Troye Sivan doesn’t want you to call him a gay icon
The 22-year-old singer says he rejects the label.
By Will Stroude
Troye Sivan might be one of the most unapolegetically queer pop stars of his generation, but the young singer says he isn’t interested in being labelled a “gay icon”.
22-year-old Troye, who stormed back onto the music scene earlier this year with infectious new single ‘My My My!’, opened up about his position as an LGBT+ role model in a new interview with Wonderland magazine, admitting that he recognises his own limitations when it comes to representing such a broad community.
“I will never understand the struggles of a trans woman of colour growing up,” Troye told the publication. “That’s why I politely reject the term ‘gay icon’.
“I would never want to put that on myself.”
Troye, who is currently in a relationship with model Jason Bixenman, has consistently used his music videos to posotiviely portray LGBT+ releationships, but the Aussie singer says he wishes he’d had more gay pop role models of his own as a child.
“Cher, Madonna, Miley, Robyn. Lady Gaga. Those are my gay icons,” he explained.
“I would have loved to have had more queer music growing up.”
There’s sure to be plenty of LGBT-positive music on Troye’s upcoming second studio album, which is expected to be released this summer.
The record serves as the follow-up to 2015’s critically-acclaimed Blue Neighbourhood, which produced singles like ‘Wild’, ‘Youth’ and ‘Talk Me Down’.
Troye will also be seen on the big screen this year after landing a small role in gay conversion therapy drama Boy, Erased alongside Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe.
Set for release this September, the film tells the story of a teenage pastor’s son (Manchester by the Sea‘s Lucas Hedges), who is outed to his parents (Kidman and Crowe) before being forced to undergo gay conversion therapy.