Troye Sivan

Troye Sivan

Sivan at the Australian premiere of Paper Towns, July 2015
Born Troye Sivan Mellet
(1995-06-05) 5 June 1995
Johannesburg, South Africa
Residence Perth, Western Australia
Occupation Singer, songwriter, actor, YouTube personality
Years active 2006–present

Musical career

Origin Perth, Western Australia
Genres
Instruments Vocals, piano, bass guitar
Labels EMI Music Australia
Website troyesivan.com

Troye Sivan Mellet (born 5 June 1995), better known as Troye Sivan (/trɔɪ sˈvɑːn/), is a South African-born Australian singer, songwriter, actor and YouTuber. As an actor, he played young James Howlett in the X-Men film X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), and most recently has starred as the titular character in the Spud film trilogy. Sivan also regularly makes YouTube videos, and as of 2 April 2016, has over 4 million subscribers and over 241 million total views.[1]

On 15 August 2014, Sivan released his first major-label EP, entitled TRXYE, which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200. The lead single from the EP, "Happy Little Pill", reached number 10 on the Australian charts. On 4 September 2015, Sivan released his second major-label EP, Wild. His debut studio album, Blue Neighbourhood, was announced on 14 October and released 4 December.[2]

His video, "The 'Boyfriend' Tag", with fellow vlogger Tyler Oakley earned them a Teen Choice Award in the "Choice Web Collaboration" category. In October 2014, Time named Sivan as one of the "25 Most Influential Teens of 2014".[3]

Personal life

Sivan was born in Johannesburg, South Africa[4][5] to parents Shaun Mellet and Laurelle Mellet.[6] His family moved to Australia when he was two years old due to rising crime in South Africa.[7] Sivan currently lives in Perth, Western Australia with his parents and three siblings Steele, Tyde and Sage. His father is a real estate agent and his mother is a homemaker.[7] He is Jewish (his father was born to a Jewish family and his mother converted to Judaism).[8] Sivan attended Carmel School until 2009 when he started distance education.[9] Troye's middle name is "Sivan" and he embraced it as his stage name.

Sivan is openly gay. He came out publicly via a YouTube video on 7 August 2013, exactly three years after he came out to his family.[10] He lives with a mild form of Marfan syndrome.[11]

Career

Music

Sivan's musical beginnings first started when he sang at the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Channel Seven Perth Telethon.[12][13] His 2006 performance included a duet with Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian.[13] Sivan made it to the grand finals of StarSearch 2007.[12] His debut EP, Dare to Dream, was released in February 2008. In February 2010, Sivan opened "We Are the World 25 for Haiti (YouTube Edition)", the collaborative music charity video produced by Lisa Lavie to help raise money for the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

On 5 June 2013, Sivan was signed to EMI Australia, a Universal Music Australia label, but kept it a secret until a year later. On 15 August 2014 he released a five-song EP entitled TRXYE, led by its first single "Happy Little Pill", which was released on 25 July 2014.[14] TRXYE debuted at No. 1 on iTunes in over 55 countries.[15] The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 the following week, scoring Sivan his first Top 10 album.[16] "Happy Little Pill" peaked at number 10 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipments exceeding 35,000 copies.[17] Sivan released his second major-label EP, Wild, on 4 September 2015. The EP was supported by a music video trilogy entitled Blue Neighbourhood, comprising the three songs "Wild", "Fools" and "Talk Me Down" and released from September 2015 to December 2015. Additionally, the EP served as an "introduction" to his album Blue Neighbourhood,[18] which was released on 4 December 2015.[2] Sivan supported his debut studio album Blue Neighbourhood and his EP Wild with his first tour, 2015's Troye Sivan Live.[19] Sivan further supported his debut studio album with 2016's Blue Neighbourhood Tour.

