Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan Mellet (/trɔɪ sɪˈvɑːn/ TROY sih-VAHN; born 5 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actor. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with EMI Australia in 2013 and released his third EP, TRXYE (2014), which peaked at number five on the US Billboard 200. Its lead single, "Happy Little Pill", reached the top 10 on Australian music charts. In 2015, he released his fourth extended play, Wild, followed by his debut studio album, Blue Neighbourhood. The album's lead single, "Youth", became Sivan's first single to enter the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 23.[7]
His second studio album, Bloom (2018), reached the top five in Australia and the US. Its lead single, "My My My!", became Sivan's second number-one single on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.[8] In 2020, his EP In a Dream was released.[9] In 2023, he released his third album, Something to Give Each Other, on 13 October. The album's three singles, "Rush", "Got Me Started", and "One of Your Girls", all reached the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart and the ARIA Singles Chart, while both "Rush" and "One of Your Girls" charted on the Billboard Hot 100. For the track "Rush", Sivan received his first Grammy Award nominations, one for Best Pop Dance Recording and another for Best Music Video.
As an actor, Sivan portrayed the younger Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and starred as the titular character in the Spud film trilogy (2010–2014). In 2017, he became the youngest recipient of the GLAAD Stephen F. Kolzak Award.[10] In 2018, he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song for "Revelation", from the film Boy Erased, in which he also had a supporting acting role. He has since starred in the film Three Months (2022) and the HBO series The Idol (2023).
Early life and education[edit]
Sivan was born on 5 June 1995[11] in Johannesburg, South Africa,[12] the son of Laurelle Mellet, a homemaker and former South African fashion model, and Shaun Mellet, an entrepreneur and real estate agent.[13][14][15] At age two,[16] Sivan moved to Perth, Western Australia, with his parents and three siblings due to rising crime in South Africa.[15][14]
He was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family, though he does not consider himself to be religious. His father is of Lithuanian-Jewish descent and his mother converted to Judaism.[14][17][18][19][20]
He attended Carmel School, a private Modern Orthodox school, until 2009, when he started distance education.[21]
Career[edit]
Music[edit]
Sivan's musical career started when he sang at the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Channel Seven Perth Telethon.[22][23] His 2006 performance included a duet with Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian.[23] Sivan made it to the finals of StarSearch 2007.[22] His debut EP Dare to Dream was released in June 2007. In February 2010, Sivan opened "We Are the World 25 for Haiti (YouTube Edition)", the collaborative music charity video produced by Lisa Lavie to help raise money for the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[24]
On 5 June 2013, Sivan was signed to EMI Australia, a Universal Music Australia label, but kept it a secret until a year later. On 15 August 2014 he released a five-song EP entitled TRXYE, led by its first single "Happy Little Pill", which was released on 25 July 2014.[25] TRXYE debuted at No. 1 on iTunes in over 55 countries.[26] The EP debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 the following week, scoring Sivan his first Top 10 album.[27] "Happy Little Pill" peaked at number 10 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipments exceeding 35,000 copies.[28]
Artistry[edit]
Sivan's favourite artists include Janet Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Taylor Swift and Lorde.[95] He is also inspired by Michael Jackson and Frank Ocean.[96] He told Wonderland in 2018, "When I think about the songs that I grew up listening to that made me feel ... gay, it was mostly straight women: Cher, Madonna, Miley, Robyn, Lady Gaga. Those are my gay icons, which is a bit strange. I would have loved to have had more queer music growing up. That would have been nice."[97] Sivan also cites Ariana Grande[98] and Christina Aguilera as his inspirations, as his music video for "My My My!" was directly influenced by the one for "Dirrty" (2002).[99]
Sivan's music has been described as "layered electropop with constant tinges of EDM".[3] His baritone voice[100] has received widespread praise,[101][102][103] and his work has been compared to that of Lorde and Taylor Swift.[104][105][106] In December 2020, Sivan was listed at number 34 in Rolling Stone Australia's "50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time" issue.[107]
Personal life[edit]
Sivan came out publicly as gay via a YouTube video on 7 August 2013, three years after coming out to his family.[108] He stated that he wanted the video to be out because he did not want his sexuality to be a secret from EMI Australia because he was in negotiations with them at the time for a record deal and had not yet discussed his sexuality with them. The morning after he posted his coming out video, he received a congratulatory email from EMI.[14]
Sivan has a mild form of Marfan syndrome.[109] He has suffered from body image issues.[110]
