2014: A time when Vinelebrities become legitimate Billboard Hot 100-charting acts like Shawn Mendes, Instagram fame leads to a reality TV series like E!’s Rich Kids Of Beverly Hills and YouTubers become global superstars — like Troye Sivan.
For anyone not already familiar with the weird and fascinating world of YouTube personalities (and the insanely fanatical, shaking and crying tweens that come with the territory), Troye is one of the most prominent members of the community: His immensely popular channel‘s racked up over 2.3 million subscribers and counting.
For now, though, he’s setting his sights on a much different medium than cutesy, awkward storytelling and challenges: The music industry.
Earlier this summer, the 19-year-old Australian actor and YouTube darling inked a deal with EMI Australia ahead of the release of his debut EP, TRXYE, due out on August 15.
That’s not to say that Troye’s music career has just begun: He’d already been performing for Perth Telethon back as a little bb in the late ’00’s (including a duet with Australian Idol‘s Guy Sebastian), reached the final rounds of StarSearch in 2007 and dropped a smattering of EPs, including the June Haverly EP in 2012. He went even bigger (err, viral-er) with his song “The Fault in Our Stars” in 2013, a powerful and sweetly sincere ballad, with all proceeds donated to Perth’s Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation.
“Happy Little Pill” is the lead single from Troye’s major label debut collection, which just debuted today and is — perhaps shocking to some — a much more intriguing offering than what the term “YouTube personality” might suggest.
The atmospheric, downtempo electronic debut immediately brings Joel Little‘s productions to mind — the man behind BROODS and Lorde. “My happy little pill, take me away/Dry my eyes, bring color to my skies,” Troye sadly croons across dreamy synthesizers and tripping drum loops. There’s a kind of Lana Del Rey melancholy and world-weary quality to it, as well. (“Cocaine dollar bills” — #LanaProblems, indeed.)
“I wrote this song during a bit of a rough time for someone super close to me, and for myself, and it still means as much to me as the day i wrote it, and i’m still as in love with it as the day i wrote it (which is rare for me!!)” he explained on his Tumblr today.
Will Troye’s massive online success translate into IRL pop stardom? Time will (very soon) tell.
‘TRXYE’ will be released on August 15. (iTunes)