Acting

In 2007, Sivan starred as Oliver Twist in a production of Oliver! at the Regal Theatre.[13] In 2008, Sivan was cast in a West Australian short film, Betrand the Terrible.[20] In February 2008, Sivan was cast as young James Howlett in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Sivan got the part after videos of his telethon performance were posted on YouTube, catching the attention of a Hollywood agent who contacted Sivan and asked him to send in an audition tape.[13] Though Kodi Smit-McPhee was already cast for this role, he was unable to be a part of the film, due to his other film, The Road.[21] In July 2009, he auditioned successfully for the lead role in Spud, a film adaptation of the 2005 novel by South African author John van de Ruit.[22] Filming took place in South Africa from early March to mid-April 2010.[23][24] The film was released in South Africa on 3 December 2010 and was later nominated for six SAFTAs, including a Best Lead Actor in a Feature Film nomination for Sivan.[25]

Sivan appeared in the West Australian season of Samuel Beckett's absurdist play Waiting for Godot which opened on 28 May 2010. Sivan shared the role of "Boy" with Craig Hyde-Smith, alternating nights.[26] In June 2012, Sivan returned to South Africa to film Spud 2: The Madness Continues, which was released in South Africa on 21 June 2013. Sivan also starred in the third film in the series, Spud 3: Learning to Fly, released on 28 November 2014.

YouTube

Oakley (left) and Sivan (right) speaking at VidCon 2014

In September 2012, Sivan began creating video blogs on the video sharing site YouTube, after having only sung on the site since 2007. At the time of posting his first vlog, Sivan had accumulated 27,000 subscribers in his five years since joining YouTube on 1 October 2007. As of April 2016, Sivan has over 4 million subscribers and over 243 million total views across his YouTube videos.[1] His YouTube channel is the third most subscribed channel in Australia, after HowToBasic and Planet Dolan.[27]

One of Sivan's most notable works on YouTube is a video he made with fellow YouTuber Tyler Oakley. Titled "The 'Boyfriend' Tag", the video earned them a Teen Choice Award in the "Choice Web Collaboration" category.

Artistry

Sivan's favourite artists include Amy Winehouse, Taylor Swift and Lorde.[28] MTV Artists also cites Michael Jackson and Frank Ocean as additional influences of his.[29]

Sivan's music has been described as "layered electropop with constant tinges of EDM", as well as "youthful", "dreamy",[30] and "mature".[31] His baritone voice[32][33] has been described as a "coffee-and-cream voice"[34] as well as "sultry", "wounded" and "breathless".[35] His work has been compared to Lorde's and Taylor Swift's.[36][37][38]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine Young James Howlett
2010 Betrand the Terrible Ace Short film
2010 Spud John "Spud" Milton
2013 Spud 2: The Madness Continues John "Spud" Milton
2014 Spud 3: Learning to Fly John "Spud" Milton

Television

Year Title Notes
2006–08 Perth Telethon Opening act
2007 Star Search Finalist

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
2007 Oliver! Oliver Twist Regal Theatre
2010 Waiting for Godot Boy His Majesty's Theatre

Discography

Studio albums

Title Release details Peak chart positions Certifications
AUS
[39]
CAN
[40]
DEN
[41]
GER
[42]
IRE
[43]
NLD
[44]
NZ
[45]
SWE
[46]
UK
[47]
US
[48]
Blue Neighbourhood 6 11 19 73 30 25 9 10 43 7

Extended plays

List of EPs, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Release details Peak chart positions Sales
AUS
[39]
CAN
[40]
DEN
[41]
FRA
[50]
GER
[51]
IRE
[52]
NZ
[45]
SWE
[46]
UK
[47]
US
[48]
Dare to Dream
  • Released: 2007
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: Digital download
June Haverly
  • Released: 22 June 2012[53]
  • Label: Independent
  • Formats: Digital download
TRXYE
  • Released: 15 August 2014
  • Label: EMI
  • Formats: CD, digital download
[upper-alpha 1] 2 177 2 5
Wild
  • Released: 4 September 2015
  • Label: EMI
  • Formats: CD, digital download
1 6 7 96 37 5 3 11 5 5
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications
Song Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
AUS
[39]
CAN
[56]
DEN
[41]
GER
[42]
IRE
[43]
NLD
[44]
NZ
[45]
SWE
[46]
UK
[47]
US
[57]
"Happy Little Pill" 2014 10 50 11 87 11 85 2 86 92 TRXYE
"Wild" 2015 16 72 62 29 62 [upper-alpha 2] Wild
"Youth" 17 47 22 62 78 23 74 96 23 Blue Neighbourhood
"Talk Me Down" 2016 36 [upper-alpha 3] 118
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

As featured artist

Song Year Peak
chart
positions
Album
AUS
[39]
"Papercut"
(Zedd featuring Troye Sivan)
2015 93 True Colors

