My Troye Sivan Top 10 Countdown
Troye Sivan is the reason I discovered Queer Pop in the first place and as a result he has a very special place within my own personal music cannon. Like Madonna and Stone Temple Pilots, discovering Troye Sivan was a huge watershed moment for me as a music listener that represented a huge paradigm shift in my taste as a music fan. It also represented a huge watershed moment for me as a Queer man as I never thought an openly gay pop star like Troye Sivan was possible. Troye’s music, as well as the music of other gay pop stars, has changed my life for the better and made me more happy and confident as a gay man. He’s also created and fostered an environment of LGBTQ acceptance for Queer music fans that was lacking before. Through Troye Sivan, and other gay pop stars like Olly Alexander and Jesse Saint John, I have been able to connect with people from all over the world. I have heard stories from LBGTQ teens who are struggling in communities that don’t accept them and from LGBTQ baby boomers who have told me of their struggles growing up in the 70s and 80s. I have not just discovered a sub-genre of music I have also discovered a community of fans and musicians that are not only tight-knit but who also lifted each other up and support one another through thick and thin and it’s made me feel closer to the LGBTQ community around the world.
When I first discovered Troye in August of 2018 he was ranked 175 for most listened to artists in the world on Spotify. Now he’s around 75 meaning he has jumped 100 spots up! Troye’s star just keeps rising and with it comes more visibility and acceptance for LGBTQ people in music and the world in general. Like Nirvana was for Grunge and the Beatles were for the British Invasion, Troye Sivan is the figurehead of a huge musical movement that is not only sweeping the world but changing people’s perceptions of the world as well. I am eager to see how his career unfolds and blossoms from here because not only is a Troye a great performer, songwriter and activist but also because the bigger he gets the more he normalizes LGBTQ people around the world and that’s pretty amazing to watch.
So without further ado here are my 10 favorite songs by Troye Sivan. I purposely avoided some of his collaborations because it made cutting the list down to 10 songs easier. Also if I ever get to Charli XCX I will definitely make sure 1999 (her collaboration with Troye) is at the top of her list.
10. Strawberries & Cigarettes
Strawberries & Cigarettes is a great pop song that is made all the better by being attached to the film Love, Simon. If Troye Sivan was my watershed moment as a gay music fan, then Love, Simon was my watershed moment as a gay movie fan. That movie captured so much of what I went through in high school and college. Like Troye’s music, Love, Simon felt like the first time a movie reflected my life (or at least a specific time in my life) more accurately and poignantly than any other film I had ever watched. I finally had a coming of age film that reflected my own life when I was a gay teen struggling in the closet. It was powerful to watch and experience because it brought back a flood or memories and emotions I had not thought about in a long time. The film helped me to process and work through a lot of those memories and emotions that I had suppressed for so long. Strawberries & Cigarettes brings together 2 of my favorite things from #20GayTeen with Troye Sivan and Love, Simon and for that reason alone I love it.
09. Happy Little Pills
Troye’s first official single and music video off his debut EP, his first with a major label, is quite dark and moody. The song is definitely pop but with an edge and as someone who has listened to a lot of alternative rock that can be very dark and moody at times I find myself very drawn to Happy Little Pills. I love the production on this one too which helps make this song quit striking.
08. Dance to This
This song captures that feeling in a relationship when you are not only in love but so comfortable with one another that you just want to stay at home. You don’t need to go out to bars and clubs anymore to get your kicks, instead you’d rather be with the person you love and let them be a part of your most intimate and private moments. You also realize how much this person turns you on like nobody else can. It’s a subtle but sexy song about monogamy. Troye is also joined by Ariana Grande on this song and watching the video you can feel how electric their chemistry is because they are also best friends in real life. Also in the video Troye is definitely channeling David Bowie during Bowie’s Let’s Dance era with that hair and suit!
07. Youth
Troye’s biggest hit to date and his only top 40 hit on the Billboard 100. Youth is a fun catchy song that was definitely meant for radio play. The song, unlike most of his other songs, is not as obviously gay which is probably why it became a hit in the first place. Still the video definitely is gay. We see a high school party where people are getting intimate with one another whether they are straight, gay, bi or just curious. It’s a portrait of where the “youth” is these days and it makes me so happy because these kids have it figured out in a way kids from my generation didn’t at that age. It warms my heart that the kids who are coming to terms with their sexuality have someone like Troye Sivan to look up to. Youth was a great introduction to Troye Sivan in 2015 when he was the gay boy next door.
06. Seventeen
Troye’s 2 albums (2015's Blue Neighborhood and 2018's Bloom) capture what my life was like as a gay male between the ages of 14 to 24 more accurately and poignantly than any other music I have ever listened to. Seventeen is a prime example. The song itself details when Troye was 17 and went on to Grindr to hook up with an older man for his first real sexual experience. It's an encounter he doesn't glorify but at the same time he doesn't express shame about it either and it's one I and many other gay man can really relate too. Sure you need to change some details by aging me up 2 years to 19 and replacing grindr with Myspace but overall I had a very similiar experience and Troye captures that experience with such exquisite detail and warmth. I honestly ended up listening to it one night 3 times in a row because it brought back a flood of memories and emotions that I had not felt or remembered for such a long time. It was a powerful experience. Seventeen proves that Troye is not just a great songwriter but a fearless one as well.
05. Plum
This song details that moment when you realize the relationship you are currently in is not going to work out. This is something college Doug can definitely relate to as I dated a few guys who I realized after a while were not right for me at all and I had to be the one to put an end to things. The way Troye once again captures this feeling in the context of a pop song and bring me back to that time of my life is a testament to his strengths as a songwriter. Musically though it's a very fun song and it's best hook surprisingly comes from an electric guitar riff that can run laps through my head for days.
