Pride
Page: 43
For the last decade, Australian pop singer-songwriter Troye Sivan has been more than happy to make catchy earworms for a small-but-mighty fandom. But today, he cannot help but feel like something has shifted.
“I think I’m just used to putting stuff out to my very safe, immediate audience that I know have my back because they’ve been there for so long and everything,” he explains to Billboard over Zoom, sunning himself on his deck in Los Angeles. “This time feels very different for some reason.”
Sivan is referring specifically to “Rush,” his no-holds-barred summer anthem released on Thursday (July 13). On the sweltering song, the pop prodigy leans hard into impulse and excess, celebrating the joy of being on a dance floor and fostering an electrifying connection with someone, all laced over his most delectable dance-pop production to date.
The song is certainly a leap for the star — while 2018’s Bloom saw Sivan accept his position as a figurehead in pop music’s queer revolution, “Rush” sees the singer boldly embracing hedonism and sexuality in a way he’s never quite done before. “The feeling that you get listening to it — the kind of joy and the hope and the sex of it all — is definitely new,” he says.
But he points out that it isn’t just the song’s content that feels different — it’s the overwhelming response it’s already received. In the five days since the song dropped, “Rush” has already proven to be one of the biggest debuts of Sivan’s career. The song’s racy video has already racked up 3.5 million views. Gaining consistent traction on streamers, “Rush” rocketed up Spotify’s Daily Top Songs Global chart, peaking as the 23rd most-streamed song on the platform on Friday (July 14), marking Sivan’s highest-ranking solo entry on a Spotify chart.
Speaking to Billboard in the first 48 hours of the song’s release, Sivan says he’s settled somewhere between delight and concern at the song’s massive debut. “I know that I’m really super happy about it, and I also think I am a little bit intimidated,” he says with a nervous laugh. “It’s a good intimidation, because it just makes me think, ‘Damn, we’ve got to make a great video for the second single.’”
“Rush” comes at an auspicious time in Sivan’s career — after slowly gaining increased attention thanks to his unexpectedly viral 2021 single “Angel Baby,” Sivan made headlines more recently for his acting chops — first for his star turn in the indie coming-of-age film Three Months, and later for his supporting role in The Weeknd’s critically panned music industry sexploitation drama The Idol. (At the time of our interview, Sivan was unable to speak about his work on The Idol or Three Months due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike: “I am in total support of the strike and am holding strong with with everyone in waiting it out and making sure that that everyone gets treated fairly,” he said.)
[embedded content]
According to Sivan, “Rush” came towards the end of creating his latest album Something to Give Each Other (out Oct. 13 via Capitol Records). Knowing that he wanted to have a “proper dance club song” on the album and wanting to “get out of my usual habits,” Sivan put out a call to his Instagram followers, seeking out work from new producers he could work with to make something that felt special.
Amongst the influx of tracks sent to him was one from producer Alex Chapman, in which the rising producer sang a chant over a scintillating club beat; “I feel the rush/ Addicted to your touch.” Instantly, Sivan was hooked. “I remember sitting up in bed and going, ‘OK wait, is it just me? Am I crazy, or is this really special?’” he says.
Immediately getting into a studio with producer Styalz Fuego and calling frequent collaborator Leland on FaceTime, Sivan spent an afternoon writing verses and a post-chorus around Chapman’s chant, until eventually they had the bones of what would become “Rush.”
It’s a fitting dichotomy for the star — while Chapman and Fuego serve as new collaborators to Sivan’s sphere, Leland provides a level of stability, formed over eight years of working together since the star’s 2015 debut album Blue Neighborhood. The pair’s relationship as frequent co-writers thrives, Sivan says, because they’re also best friends.
“We’re just together constantly and I think it just puts us on the same wavelength creatively,” he says. “He knows everything about me. I know everything about him. And when you’re doing something as intimate as songwriting, to have a partner like that is one of the biggest blessings. I just adore him.”
