [6] Directed by Yann Gonzales, Hideous was first premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival before being released exclusively on Mubi [10] .

Hideous Bastard received a 3-star review from The Guardian [11] , a 4-star review from NME [12] , and a glowing 5-star rating from DIY Magazine [13] .

An orchestral version of Fruit, entitled Fruit (Red, White & Royal Blue Version), was later released in 2023 as part of the soundtrack for the Amazon Prime Video film Red, White & Royal Blue [14] [15] .

2025

In June 2025, Sim and Romy joined their bandmate Jamie xx at Glastonbury Festival to perform Jamie xx's new track Waited All Night [16] [17] . The track was released as a single on 18th September [18] and was also included in Jamie xx's second solo album, In Waves , released two days later [19] [20] .

Sim released his single Obsession in August 2025. [21] It was produced by Bullion and Taylor Skye, the first music Sim had not produced with Jamie xx. It was premiered on BBC 6Music by Nick Grimshaw on 27 August 2025. On this show, Sim stated that the song was about lust and infatuation.

In October 2025, Sim released the single Telephone Games, also produced by Bullion. [22] The single was released with a video directed by Sharna Osborne. Telephone cards were placed in telephone boxes across London to tease the release.

Modelling

Between the xx's second and third albums, Sim modelled for Dior. [5]

Sim also modelled for the rebooted JW Anderson Resort lookbook. [21]

Personal life

Sim has disclosed that he has had issues with alcohol, which led him to deciding to be sober from 2016. [2] [5]

In 2022, Sim publicly came out as living with HIV since he was 17 years old. [23]

Solo Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Non-single guest appearances with other performing artists.

YearTrackOther artist(s)AlbumRefs
2015Stranger in a Room Jamie xx In Colour [26]
2024Waited All Night Jamie xx, Romy In Waves [18]

Awards and nominations

YearAward CeremonyCategoryWorkResultRefs
2023 Berlin Music Video Awards Best BizarreHideousNominated [27]
AIM Independent Music Awards Best Independent Album Hideous Bastard Nominated [28]
Best Independent RemixGMT remix ft. Jamie xx Nominated [28]

References

  1. 1 2 "Hideous Bastard by Oliver Sim". Official Charts. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 NPR Staff (6 January 2017). "The xx On Growing Up Without Growing Apart". NPR. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Lamont, Tom (1 September 2012). "The xx: 'It's abnormal for bands to share so much'". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  4. ↑ Abbott, Jeremy. "an interview with the xx from 2010". i-D. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Abraham, Amelia (9 March 2017). "the xx discuss mistakes, recovery, drifting apart, and coming back together". i-D. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Touros, Cyrena (17 September 2022). "On 'Hideous Bastard,' Oliver Sim mines horror tropes to embrace queer identity". NPR. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 Kallao, Stephen; Perez, Miguel (9 January 2023). "Oliver Sim invokes the misunderstood horror movie villain on Hideous Bastard". NPR . Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 D'Souza, Shaad (24 August 2022). "Oliver Sim: 'The way I dealt with shame in the past hasn't worked at all'". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  9. 1 2 Martin, Michel (10 September 2022). "Oliver Sim of The xx is telling his own story with his first solo album". NPR . Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  10. ↑ Office, Editorial (16 September 2022). ""Hideous": Yann Gonzalez's Film with Oliver Sim Arrives on MUBI GAY45". GAY45. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  11. ↑ Morris, Damien (4 September 2022). "Oliver Sim: Hideous Bastard review – raw frankness on xx singer's solo debut". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  12. ↑ Daly, Rhian (8 September 2022). "Oliver Sim – 'Hideous Bastard' review: The xx singer strikes out with radical honesty". NME. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  13. ↑ "Oliver Sim - Hideous Bastard". DIY. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  14. ↑ Lynch, Joe (8 August 2023). "Why the 'Red, White & Royal Blue' Soundtrack Doesn't Exactly Follow the Book". Billboard . Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  15. ↑ "27 New Songs Out Today". BrooklynVegan . 4 August 2023. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  16. ↑ Peters, Daniel (29 June 2024). "Romy and Oliver Sim reunite with Jamie xx at Glastonbury 2024 set". NME. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  17. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (30 June 2024). "Jamie xx Reunites With the xx, Performs With Robyn at Glastonbury". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  18. 1 2 Stock, Olivia (18 September 2024). "Jamie xx, Romy and Oliver Sim reunite on new single, 'Waited All Night': Listen". DJ Mag. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  19. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (19 September 2024). "Jamie xx: In Waves review – bright, blissful bangers for 3am on big speakers". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  20. ↑ "Jamie xx - In Waves". DIY. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  21. 1 2 Dunworth, Liberty (27 August 2025). "Check out Oliver Sim's playful new single 'Obsession'". NME. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  22. ↑ Molloy, Laura (15 October 2025). "Listen to Oliver Sim's radiant new single 'Telephone Games'". NME. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  23. ↑ Maskell, Emily (7 October 2022). "Oliver Sim opens up on HIV status: 'it made me scared'". Attitude . Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  24. ↑ DeVille, Chris (27 August 2025). "Oliver Sim - "Obsession"". Stereogum. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  25. ↑ Molloy, Laura (15 October 2025). "Listen to Oliver Sim's radiant new single 'Telephone Games'". NME. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  26. ↑ Richardson, Mark. "Jamie xx: In Colour". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  27. ↑ "Berlin Music Video Awards". Berlin Music Video Awards. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  28. 1 2 Metcalfe, Simon (28 September 2023). "AIM Awards 2023: Björk, Wet Leg, RAYE, Ezra Collective, Shygirl, Hospital Records & more Victorious". AIM Awards. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
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