Troye Sivan Performs in Houston during Spring Break

Troye Sivan performs in Houston on Thursday
Photos by Alyssa Olson

By Haylee Rodriguez

Troye Sivan stepped onto the stage in front of hundreds of screaming fans at the sold-out Houston concert on Thursday and delivered the opening lines of his song “Bite.”

“Kiss me on the mouth and set me free/Sing me like a choir,” Sivan sang as the crowd surged forward in an attempt to get as close to him as possible.

At House of Blues, a music concert hall in Houston, the 20-year-old Australian singer and​ songwriter​ delivered his final act of the United States part of his Blue Neighbourhood world tour.

Before singing “Heaven,” the star, who is openly gay, told the audience, “I wrote this song basically putting myself back in the mindset of when I was like 14 years old and I was like, Troye, dude, I think you might be gay.” The crowd cheered.

“This song is for all of you guys. You guys are my heroes. I love you,” Sivan said before beginning to sing."​The truth runs wild/Like a tear down a cheek.”

Though Sivan’s music can be clumped into the pop category, fans notice the meaningfulness of his lyrics. Alyssa Olson, 17, said that Sivan’s music is “honest and relatable to almost everyone.”

She was at the concert with her sister, Lexi Olson, 20, who had a similar view.​ “I love how the lyrics are very meaningful. It’s hard not to fall in love with each song. But specifically the lyrics,”​ she said. ​

Fans are also drawn to Sivan’s personality. “I love how genuine he is. The fact that he’s become so popular but still chooses to be super interactive with his fans,” said Lexi.

During the show, seeing a fan using her iPhone to video chat​ with​ a friend, Sivan took over​ the phone from ​the fan and said hello to her friend ​who wasn’t able to be at the concert. “You can tell that he really does care,” said Lexi.

Sivan ended his set with a high-energy hit single, “Youth.” Sivan told the audience that this song is about “the joy in naivety and being lost.” He encouraged the audience to “have the biggest party” and “sing every word,” which they took to heart.

“I love, love, love his music,” Alyssa said.

Sivan was one of ​the stars who broke through with the help of YouTube. He was signed to his record label in 2013 after posting a singing video titled “The Fault in Our Stars” on YouTube, a song he wrote after reading John Green’s book by the same name.

​Sivan released his debut album Blue Neighbourhood just last year. The album peaked no.7 on the US Billboard 200.