Promotional singles

Song Year Album
"The Fault in Our Stars"[64] 2013 TRXYE

Other charted songs

Song Year Peak
chart
positions
Album
AUS
[39]
"Fools" 2015 85 Wild

Tours

Awards and nominations

Year Nominated Award Result Ref.
2011 Troye Sivan South African Film and Television Award for Best Lead Actor in a Feature Film Nominated [25]
2014 Troye Sivan Teen Choice Award for Choice Web Star: Male Nominated [65]
2014 "The Boyfriend Tag" with Tyler Oakley Teen Choice Award for Choice Web Collaboration Won [65]
2014 Troye Sivan NewNowNext Award for Best New Social Media Influencer (Male) Won [66]
2015 Troye Sivan APRA Award for Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year Nominated [67]
2015 Troye Sivan YouTube Music Awards Won [68]
2015 Troye Sivan Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Aussie/Kiwi Internet Sensation Won [69]
2015 Troye Sivan EMA's Artist On The Rise Won
2016 Troye Sivan GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Artist Won
2016 Troye Sivan iHeartRadio Music Awards Biggest Triple Threat Nominated [70]

Notes

  1. In Australia, TRXYE appeared on the Australian Singles Chart as sales towards "Happy Little Pill"; songs on the EP therefore could not chart separately.
  2. "Wild" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 4 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[58]
  3. "Talk Me Down" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 4 on the NZ Heatseekers chart.[63]

References

  1. 1 2 "Troyesivan18 YouTube Stats, Channel Statistics". Social Blade. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 "💙 BLUE NEIGHBOURHOOD - PREORDER OCTOBER 15 - OUT DECEMBER 4 💙". twitter.com. 14 October 2015.
  3. "The 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014". Time. 13 October 2014. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  4. "Australian Boy Does Accents!". YouTube. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  5. "Biography". Troye Sivan (Official website). Archived from the original on 26 July 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  6. Law, Benjamin (27 February 2015). "Troye Sivan, the most famous teenager you've never heard of". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  7. 1 2 McLaughlin, Rhett; Neal, Charles (19 April 2014). "Ep. 29 Troye Sivan" (Podcast). Ear Biscuits. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  8. "Troye Sivan's Tumblr — How Jewish are you? Like are you orthodox or reform or?". Troyesivan.tumblr.com. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  9. Reilly, Gabrielle. "Troye Sivan Interview". The Global Townhall. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  10. "Troye Sivan Gay: Australian Actor Comes Out On YouTube". The Huffington Post. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  11. "TROYE SIVAN". Tumblr. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  12. 1 2 Symonds, Kristy (7 April 2012). "Perth boy making it big in Hollywood". Perth Now. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Harvey, Shannon (28 February 2008). "Perth boy to play young Hugh Jackman in Wolverine movie". Perth Now. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  14. Caulfield, Keith (27 June 2014). "YouTube Star Troye Sivan Signs With EMI Australia, Announces EP". Billboard. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  15. Stern, Bradley (15 August 2014). "Troye Sivan Shoots To #1 On iTunes (In 55 Countries!) With Debut EP, ‘TRXYE’". Idolator. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
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  17. 1 2 "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  18. Smith, Michael (5 December 2015). "Album Review: Troye Sivan – Blue Neighbourhood". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  19. Votta, Rae (25 September 2015). "Troye Sivan releases music video for 'Fools,' announces first U.S. tour". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  20. Coyne, Yvette (16 February 2010). "Bertrand the Terrible – LINK funded film". Film & Television Institute (WA) Inc. Archived from the original on 6 July 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  21. Bodey, Michael (5 March 2008). "One for the road clears the path". The Australian. Archived from the original on 24 September 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
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  23. "Spud's Young Stars". Screen Africa. 8 March 2010. Archived from the original on 24 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  24. Van de Ruit, John (20 April 2010). "Icarus Allsorts". John van de Ruit's blog at Book South Africa. Archived from the original on 24 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
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  43. 1 2 Peak positions for singles in Ireland:
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  58. Cantor, Brian (15 September 2015). "Pentatonix's "Can't Sleep Love" Debuts on Bubbling Under Hot 100". Headline Planet. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
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  70. "New iHeartRadio Music Awards Category Added: Biggest Triple Threat". iHeartMedia, Inc. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.

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