He may be best known as the frontman of electro dance pop trio Years and Years but there's more to Olly Alexander than meets the eye.

The London actor turned pop star has gained a reputation as a trailblazer who is not afraid to question convention and highlight issues others would rather not discuss, a trait he more than demonstrated at the end of last year when he discussed his battles with anxiety and depression during an interview with The Guardian.

It seems strange that in the 21st century an issue which affects so many is often ignored but Olly says that he felt he needed to speak up about it and let other sufferers know they are not alone.

"There are lots of barriers for people who have mental health issues and one of them is that there is a stigma about talking about it," Olly says.

"We have a culture, whoever you are but especially for men, that you have to man up, tough it out, keep your chin up and hold your head high and not admit that you're not feeling as normal or great as you think you should be. On one level I want to start breaking that down, just personally as well because, for me, it's difficult to talk about so it's part of my process. I've also always just tried to be as honest and open as possible in every way since I started becoming someone who gets interviewed."

Olly has suffered from anxiety and depression since he was a child and says that it would have helped him if someone in his position had spoken about it when he was a youngster.

However, he says that everyone's experiences will be different and he hopes discussing the issue will encourage others to talk about their personal battles.

"I think we attach a lot of shame to it, it's nothing to be ashamed of but I think we're taught from a young age," he says.

"Mental health is under researched and under funded and there isn't enough provided for it in this country. The services are limited, they do great things but the more we talk about it the more will be provided and hopefully they'll be able to cope better.

"I can talk about my own experience and I can share that but it's so unique and individual. I'm just one person and I worry that I'm going to say something or be hurtful to someone and not honour their experience of mental health and that's why I think having more people discussing it is really the goal, not just me."

However, it's not just society's view of mental health that Olly is keen to change. The 25-year-old, who is openly gay, is also out to transform the world of pop with his electro dance beats and use of male pronouns.

Years and Years are one of the first chart-topping bands to use male pronouns in their lyrics and Olly hopes that their success will encourage other gay artists to follow suit.

"We're so used to hearing music that's either about the opposite sex or very generalised so everyone can relate to it," he says. "Like anything, if it hasn't been done yet I think people don't necessarily think about it so hopefully we will hear more of it. I think that would be a positive thing."

Olly is involved in a lot more than just the band's songwriting, he also has a hand in their videos, stage shows and look.

However, it's his personal lyrics that have struck a chord with fans and been key to the group's success.

"The reason I started writing songs was because I just wanted to write about myself and my life and my experiences," he says. "That's never changed. It just would seem completely alien to me to write a different way.

"That being said I have started to be involved in writing for other people sometimes and that's a totally different experience. It's quite refreshing to not have to worry about how true it is to your own life."

The band started causing a stir before they even released their debut album, Communion, receiving numerous awards and nominations.

Olly says the attention brought added pressure but he believes that it gave the band even more drive to succeed.

"I was really surprised by the success, you just have no idea how anything's going to go," he says. "It's hard to really objectively see the music when you're the one making it and you're like, are people going to like it?

"There are so many bands that make great music but don't seem to break through. We had no idea what would happen so the response we got was quite overwhelming really.

"I think we definitely felt pressure. We'd finished a lot of the album before all the madness started so that was not going to change but I think it made us go, oh God, if we fail that will really suck. I think it was good to have that though because it really made us work for it and keep on top of everything."

The charismatic frontman had already had a taste of fame before Years and Years topped the charts, appearing as an actor in films and television shows including Skins and Gulliver's Travels.

However, despite his experience and interest in writing scripts, he says he has no plans to return to acting.

"In my mind the music came first because I was always in bands and writing but I then just fell into acting," he says.

"I don't miss it although I did have some really fun experiences and I do love movies. I think if I got the chance to be involved in something that I thought was really great with cool people and that I thought would be a really great thing then I would definitely consider it but probably not for a while."

Years and Years are now returning to Glasgow for two shows at the O2 Academy on March 29 and 30.

It may only have been five months since their last show in the city but Olly has big plans for their return.

"We're going to try and freshen up the set, add some new stuff in and make it a bit more musically interesting," he says. "Maybe I'll throw in some outfit changes, some fancier lights, that sort of thing.

"Scotland's amazing, the crowds are just so enthusiastic. It's a real pleasure to come and play."

The Glasgow date is part of a long touring schedule for the band, which will visit America and includes a few festival dates.

Olly has his sights firmly set on the band's second album though and say he's already started writing for it.

"I've been writing this month so I've got a few ideas, a few songs but I'm still taking it as a very relaxed process and not thinking too much about it," he says.

"I just recently changed the way I write. I used to always write songs sitting at a piano but I got my friend to teach me how to use Ableton Live which is a producing programme and I've been trying to write in a different way just to see what happens to mix up the process. I've been in my room with a little keyboard making beats for the past couple of weeks. They might be rubbish but they might be different."