"[Charli] is so much fun. I wholeheartedly believe she is someone that people will remember as a real game-changer in pop," Sivan says in regard to his collaboration with Charli XCX. " I think she has come into pop at a time and shifted it where pop is not the mainstream music anymore. It’s become an indie underground that she is a huge force in, and I have so much respect for her."
However, Sivan has also been a force in this transitory stage of pop music. His songs fluctuate between dancehall music to soulful grace where his songwriting skills truly shine through. He credits this talent as the driving force behind the opportunities that have come his way.
"Honestly, I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s the creative process. Above all of the cool opportunities and the cool places you get to go, the most fun part to me is making music," he says. Listening to songs like "Bloom" and "Postcard," you notice this isn't a manufactured pop album; it's Sivan's own experiences.
Sharing the story behind "Postcard, Sivan says, "It’s about the first little kink you have at the beginning of a relationship, where you’re on shaky ground and any small fight or argument can kind of make or break the relationship. It’s about that moment where you ask yourself, are we going to work through this and come out on the other side or is it a deal-breaker for me?"
He wrote the song, one of his favorites on the album, with the Australian artist
At just 23 years old, it seems like fame has come in huge waves for Sivan this year. Although he has been working in the industry for quite a while and released his debut EP in 2014, his second album, Bloom, garnered attention in the United States.
"What feels inspiring that I actually want to make? I think if I keep on that path and reflecting on that question, then hopefully I’ll be able to do this the rest of my life," Sivan says."Even if I was just making music alone in my house, I’d still be doing that."
He states that playing a sold-out show at the hallowed Radio City on his current tour has been one of his favorite moments of 2018 so far.
"A lot of my friends who I wrote the album with were there, and to think back being in the studio writing these songs, to then have a full Radio City sing it back, to hear them that loudly with a full band, was a very fulfilling moment."
Sivan isn't just making strides in the music industry, either. He will be in the upcoming film Boy Erased, which stars Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Lucas Hedges. The story is about a young gay man who is forced to attend a conversion therapy camp by his Baptist father. Sivan, who has been open about his own sexuality since 2013, when he came out to his YouTube audience, saw the importance of the movie and the story it has to tell.
"I threw myself at it and was ready to do whatever I had to do. One of the things that were helpful for me character-wise — all of my scenes took place at this conversion-therapy camp. For six weeks, every single day, I was going to that same location, the same camp, wearing the same uniform and hearing these same messages every day," he says.
"After a while, it started to feel very real, and being able to experience that topic through the safety of a character and film set hit home for me on how intense and heartbreaking these programs were and are."
While the film is sharing one side of LGBTQ history, Sivan makes it clear he can only continue to share his own personal story in the music industry, "I think I can only speak to my own experiences, and if other people can relate and see themselves in me, then that’s amazing, and all I can really ask for.
"I think our community is so diverse," he adds. "My dream is there are a bunch of LGBTQ+ voices in music, in the media, in films, so everyone can feel represented."
Troye Sivan: The Bloom Tour with special guests Kim Petras and Carlie Hanson, October 22, 6:30 p.m., Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson Street. Tickets start at $42.50.
