Aussie superstar Troye Sivan has outlined the fear and hope he felt when he publicly came out as gay in 2013, telling Interview that he thought a prospective record deal could fall apart due to his sexuality.
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Speaking to Andrew Denton on the program last night, the 23-year-old was asked to discuss the 2013 video Coming Out, one of many personal videos Sivan uploaded to his immensely popular channel.
After saying he felt the need to come out to live authentically, and for the simple pleasure of being able to attend a gay club without the threat of being outed, Sivan said 17-year-old him feared for his livelihood as an entertainer with a large female fanbase.
“Honestly it got to the point where I might lose this potential record deal, which is all I’ve ever wanted in my entire life,” Sivan admitted.
And I might lose this YouTube audience that I’ve worked really, really hard for, to build up over the last few years.
But what’s the alternative? And the alternative was just unthinkable to me at that point. I could not stay in the closet any longer. I felt like it was all I thought about. It was suffocating, and I had a feeling I could do a lot of good by sharing my story.
Prior to coming out publically, @troyesivan knew there was a risk it could alienate his fans, but the alternative was “unthinkable”. #InterviewAU #TroyeOnInterviewAU pic.twitter.com/n2AG4BFqT9
— Andrew Denton’s “Interview” (@InterviewAU) July 24, 2018
In the 2013 video, Sivan said “This could kind of change everything for me, but it shouldn’t have to”.
A year later, his TRXYE EP was released via EMI; a year later, his first LP Blue Neighbourhood was put out by EMI and Capitol Records America.
All of that is to say old mate can look back at his announcement with a fair bit of pride, and the knowledge he’s continuing to crush it as a gay man in the music industry.
You can check out the full chat HERE.
