Follow Troye Sivan: Instagram | Twitter
Pride Month Series: Halsey
Troye Sivan has come a long way since the beginning of his YouTube channel in 2007. The South African-born, Australian singer has achieved mainstream success and has been at the forefront of the rise of queer pop.
The rise of queer pop has seen multiple artists, such as Sivan, to be more open about their sexuality. This has in turn allowed for an increased visibility of LGTBQ+ artists and this diversity translates into their music and art.
At the age of 18, Sivan publicly came out as gay through a YouTube video on August 7, 2013. It was appropriately titled ‘Coming Out’. The video has since amassed over 8.4M views and the follow up video ‘Coming Out (Part 2)’ has 2.2M.
While Sivan was letting the whole world know his sexuality, he had actually come out to his family three years prior to the video being made.
He also recalls the moment when he realized he liked boys in an interview with Attitude magazine saying:
“I remember I cried when I realised that I thought Zac Efron was really hot, [when I was] aged 13 or something like that. I cried. And felt really sick… It wasn’t just: ‘This is a little crush on a boy or something like that: I’m not just interested in this boy – I think that’s he hot.’ And that was weird for me.”
Troye Sivan for Attitude Magazine
Sivan has been very vocal about his sexuality and also spoke about the rise of the new age of queer pop saying:
“I feel like I am getting the most exciting opportunities that I’ve ever gotten right now, and I can feel that happening for other LGBTQ artists as well. I think we still have a long way to go, but clearly the public is ready for it and excited by it”
Troye Sivan for WIRED
Troye’s openness about his sexuality has allowed for it to translate into his music and art. Many of his songs, specifically love songs, use the pronouns of ‘he’ when referring to the love interest. His music videos as well also feature males taking the role of the love interest alongside Sivan.
Songs that represent his sexuality and that are stands out for us are:
My My My!
The hit single of his sophomore album Bloom, ‘My My My!’ encapsulates the emotional experience of two lovers afraid of being vulnerable. You can check out the full inspiration behind the song in our article!
Bloom
‘Bloom’ features Sivan wearing nail polish and makeup which is traditionally feminine in the music video. The performance put on by Sivan in the video is not just gender bending but captivating as it showcases the fluidity of gender. There is symbolism of his sexuality as the video shows closeups of male body parts.
WILD
From his debut album Blue Neighbourhood, the ‘WILD’ music video is used a part 1 of a music video trilogy. The videos focus on the romance between two guys who grew up together in a suburban neighbourhood.
Outside of his music, Troye has done multiple projects in order to shine a brighter light on the LGBTQ+ community. For the 25th anniversary of MAC’s Viva Glam, Sivan was named one of the ambassadors. MAC’s Viva Glam line originally started in order to raise money for those affected by HIV/AIDs. However, for the first time, Sivan is a part of the campaign which looks to broaden its mission and “will also support charities specific to women and girls and the LGBTQ+ community under the newly named VIVA GLAM Fund.”
Sivan has also teamed up for his ‘Bloom’ Tour with the Ally Coalition and the Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization providing free and confidential direct services to LGBTQ youth 24/7. The organization has stated that “on the local level, the Bloom Tour will collaborate with organizations in every city that provide essential services to LGBTQ youth, highlighting ways they can get involved in their work and use their services.”
Throughout his career, Troye Sivan has proven to be a positive influence in bringing LGBTQ+ issues to light and never shys away from the chance to.
Has Troye inspired you and your journey at all? Talk to us on Twitter, we love to chat with you all! – @umusic