Troye Sivan explains how he’s been inspired by ‘unapologetic’ Lil Nas X

Queer Australian pop star Troye Sivan has spoken up about how rapper Lil Nas X has helped to “obliterate” barriers for LGBTQ+ musicians.

Australia’s gayest pop offering since Kylie Minogue, Troye Sivan, has a lot of love for artists like Lil Nas X and Sam Smith, who he feels have changed the game when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation in music.

While Sivan himself is still pretty young at just 27-years-old, it’s wild to think how far the industry has come since he came out on his YouTube channel almost a decade ago, in 2013.

Since then, Lil Nas X has become one of the world’s biggest rappers, Kim Petras and Sam Smith have made chart and Grammy history, and queer women like Miley Cyrus, MUNA and Phoebe Bridgers have taken over radio waves.

Right now, the music industry feels pretty open to queer people, and Sivan has noticed.

“It feels, honestly, like we’ve arrived,” the “Wild” singer told Evening Standard magazine.

“Maybe not politically or socially, but in pop music it feels as though we’ve arrived at the end goal, which is that I honestly don’t even know who’s queer and who’s not any more – which is exactly how it should be.

“We’ve had Sam Smith and Kim Petras go to number one, and Lil Nas X. These are big, big barriers that have been absolutely obliterated even just in the past year,” he continued.

“I think it’s super important that art represents how we’re feeling and that you see people that look like you. I take that quite seriously. That’s why I’m so inspired by someone like Lil Nas X and how unapologetic he is. I hope he realises how unbelievably influential he’s been.”

It’s been nearly five years since Sivan released his last album, the bottom bible Bloom, which in pop star years basically equals retirement.

However, he’s teased his big return – and it could come a lot sooner than fans expect.

According to his interview with the magazine, Sivan is currently shooting the cover for his third studio album, and filming the music video for its lead single.

Speaking about the album’s creation, he explained that it was inspired by the night outs he went on in between Covid-19 lockdowns, while he’s worked with Taylor Swift and Britney Spears producer Oscar Görres to bring the album to life.

“We went to this studio in London that had a massive live room full of instruments,” he shared about his time working with Görres.

“At first we were like: ‘Oh my God, all we need is a desk, a laptop and a couple of synths.’ After 10 days of just the two of us in that studio, suddenly there’s timpani [kettle drums] and real organs on the record! It really made the album.”

Troye Sivan church album incoming, perhaps?