Time Sep

101

about his casual embrace of same-sex
romance. It wasn’t a gimmick though;
it was just Sivan as Sivan which the fans
were happy to support.
That story continues in his latest
additions to his YouTube canon: bold
sensual music videos to go along with
the singles onBloom that are rich with
artful gender-blurring visuals. In the
videos Sivan sports red lacquered lips
reclines in high fashion and dances
in high heels. To him ilming those
moments was a peak: “This is what
you wanted your entire life” he says
he told himself. “I had a bit of envy in
how conident he was in his queerness”
says Sivan’sBloom co-writer Brett
McLaughlin who performs under the
name Leland. “I was like This is what
I want to be a part of. This is the train
I want to be on.” The response to the
visuals Sivan says “felt electric.”

SIVAN ISN’T THE FIRSTmale pop star
to identify as openly queer or defy
gender norms; award-winning artists

like David Bowie Elton John and Sam

Smith already broke through those

barriers. Nor is he the irst to pivot

from his fame on a digital platform

to a more traditional celebrity career.

Consider Justin Bieber or Shawn

Mendes both of whom got their start

uploading videos as well. But his

seamless transition from YouTube

vlogger to actor to major-league

pop star using his fan base to test the

boundaries of what’s expected from

male artists is a case study in the

form. Instead of being introduced to

Sivan through his music fans became

familiar with him over a decade of

online interaction. They’ve tracked

him from project to project growing

with him. Their support transcends

the strength of any one song and

they’ve given him implicit permission

to express himself authentically. It’s

a uniquely modern experience of

stardom and it sets Sivan apart.

“It’s all a part of the story” says

McLaughlin. “I don’t

think it makes Troye any

less powerful in terms

of his music. It just adds

accessibility.” Luckily

Sivan’s viral start led to

a well-received debut

album with a platinum hit

granting him credibility in

the music industry.

OnBloom

Sivan continues his

musical evolution

pairingefervescent dance anthems

like lead single “My My My!” with

more dreamy introspective fare; he

calls this album a “time capsule”

of the past few years. “The Good

Side” a melancholy acoustic number

was made by indie producer Ariel

Rechtshaid (Haim Kelela) and earned

Sivan comparisons to indie-folk

stalwart Sujan Stevens. On dancier

numbers like the slow-burning

“Plum” breathy Grande duet “Dance

to This” and lirty title track he sets

of little sparks of joy among the

cool-toned soundscapes. And on the

lush album highlight “Seventeen”

Sivan relects on a formative but

complicated romantic experience:

“Maybe a little too young but it was

real to me” he sings.

Radical transparency like this is

unusual in the highest echelons of

pop stardom but it’s important to

Sivan to be honest about his own

experiences. OnBloom he lips

from documenting explicitly queer

narratives to using gender-neutral

pronouns. He says he grew up feeling

accepted in his queer identity and it

was important to him to make music

that felt equally non-judgmental.

“I wanted to be a pop star since I was a

little kid” he says. “What do pop stars

do? They write love songs. They put

love interests in their videos. I don’t

see it as some radical statement.”

He wants fans to feel connected

with the causes that matter to him

too. Sivan teamed up with LGBTQ

organizations including the Ally

Coalition and the Trevor Project to

promote local activism while he’s on

his upcoming tour. He also appears

alongside Lucas Hedges and Nicole

Kidman in the upcoming ilmBoy

Erased out this November

about a young man who lands

in conversion therapy. He’s

cautious when he talks about

his need to be a role model

in the LGBTQ community:

“This is a responsibility that I

take really seriously.”

If staying poised and

apolitical used to be the

savviest move for stars who

wanted to play to the largest

possible audience Sivan

represents a new kind of celebrity

who’s comfortable engaging with

social issues and getting vulnerable

with fans. He and his contemporaries

are eager to be seen and valued as role

models and friends to a generation

growing up in uncertain times while

seeking new modes of connection

with one another and the world. And

Sivan knows that his popularity creates

more space for people who look and

act like him. “There’s a lot of hunky

straight white male pop stars” Sivan

says “but I think we’re heading in the

right direction.”

Back at the photo shoot Sivan

strikes pose after pose awash in warm

morning light. He may stand alone in

the camera’s lash but whatever he

does he knows his fans will follow. □

‘What do pop

stars do?

They write

love songs ...

I don’t see

it as some

radical

statement.’

TROYE SIVAN