Oliver Sim of The xx has revealed he has been living with HIV since he was 17. Sim disclosed the news while sharing new solo song "Hideous," which will feature on Sim's forthcoming solo debut album, Hideous Bastard, due September 9. "Hideous" was produced by Jamie xx and features Jimmy Somerville, described by Sim as a "guardian angel." Somerville was a member of '80s groups Bronski Beat and The Communards.
Read Next: The xx’s Oliver Sim addresses his younger self on new solo song “Fruit” In a statement shared alongside the new music, Sim says that much of the writing for his album was informed by his negative feelings since receiving his diagnosis as a teenager and the stigma attached to the illness. "I haven’t written the record to dwell, but rather to free myself of some of the shame and fear that I’ve felt for a long time," he says. "I hear a lot of the music as joyous." See his statement in full, below..
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