When it came time to put together a music video for the project, Sivan knew he wanted to continue his trend of delivering something different from his past works. Turning to his creative director Gordon von Steiner to direct the video, Sivan said that he wanted the video to feel as “real” as possible. Shooting in Berlin with a cast of dancers from the area, Sivan took a method approach to making sure the video’s vibe was correct. “We had a few days before we shot where we were just having the best time, going out partying and having all this fun,” he said. “By the time we got to the shoot for the video, the party vibe was just totally palpable.”
Part of what made the “Rush” video so new for Sivan is the fact that it centers around interweaving choreography, something the singer had never attempted in a video. “It was scary for me because I’ve never done it,” he says chuckling. “By the end of the shoot, I was obsessed, and I wanted to pick up a dancing class.”
While many fans praised the video for its unrestrained portrayal of queer ecstasy, many others pointed out that the video was lacking a diversity of body types. With a cast largely consisting of either rail-thin or muscular men, many fans began to criticize Sivan for only portraying one specifically-tailored, stereotypical portrayal of queerness in his video.
“I definitely hear the critique,” Sivan says, sighing. “To be honest, it just wasn’t a thought we had — we obviously weren’t saying, ‘We want to have one specific type of person in the video.’ We just made the video, and there wasn’t a ton of thought put behind that.”
What Sivan didn’t appreciate, though, were the critics who then decided to comment on his body amidst the discourse. “There was this article yesterday, and they were talking about [the lack of body diversity], and in the same sentence, this person said ‘Eat something, you stupid twinks,’” Sivan says. “That really bummed me out to read that — because I’ve had my own insecurities with my body image. I think that everyone’s body is as beautiful as it is, including my own, and it just sucks to see people talking about other people’s bodies.”
But Sivan has learned how to take the hits and move on to the next big career moment over the last decade of making content. “I just feel way, way more relaxed than the early days,” he says. “I’m not sure it that’s a result of me just chilling out as I’ve grown up or what, but I realized that my job should be really fun.”
With a hit song on his hands and the imminent release of his new album on the horizon, Sivan is doing everything he can to maintain that level of composure, come rain or shine. “I know that I love this song, and I know that that we had the best time making it, and I know how proud I am of it,” he says, beginning to beam. “But to actually be getting this kind of reaction just feels really nice. It’s a total pleasant surprise.”
Claud is such a big fan of Paul Rudd that they actually have a song titled “Paul Rudd” on their album Supermodels. According to the singer-songwriter, the two had a serendipitous encounter on Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour that resulted in Rudd being cast in their new music video — for another track, “A Good Thing.”
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Following the release of “A Good Thing,” Claud explained how the unexpected yet delightful collaboration came to be.
“I randomly met him in passing at The Eras Tour, like at the Taylor Swift concert,” they said in a TikTok clip uploaded on Saturday (July 15). “I walked past the VIP tent, and I was like, ‘Paul Rudd, this sounds kinda weird, but there’s a song on my album. The song’s called ‘Paul Rudd.’ I hope this isn’t weird.’”
They continued, “And he was like, so nice about it, and he gave me his email. He was like, ‘Send it to me. I’d love to hear your album.’ So I sent him my album.”
“Can’t believe you trusted me with your email,” Claud added as a side note to Rudd.
“I explained I called this song ‘Paul Rudd’ because it’s me trying to envision myself as this cool and confident and charismatic, lovable character that you play, and that you just are in real life, that I’m often not. And he responded he loved the album.”
Claud took a chance and invited Rudd to the set for an upcoming music video.
“I was like, ‘We’re filming a music video for the song ‘A Good Thing.’ If you happen to be free on this day, would you ever consider stopping by?’ And he came for the whole entire day. He stayed for like five hours,” they said.
“It was the best day of my life,” added Claud.
Claud also shared a selfie with Rudd on Sunday, captioning the snapshot: “Me and Paul meeting at eras tour. Photo creds @phoebebridgers … no sorry you are not going to hear the end of this.”
Watch Claud’s “A Good Thing” music video, starring Rudd as a quirky mailman who’s not very good at delivering mail, below.
