Is Homophobia Stalling Troye Sivan's Career?

While the gays are quite smitten with pop star Troye Sivan, the 23-year-old hasn't quite landed a hit in mainstream music yet. His sophomore album Bloom debuted at #4 on the charts, and only one of its singles ("My My My!") charted on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at just #80. Not even his Ariana Grande collab got the respect it deserved.

With Sivan's visibility, talent, and loyal fanbase, why isn't he more successful? 

In a recent interview with Will Young and Chris Sweeney on their podcast Homo Sapiens, Sivan wondered if his public image is "too gay" for mainstream success and says there's a long way to go for LGBTQ+ musicians.

"I have a great management team and great label, and I haven’t had this conversation with anyone else in fear because I hate it, hate it, hate it when pop stars sound bitter or blame any sort of lack of success on anything other than for themselves.

I don’t want to come across like I’m saying that at all, but this just feels like a safe space where we can have an open conversation.

Part of me wonders sometimes if I would be more commercially successful if I wasn’t gay or not as “’in your face gay.’

I think we’re in a really interesting time in music right now where we are seeing more and more queer artists pop up, but we don’t have a queer Taylor Swift, we don’t have a queer Rihanna, or a queer Beyoncé.

It’s not there yet I don’t think, though it feels very exciting to be where we are, I still feel like there’s a really tall mountain to climb.

Sometimes it can be frustrating because I’m giving my all and not having some humongous radio smash all over the world.

100 per cent could just be on the music, maybe the music just isn’t good enough, maybe the world is obsessed with hip hop right now and I’m making the furthest thing from hip hop.

It could be a myriad other things, but a part of me wonders sometimes, is the world actually ready right now for what I’m trying to be?"

My poor baby! Maybe the world isn't ready for Troye Sivan, but hopefully, he won't let that discourage him. 

Stream Bloom on Spotify here! (And BRB, watching this video on repeat.)