Troye Sivan is about to drop a Pride anthem for power bottoms
Troye Sivan is about to release a new song, and by all accounts it鈥檚 set to be an anthem for power bottoms.
In an interview with , the singer opened up鈥攕o to speak鈥攁bout his new 鈥渟ubversively queer鈥� song Bloom.
The lyrics we know so far are: 鈥淚t鈥檚 true, babe鈥� I鈥檝e been saving this for you鈥� Promise me you鈥檒l hold my hand if I get scared now鈥� Might tell you to take a second, baby, slow it down鈥� You should know I bloom, I bloom just for you.鈥�
has winkingly said the song lyrics are about exactly what they sound like.
鈥淚t鈥檚 100 per cent about flowers! That鈥檚 all it is,鈥� he said.
鈥淐all it whatever you wanna call it. I wanna play that song at every Pride.鈥�
The video for Bloom features shirtless dancing guys, while Sivan鈥檚 own shirt is blown open by wind machines.
The track will feature on his upcoming yet-untitled second album, the follow-up to 2015鈥檚 Blue Neighbourhood.
Sivan has said he wants to use his platform as a privileged and well known gay man to help the wider LGBTI community.
鈥淚 really just want to be able to help others,鈥� he said.
鈥淚鈥檓 so ludicrously lucky, it would be disgusting if I didn鈥檛 acknowledge it.鈥�
He said that being gay comes with its ups and downs, and he wants to celebrate the queer community.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e gonna talk about being gay, you have to talk about coming out and the hardships,鈥� he said.
鈥淥f course, being gay comes with struggles, but that鈥檚 not all there is with this community.
鈥淚鈥檝e met so many people who came out carefree on the other end, even in the face of adversity.
鈥淢y life is sexy and it鈥檚 fun and it鈥檚 queer and it鈥檚 unapologetic. This time I鈥檓 gonna go for it.鈥�
Sorry to be negative, but someone needs to stand up for the concept of queer.
I’m not sure the singer understands what 鈥渟ubversive” and “queer鈥� mean.
The singer has, it seems, chosen to adopt the neoliberal, conformist, mainstream, marketing-based meaning of queer. And then to use the term “subversively queer鈥� reveals an ignorance of the long record of queer history, especially the concept of subversion in the queer community.
To be “queer” is *to be* subversive IN PUBLIC… So, the foundation of this music video – i.e. making indirect, under one’s breath, implied references to anal sex – is the antithesis of queer and the queer take on subversion.
Sivan needs to get better advisers, or do some research himself by: (1) watching the documentary ‘Queercore’, for a basic intro to the topic; then (2) reading a broad selection of queer theory texts, fanzines, especially the queerpunk stuff.
Then he might understand the overwhelming incongruity of using the words “queer” and “subversive” in the service of his “brand’s” marketing propaganda.