Troye Sivan reflects on ‘weird’ stalking experiences and dealing with ‘homophobic’ online abuse
Troye Sivan knows all about the highs and lows of the internet. (Getty/Pascal Le Segretain)
“Rush” singer Troye Sivan has spoken out about the “crazy” online abuse and “weird” stalkers he’s dealt with as a queer star in the spotlight.
As a 28-year-old who made his name by singing and vlogging about his life on YouTube, Australian musician Troye Sivan knows about the heady highs and terrifying lows that come with living online.
He’s released two, critically lauded albums – 2015’s Blue Neighbourhood and 2018’s Bloom – had his dating history poured over by internet sleuths, and has now dabbled in acting, starring in The Weeknd’s universally-panned new series The Idol.
Sivan’s career is expansive and his resulting social media following huge, though that has also made him the subject of endless Twitter and TikTok discourse, ranging from the critical to the out-and-out abusive.
While some might think that the waves of unsolicited commentary on his work and personal life might eventually wear him down, Sivan remains unbothered – most of the time.
In a new interview with GQ, the “My! My! My!” singer has discussed some of the tougher experiences that come with fame, including dealing with online abuse and having people turn up at his house.
Speaking about the overwhelmingly negative response to The Idol, Sivan hinted that his years in the business have shielded him against spiteful fan reactions.
“I’m an actor on this show, and I went and did my absolute best … 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,” he said.
Much of the criticism of The Idol has been levied at Sam Levinson who, in addition to creating the series, also helms hit teen drama Euphoria. So, it’s likely that Sivan has avoided a lot of it.
Yet he did catch a bit of heat after thirsting over K-pop singer Hyunjin, from the band Stray Kids, earlier this month.
When he posted a short clip of the artist on his TikTok page, alongside the caption, “Anyone know how to reach this man :///”, a lot of Hyunjin’s fans were thrilled to see the pair interact – but some were bizarrely enraged enough to send Sivan threats.
“I just got crazy, crazy messages for a few days,” he shared. “Death threats, homophobic stuff. But, I’ve been on the internet long enough to know that everything’s fine.”
He’s also been on the internet long enough to understand “the power of not reading” hateful comments, and coming off of the most toxic of apps, like Twitter, a site that he has “not found to be positive”.
It’s a different situation, though, when it comes to dealing with negative reactions in-person – something Sivan is now used to, more than a decade after finding international fame.
“I’ve definitely had my fair share of like stalkers and stuff like that … And you know what’s really weird? They’re all way older, not young people. Like, 60s,” he revealed.
In 2017, Sivan shared a harrowing story of being approached by a neighbour while staying in an Airbnb, who continuously rang his doorbell late at night. In the morning, he found two notes outside, on which the neighbour professed his “love” and wrote that he “sees [Troye] very often”.
Delving deeper into the fans who take things too far, Sivan said that he often has people bring gifts to his house or follow him around supermarkets.
“You can feel it immediately, the difference between someone who’s a supportive listener of your music who just wants to say hi, and someone who’s going to show up at your house,” he said.
While the experiences of over-enthusiastic fans obviously puts a downer on his stardom, Troye Sivan has a lot to be excited about. Alongside the release of new single “Rush” on 13 July, he revealed to GQ that his new album is coming “soon” – and is inspired by simply having a good time.
After experiencing a breakup in 2019, Sivan explained that he has since come into his own and enjoyed connecting with new people, “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”.
The as-yet untitled, “hopeful, joyous, sexy” third record will be inspired by his nights out on the town, his love of sex, and a feeling of connectedness with his queer community.
He’s currently putting the finishing touches on the album alongside RuPaul’s Drag Race music producer Leland and Taylor Swift collaborator Oscar Görres.
