Troye Sivan is one of those guys that’s been around for a while, venturing into all sorts of creative industries. Most of us will recognize him from his latest acting stint in HBO’s The Idol, but he was also a YouTuber back in the O2L, Tyler Oakley at the Teen Choice Awards and the Draw My Life trend days, an actor in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a model for Beyoncé’s Ivy Park adidas line and a YSL Beauty brand ambassador. But his first artistic love has always been music.
We saw his talents put on display on The Idol as Xander, played by Sivan, found his way into Tedros’ musical group (really, it’s a cult) and covered George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord in the season’s finale, but his musical days actually go way back. The singer and actor made his television debut in 2006 where he sang on Channel Seven Perth Telethon and ever since it’s been a slew of EP, album and single releases we’re about to dive into.
Happy Little Pill
Released in 2014 as the lead single of his debut EP TRXYE, Happy Little Pill was our introduction into Sivan’s musical standpoint. Let’s be real, the expectations for any YouTuber turned singer is usually pretty low but in Sivan’s case, his debut was actually really well received for its deep lyricism. Accompanied by pop-synth, downtempo electronic sounds, Happy Little Pill exposes a vulnerable side to the singer as he explored the themes of loneliness and escapism through drug use. This one’s definitely not one to follow YouTube’s community guidelines…
Youth
A year later, Sivan came out with Youth which sonically, wasn’t too far from Happy Little Pill. Also an electro-pop song, Youth differentiates itself with its easy-going nature. Basically, Sivan was young, wild and free and wasn’t afraid to sing about it. The song was then accompanied by a music video that gave us the ultimate 2015 cameos, with appearances from fellow singer and YouTuber Lia Marie Johnson and The Hunger Games actress Amandla Stenberg.
Strawberries and Cigarettes
This one was a Tumblr anthem. Created for the rom-com Love, Simon soundtrack, Strawberries and Cigarettes features Sivan’s serenading vocals alongside a soft electro-pop sound. With the lyrics “Long nights, daydreams / Sugar and smoke rings, I’ve been a fool / But strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you”, this song is infused with a romantic feeling with an innocent quality – even though he’s singing about cigarettes – that makes us all nostalgic of our first love.
Angel Baby
The romance keeps on coming on Angel Baby. When announcing the release of his song in 2021 through Instagram, Sivan described it as a “gushy juicy doting adoring power b^tt^m gay ballad” and there’s honestly no better way to describe it. While his sexuality had been made public previously, and explored in earlier music videos, Angel Baby marked the departure from a suggestive glance between Sivan and love interest to a full on corridor makeout sesh and a sensual picturesque shot of the two men being closer than ever on a motorcycle. Steamy, to say the least.
Rush
And then Rush turned the heat all the way up and made everything a whole lot steamier. With a music video that starts with a half-exposed butt, one cheek red from being slapped and lyrics that read “I feel the rush / Addicted to your touch”, this is the most unapologetic, hedonistic and overtly sexual we’ve seen Sivan. And if this is just a taste of what to expect from his upcoming album Something to Give Each Other, we’re for sure keeping our eyes peeled way wide.
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