[embedded content]
With a hot and sticky summer comes our latest picks of hot songs from your favorite queer artists. Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
From Troye Sivan’s sweaty return to dance-pop to Reneé Rapp’s self-talk anthem, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Troye Sivan, “Rush”
[embedded content]
No, Troye Sivan’s new single is not explicitly about your favorite brand of poppers — at least not directly. With “Rush,” the Australian pop superstar unleashes a half-decade of pent up energy, released in a flurry of relentless dance beats, chunky synth chords and Sivan’s crystal-clear voice. Celebrating dopamine-fueled 3 a.m. dance parties, Sivan soaks every single second of the song’s two and half minutes in beatific dance floor ecstasy, delivering this year’s most definitive queer anthem right when we need it most.
Reneé Rapp, “Talk Too Much”
[embedded content]
It’s hard to stand a chance when self-sabotage is your love language, as Reneé Rapp masterfully points out on her excellent new single. Throughout “Talk Too Much,” the soon-to-be-former Sex Lives of College Girls star goes searching for flaws in her partner, only to be met with punchy guitars and the reassurance that she’s the one waving red flags. The song is as funny (her self-questioning soliloquy as a bridge is perfect) as it is irresistibly catchy.
PVRIS, Evergreen
[embedded content]
On her latest album, Lynn Gunn wanted to create something that was both timeless and of the moment. Evergreen, the latest full-length album from her solo project PVRIS, manages to accomplish that goal with shocking effect. Singing about everything including burnout from our specific semi-apocalyptic reality (“I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore”) to fighting off a more generalized feeling of ennui (“Senti-Mental”), PVRIS successfully taps into a new wavelength, making it clear that they are here for the long run.
Chelsea Cutler, “I Don’t Feel Alive”
[embedded content]
Who would’ve thought that a song about dissociation could feel so good? Chelsea Cutler has always excelled at taking raw sincerity and turning it into fabulous music, and the same is true for “I Don’t Feel Alive.” Over a seemingly joyful, jangling acoustic guitar and a stomp-clamp beat, Cutler dives deep into her own self doubt, questions her reality and points out all of her worst tendencies, all while combatting an all-encompassing sense of detachment from her own life. By the song’s end, though, she’s looking at her progress, and looking to a better future.
Claud, Supermodels
[embedded content]
Based on its singles alone, you would be forgiven for thinking that Claud’s sophomore album Supermodels was going to be a pretty sad album. You wouldn’t be entirely wrong — the album follows the path of a relationship in turmoil, occasionally seeing Claud own their own faults (“Dirt”) or call out their lover’s (“Every F–king Time”). But on bright spots like “A Good Thing” (which now has a music video featuring America’s Sweetheart Paul Rudd), Claud lets themselves dabble in hope and happiness, bringing a thematic and sonic variety to this excellent new album.
Maddie Zahm, “Where Do All the Good Kids Go?”
[embedded content]
Being asked to be a grownup while actively growing up can leave a person feeling robbed of their childhood. Maddie Zahm, for one, is ready to talk about that experience on “Where Do All the Good Kids Go,” her heartwrenching new single. Pairing her sensitive voice with a moving piano melody, Zahm recounts years of adults expecting more out of her while her peers kept their distance, and the endless recursion loop of confusion and hurt that came as a result. It’s a stunning piece of confessional songwriting that manages to break you down while also giving you just an ounce of hope by the time the final chord is struck.
Palehound, Eye on the Bat
[embedded content]
El Kempner always excelled at writing insightful and poetic lyrics as a part of Palehound — but not ever like they do in Eye on the Bat. Throughout this vulnerable, chaotic new project, Kempner strips away much of the edifice surrounding their past music, now letting themselves get vulnerable and be seen through get real about people pleasing (“U Want It U Got It”), breakups (“Independence Day”) and much more. It’s all done through the star’s singular indie rock style, making Eye on the Bat a must-listen album.
