Troye Sivan is a Perth-raised pop musician known for his first album Blue Neigbourhood which reached the top 10 in Australia and the US. His social media following has reached 8.7 million followers on Instagram and Twitter and he has participated in film work as well in movies such as X-Men: Origins Wolverine and the upcoming Boy Erased. The 23-year-old is known for his music about gay experiences, having come out at the age of 18 via YouTube video, and unashamed representation in things such as his music videos. In a recent article for The Sydney Morning Herald, Sivan opened up about his new album, finding himself, and the #MeToo movement.
Sivan joins a group of out artists such as Frank Ocean and Sam Smith who are not only open about their sexuality but make it a part of their music. Sivan’s recent single “Bloom” is a metaphor for his experiences as a bottom, which he clearly expressed in a now-deleted tweet. On his openness Sivan says:
“I just had this unbelievable hunger and necessity to live my life openly. [I feared coming out would] change things. But in that moment I had to do my self the favour of getting out of the way.” -smh.com.au
When asked if he has seen any of the consequences of being out in the mass media, he says that rather than face homophobia he has found a group of devoted fans more intimate than he could have imagine.
In the same interview, he discussed how his journey to become famous got him into the dirty side of Hollywood. As a child making YouTube videos, he says he was targeted by men for online sex- one man even identified himself as a manager in the music business. He says:
“I was so naïve about everything and about the industry. I had no idea how to check if someone was legit or not. [He] promised the world to me and then as we got closet just completely inappropriately, you know, started… everything changed all of a sudden. It was super weird.” -smh.com.au
He says the man took advantage of him over Skype. Afterwards, he told his parents and ceased contact until one day he ran into the same man on the streets of LA. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, Sivan felt comfortable enough to share his experience and says that others have told similar stories about the same man. Now, Sivan finds himself at the height of a successful music career with his own manager and an album on the way. His bravery for speaking out is notable and will hopefully be an inspiration to speak out and hold people accountable.
Troye Sivan’s album Bloom will be released August 31st, 2018 and he can be seen in this fall’s Boy Erased.
h/t: smh.com.au, billboard.com
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