04. Lucky Strike
One critic when reviewing Troye Sivan commented on how Troye is not afraid to use the pronoun "He" and the word "Boy" in his songs to the point that it sounds like he is wielding a scythe. This is notable for 2 reasons. The first being that despite how far we think we have come gay pop stars singing directly about their experiences as gay men without hiding or coding their lyrics is still seen as transgressive and bold which shows how much further we have to go. It also shows why Troye is one of the most daring and essential voices in pop music right now and why he is fast becoming an icon for both LGBTQ people and pop music fans in general. The song itself is catchy as hell but it's those lyrics about being so in love with another boy that make the biggest impression. Best lines include "I want to skip stones on your skin boy and drown me in your water" and "My boy like a Queen unlike one you've ever seen. He knows how to love me better."
03. Heaven
Heaven might just be the most emotionally moving song I have ever heard. There have been songs and artist who have moved me to tears before but Heaven takes the cake. Heaven deals with a topic that is universal for just about every LGBTQ person which is that when you realize you are not like everyone else you start to worry about not only about being rejected by friends and family but that you are also going to be denied heaven. As Queer people, even when we have supportive friends and family, we still hear from those who think we are sinful and broken. We hear how we will burn in hell, that we are a disappointment to everyone around us and that our existence is blasphemous in the eyes of God. These messages we receive from a culture not built for us takes its toll in ways both small and large. You start to feel internalized shame for not being “normal” and you try to hide your true self from those around you. Even after you come out you can still feel this shame weighing you down. Heaven gets to the heart of this struggle in a way that I connect with deeply. So many lines hit me in the gut but this one brings me back to being 15 like no other songs have before:
“Trying to save face and Daddy heartbreak while lying through my teeth.”
Then there is the chorus where Troye sings
“Without losing a piece of me how do I get to heaven?” but by the end he sings “If I’m losing a piece of me maybe I don’t want heaven.”
This is important moment of self-acceptance Troye is singing about. Eventually as we struggle with our sexuality as Queer people we not only find peace but reject what society has said about us our whole lives. It’s not an easy process nor is it a short one but it’s one that is so freeing once you finally learn to accept and love yourself as a Queer person.
Heaven’s message, despite being universal for LGBTQ people, has never really been discussed before in pop music until these last few years proving once again how our voices and stories as LGTBQ people have always been diminished and seen as less worthy than that of straight people. Troye knows too how important this song is to his fans which is why he said he will always make a point to perform it at every concert he performs. When I saw him live seeing the whole crowd sing along and that rainbow flag light up on stage during the climax was one of the most moving experiences of my life. I felt accepted and loved in a way I had never felt at any other concert I had ever attended. That song and concert changed me and I am never looking back.
02. My, My, My
Buzzfeed summed up the experience of watching this music video best when they said "I just had my second gay awakening." Obviously it's meant to be a joke but at the same time there's a lot of truth to that for me. This was the first thing I watched with Troye and immediately I was buying what he was selling. With his 2015 album Blue Neighborhood Troye depicted his struggle to come to terms with his homosexuality and leave the comforts of his neighborhood and being in the closet behind. It was a bold statement for pop music but I think with this album Bloom Troye did something even more radical: he embraced happiness as a gay man with open arms. I can't emphasize how empowering that is because when it comes to LGBTQ represenation in the media it's usually about our struggles and hardships, which are important stories to tell, but you rarely see the good side. Here Troye is strutting and dancing without caring if it's too feminine because this is how he feels comfortable which is how I like to dance as well btw. See him gaze longingly at shirtless studs like most male pop stars stare at women. With this song and music video Troye is enjoying being gay and being with other gay men. He's telling you that as a gay man you can have it all: love, acceptance, happiness, confidence, and great sex if you want it. And that's before we get to the song itself which is catchy as hell and sexy as fuck. The part where he sings "Spark up, buzz cut, I've got my tongue between your teeth" and then he takes a deep gasp is one of the hottest things ever captured on tape. And then there's that 50 foot chorus which is meant to fill up arenas and inspire hundreds of people to sings along which is just what happened when I saw him live at The Anthem in D.C. We have never seen something like this in pop music before and as a gay man I find it not only amazing but life affirming as well.
01. Bloom
I was reading a list on Pitchfork of 50 LGBTQ anthems and this came in as the most recent inclusion. I had never heard of Troye Sivan before but reading that the song was about bottoming and how despite it being about that, Bloom was so catchy and likable that it commanded an audience of mostly women and girls at The Today Show to sing along with Troye live. Reading that made me want to find how who this boy was immediately. First off yes this is about gay sex and that's great but what really makes Bloom my favorite song by Troye goes beyond that. I love the way it has an almost chillwave opening that is a bit more atmospheric than I was initially expecting. Then in swoops that slap drum during the chorus that sounds like it's coming straight off Fine Young Cannibal's She Drives Me Crazy. Then those guitar strings come in to compliment that slap drum and I am in pop heaven! It reminds me of pop music circa 89-91 which is my favorite era for pure dance pop. The lyrics are also great. Yes this is about gay sex but it treats the act as something romantic, beautiful and most importantly natural! This is first and foremost a love song but one that is speaking to an audience that NEVER gets spoken to at least not this directly. This boy is the future of pop music as far as I am concerned and in the short time I have listened to his music Troye has already established himself as one of my all time favorite singer/songwriters ever. He's right up there with Madonna, Stone Temple Pilots, Silversun Pickups, and other acts that I am completely and totally obsessed with. I can't wait to see what he does next! As Pitchfork said at the end of their summation of the song "What a time to be alive."