Shamir, “Our Song”
[embedded content]
Shamir is feeling nostalgic for the good ‘ol days on his latest song. Performing through the lens of looking back on the bitter ending of a relationship, the singer-songwriter spends much of “Our Song” wishing things were different — wishing he was a bigger person back then, wishing that his ex hadn’t managed to “infiltrate” his mind, and so forth. To fit the stirring lyrics, the song’s sound manages to smartly straddle the line between dreamy pop music and grittier rock offerings, making “Our Song” a fascinating must-listen.
Idman, Risk
[embedded content]
If you somehow haven’t listened to rising singer-songwriter Idman yet, allow us to introduce you with their fabulous new EP. Risk sees the star-in-the-making mix together pop, R&B and hip-hop into a eclectic mix of must-listen bangers talking about heartbreak (“Hate”), infatuation (“Still”), and pure confidence (“Beach”). With beats and melodies as versatile as the blissful riffs they regularly sing throughout each song, Risk is exactly the kind of project that makes us want to hear more and more from Idman.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
Bud Light is launching its inaugural Bud Light Backyard Tour summer concert series, featuring headliners OneRepublic, Midland, Dashboard Confessional and Bush. The four-city tour, for fans 21 and older, launches in Nashville on Aug. 10 with headliner OneRepublic and opening act Lindsay Ell.
Country trio Midland will headline a concert in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Aug. 15; followed by Dashboard Confessional in St. Louis, Mo., on Aug. 17; and Bush on Aug. 29 in Charlottesville, Va. Dee Jay Silver will serve as the DJ for the dates in St. Louis, Oklahoma City and Charlottesville. Tyler Braden is also set as an opener on the concert series.
According to Todd Allen, Bud Light’s vp of marketing, the yet-to-be announced venues will range in capacity from 1,000 to 3,000. Tickets are free, and fans can enter to win tickets at budlightbackyard.com.
“We really want to deliver an intimate vibe, and deliver that backyard experience where you’re hanging out with your friends, your family, listening to your favorite artists. So we want try to bring these artists closer to fans through these shows,” Allen tells Billboard.
Allen also notes Bud Light’s history in the music space, referencing the brand’s previous Bud Light Dive Bar tours with artists including Post Malone in 2019, and Bud Light Sessions over the years with artists such as Brad Paisley, Jason DeRulo, Jack Harlow and Teddy Swims.
The tour news comes as Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, has seen sales decline following backlash against the Bud Light brand after transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney posted a video to Instagram on April 1 showing a customized, commemorative Bud Light can featuring Mulvaney’s face sent to her by the company. Artists including Kid Rock, John Rich and Ted Nugent then called for a boycott of the brand or pledged to stop stocking it at their bars and backstage. As a result of the boycott, Bud Light fell from its position as the top-selling beer in America in June.
With the upcoming summer shows featuring performances from country music artists including Midland, Ell and Braden, Allen tells Billboard of Bud Light’s relationship with the country music audience, “First and foremost, we care deeply about all of our customers. I’ve been across this country, visiting with consumers, visiting with our wholesalers, visiting with partners. Consistently, the No. 1 thing people tell me about is the love and passion they have for this brand, and that what they want and expect from Bud Light is to get back to what we do best, and that’s being the beer of easy enjoyment, and that means bringing family and friends together over live music.
“That’s why we’re getting back to what we’re doing with the Bud Light Backyard Tour,” Allen adds, “and we’re going to do that with our country music fans, the same thing we’ve been doing for the past 40 years.”
Billboard reached out to teams for Midland and Ell for additional comments regarding the upcoming shows and the controversy that has surrounded the Bud Light brand. In a statement to Billboard, Ell said, “As an artist who always wants to use my voice for good, I have spent the past few years learning as much as I can about marginalized communities and how we, as humans, can work together to lift each other up. When deciding who to work with or what brands to partner with, I tend to lean into partnerships that encourage larger conversations surrounding the power of considering humanity before all else, including gender or race. Because of that, I recognize that we, as a nation, are in a phase of learning and that we’re inevitably not going to get it right every time. But I also know that doesn’t mean we should stop trying to teach ourselves how to love others better. I am looking forward to the Bud Light Backyard Tour in Nashville and hope that together, OneRepublic and I will bring both music and important conversation to fans there.”
