Troye Sivan is currently experiencing a wave of success in his music career. His song "Rush" is becoming a hit for the Australian singer-songwriter. It's the first single from his upcoming third album "Something to Give Each Other."
Sivan worked on the album during his time on The Idol, the latest offering from HBO Max. The show has not been well received by the public or critics. It was even the subject of criticism before its premiere, thanks to an article from Rolling Stone.
The article pointed out how Euphoria creator Sam Levinson replaced Amy Seimetz as director. It also pointed out the many reshoots that took place and detailed some of the show's intimate scenes, which the article suggested exploited actress Lily Rose-Depp.
Sivan admitted this controversy made him extra nervous for the show's premiere at Cannes.
Troye Went In An Unexpected Direction On His Upcoming Album
Sivan's upcoming album "Something to Give Each Other" will be released on October 13, 2023. The album is Sivan's first in five years. When Sivan began working on the album, he was going through a breakup and expected the album to revolve around heartbreak. However, eventually Sivan's songwriting took an unexpected turn.
"I was ready to make this depressing breakup album, and here I was having the time of my life feeling just grateful for the people around me," Sivan told Vogue.
Sivan spoke to British GQ and said many different experiences inspired him, "whether it's a one-night stand, or someone that you meet for 10 minutes at a club, or somebody you end up dating for like a couple of weeks."
"I started to get crushes, and realized that I wasn't emotionally dead," Sivan said.
Troye Released The Provocative Music Video For The Album's First Single 'Rush'
Sivan announced the title and release date for his album on July 13, 2023. He also released the album's first single "Rush" that same day. The high-energy dance track has been climbing the Global Spotify Chart, becoming Sivan's highest streaming song in a single day.
"I knew I wanted a straight-up, unapologetic dance track on the album, and I tried to make it a few times and it just wasn’t working," Sivan said. "I got on Instagram and asked if anyone had tracks they wanted to send me, and I got sent a bunch of stuff. Weirdly, the call came from inside the house, and it was a friend of a friend who made the song. What I got sent was the track that had the hook 'I feel the rush / Addicted to your touch,' and that was the jumping off point for me to write around it."
The song's video has been getting a lot of attention as well. The clip features Sivan and a bunch of scantily clad men having a good time. The video is brilliantly unapologetic in its queerness and has a fashion editorial aesthetic. Sivan credits this look with the video's director.
"When it came to doing this video, the first thing I knew was that I wanted to make it with Gordon von Steiner," Sivan said. "I’ve wanted to work with him for so long. We had never worked together and he had never done a music video, so I think it was both exciting to him and to me, and we’re just friends. Stuart Winecoff, who shot the video, I’ve worked with a bunch, and he’s also, like, Gordon’s best friend. It felt like a friend trip to Berlin, where we filmed the video. It was awesome."
He added, "I also told Gordon that, for this video, I wanted to be able to pause it at any point and it would still be a gorgeous image, and he did it."
Troye Admitted The Recent Controversy Surrounding 'The Idol' Made Him Nervous For Its Premiere
Sivan worked on his album during production of The Idol, HBO Max's latest series. Sivan played Xander, the assistant and friend of Jocelyn (played by Lily Rose-Depp). The show has been the topic of intense discussion since its premiere and Sivan was well aware of the attention it would receive.
"I was really, really scared that I was going to melt down if it was not received well," Sivan told British GQ. "These are real people to me, people that I've worked with for a year, so I was like, This is gonna be intense scrutiny. Good or bad. I had no idea which way it was gonna go."
Sivan ultimately decided that it would be better for him not to pay attention to the public's response.
"I'm an actor on this show, and I went and did my absolute best," he said. "And now I want to enjoy the result of that. I'm okay with whatever people want to say about it. It's a TV show. People can hate it, people can love it. I really don't mind."
His fear also stemmed from the Rolling Stone article, which was published before the show's premiere. Sivan initially signed on prior to Levinson taking over as director.
"I had a great time both times," Sivan said of working with both Seimetz and Levinson.
Depp released a statement defending Levinson from claims that he exploited the actress with the show's intimate scenes.
"I think it's tough when that line between real life and public perception," Sivan said of the article. "I worry almost more for other people than I do for myself. I don't want anyone to be upset. I was just kind of bummed that people would be bummed."
Sivan was nervous on his way to the show's premiere at Cannes. However, he was relieved when the audience laughed at the jokes in the show. This signaled they understood the show's humor and what the intentions were.
"It was a relief, because I didn't know that people knew that the show had any sense of humor," he said.
Sivan made a decision to stay away from social media or any comments on the show for the rest of his time at Cannes.
"I did not read a single thing, and I had the best weekend of my life," Sivan said.
