The eagerly anticipated 2018 release of Troye Sivan’s second studio album was well worth the wait. “Bloom” was finally released in its entirety on 31 August 2018 after the progressive release of five songs from the album between January 2018 and early August 2018.
Sivan, who co-wrote all of the songs on the album, is both proud and unapologetic about the songs on the album. In an interview with Nathan Jake from Project U, Sivan describes the real-life experience that inspired the lyrics for “Seventeen”.
“I hope you can feel the curiosity, because I was curious, and all of the awe, because there was that too,” Sivan said. He also wanted the song to feel “creepy and menacing”, because the distance of time has enabled him to see the encounter that inspired the song from a different perspective.
Rolling Stone music writer, Brittany Spanos said that the “golden ticket is in the details” and she is so right! The lyrics of each song have an impact on the listener. Perhaps not the first time you listen, but as you become familiar with the songs, your understanding of the depth of emotion contained within will grow.
In an interview with Andrew Denton, Sivan talked about how much he felt he had learnt about himself while making this album and the various music video clips that show case the album songs that allowed him to express his feminine side, which is something that he has struggled with in the past, but this is changing.
Asked how he feels about his feminine side now, Sivan replies, “Now I find so much power in it”. “I feel real bad-ass in red lipstick, I found out”, Sivan continues. “It brings me so much joy”.
“Bloom” is the album that shows us unequivocally that Troye Sivan is the same on the outside as he is on the inside. The child that knew how to “get the mothers to cry at shul” has grown into a strong, compassionate young man who wants to do everything he can to help increase awareness for the LGBTQI+ community. He doesn’t see himself as a gay icon, but he also understands that he can set an example for others going through the same emotional rollercoaster he travelled as a teen.
“Bloom” is one of the texts he uses.
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