America’s shifting political climate has made Troye Sivan even more determined to be an unapologetically queer voice for the millennial set.
The 21-year-old singer-songwriter, of course, has never shied away from incorporating LGBTQ themes into his videos and live performances. In a candid chat with transgender model-actress Hari Nef for Teen Vogue, Sivan doubled down on the inclusive message of his work, noting, that he wants “to tell a lot more than just [his] story.”
“I’m just trying to show people that you can be queer, live your life, and be happy,” he said. “I’ve been given this platform, and I want to do my best to give the voice that I’ve been given to somebody who maybe wouldn’t have had that voice otherwise. I feel like I lucked out that I was born at the right time, that now the world is ready for an openly gay male pop singer.” (Check out Teen Vogue’s video of Sivan speaking with homeless LGBTQ youth in New York above.)
Sivan memorably came out in a 2013 YouTube video, about a year before the release of his first major label EP, “TRXYE.” Although he was intimidated by the prospect, he said he found some solace online. “I found a community of people who I really liked and who I felt got me. I remember the first time I ever watched footage of the Pride parade, or the first time I started discovering music,” he said. “It formed who I am as a person. I always felt different in a lot of ways and didn’t really know how to express that.”
Though Sivan was raised in Australia, his work often keeps him stateside, where he said he’s concerned about how President Donald Trump, who ran on an explicitly anti-LGBTQ platform, will impact the fight for equality. Still, that won’t change any of his mission as an artist.
“I let myself grieve for a little bit, but the most comforting thought in the world to me is that LGBTQ people have always existed,” he said. “To think of all of the hardships and all the regimes that LGBTQ people have survived—we are such fighters. I have faith in us as a people. I know that we can survive this.”
Right on, Troye. Head here to read the full Teen Vogue interview.
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