Troye Sivan on feeling ‘guilt’ over his queer predecessors and a possible return to acting
"I’m definitely not fighting for my life on the street — I get to make music videos and I get to be true to who I am"
By Gary Grimes
Troye Sivan has spoken about experiencing a feeling a guilt when he thinks about the queer artists who came before him and paved the way for him to express himself openly.
Speaking on an episode the Audible series Origins, Sivan made it clear he does not take for granted how lucky he is to be operating as a pop star in 2024. “I’m definitely not fighting for my life on the street — I get to make music videos and I get to be true to who I am,” he acknowledged.
“I do feel like I really carry that with me with kind of a sense of guilt because of how lucky I feel.”
Later, speaking to Billboard about his Origins episode, he elaborated: “I feel incredibly fortunate to feel a small part of a moment where queer voices are more visible and celebrated in pop culture.”
“They navigated challenges we can’t even imagine, often at great personal risk, to express their truths”
“I feel that understanding the contributions of queer artists who came before us is vital. They navigated challenges we can’t even imagine, often at great personal risk, to express their truths and create art that resonated with their experiences,” Sivan explained. “For me, it’s about honoring their legacy and understanding the cultural and historical context that shapes our present.”
Sivan has just wrapped his Something To Give Each Other Tour which included a raunchy homage to Madonna‘s groundbreaking Blond Ambition Tour. Whilst performing ‘One Of Your Girls,’ the singer performed a lap dance to a male participant, wearing a corset with a cone-shaped bra as a nod to the Material Girl’s iconic Jean Paul Gaultier look from that tour.
In the same interview, the singer was asked whether he planned to return to acting in the future. Sivan, whose pop besties Ariana Grande and Charli xcx have recently pivoted into film, told the publication: “Acting has always been a passion of mine, and I cherish the opportunities I’ve had in that realm. While music remains my primary focus, I’m open to exploring acting projects that resonate with me and scare me.”
“I feel lucky to be able to approach acting like this, as a passion, rather than a day job.”
The Australian singer was last seen on screen opposite Lily-Rose Depp in the ill-fated HBO series The Idol.