Midland said via a press release, “We’re looking forward to showing up and rocking out for our fans at the Bud Light Backyard Tour. We can’t wait to perform for fans in Oklahoma City, reminding everyone that live music is even better when we can kick back in the backyard with an ice cold beer and all of our friends.”
Troye Sivan has announced the release date for his upcoming third studio album, Something to Give Each Other. The collection described as a “celebration of sex, dance, sweat, community, queerness, love and friendship” will drop on Oct. 13.
The album was previewed on Thursday (July 13) with the ecstatic disco anthem “Rush,” which features the dizzying chorus, “You got my heartbeat racing/ My body blazing/ I feel the rush/ Addicted to your touch/ Oh, I feel the rush/ It’s so good, it’s so good/ I feel the rush/ Addicted to your touch/ Oh, I feel the rush/ It’s so good, it’s so good.”
In a statement about the song, The Idol co-star Sivan said, “‘Rush’ is the feeling of kissing a sweaty stranger on a dancefloor, a 2 hour date that turned into a weekend, a crush, a winter, a summer. Party after party, after party after after party. All of my experiences from a chapter where I feel confident, free and liberated. Independent, yet somehow the most connected to the music and community around me.”
The appropriately sensual, sweaty Gordon von Steiner-directed video for “Rush” is meant to evoke, “big groups of people feeling the joy of life and sex,” according to a release announcing the project. In the clip Sivan attends a hedonistic day party in which revelers pull off impressively choreographed dance routines in an abandoned warehouse, with Sivan getting in on the action by doing a keg stand and making out with a fellow party animal.
Sivan wrote the album with Oscar Görres (Taylor Swift, Sam Smith), Ian Kirkpatrick (Dua Lipa, Britney Spears), Leland (Selena Gomez, Ava Max) and Styalz Fuego (Khalid, Imagine Dragons). Something to Give Each Other is the follow-up to Sivan’s 2018 second full-length album, Bloom; he released the EP In a Dream in 2020.
The Australian-born singer/actor recently teased that he was prepping his first album in half a decade. “It’s not lost on me that some of you guys have been following along since i was the kid w the stye in my eye in that first video,” he captioned a series of videos posted to Instagram in June. “Btw — I didn’t mean to take 5 years to make this album.”
In addition to the album, Sivan is prepping the launch of Tsu Lange Yor, described as an “independent luxury lifestyle collection of fragrances and art-driven objects.”
Watch the “Rush” video below.
[embedded content]
A Wisconsin elementary school teacher who got into hot water earlier this year for trying to include Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton‘s anthem of love and acceptance “Rainbowland” at her school’s spring concert has been terminated.
According to WISN, the School District of Waukesha Board of Education voted unanimously (9-0), on Wednesday (July 21) to end teacher Melissa Tempel’s employment at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha, WI after saying she violated three school board policies. District officials said Tempel was place on leave on April 3, followed by a May letter in which Superintendent James Sebert said he would recommend to the Board of Education that her job be “terminated.”
During the hourslong termination hearing Tempel and school administrators testified, with lawyers for the school board saying that the teacher violated board policies by expressing her feelings on social media before she talked to her supervisors.
“Ms. Tempel deliberately brought negative attention to the school district because she disagreed with the decision as opposed to following protocol and procedure and I believe that behavior is intolerable,” said Waukesha School District Superintendent Sebert; Tempel’s lawyers argued that their client was exercising her free speech rights.
“I thought that the fact that the tweet that I made, that ‘Rainbowland’ wasn’t going to be allowed, was something that the public would be really concerned about and that they would be interested in knowing about it,” said Tempel during the hearing.
Back in March, language teacher Tempel called out the school’s administration after claiming that they vetoed the inclusion of a pair of rainbow-themed songs in the spring concert. “My first graders were so excited to sing ‘Rainbowland’ for our spring concert but it has been vetoed by our administration. When will it end?,” she tweeted at the time, along with hashtags for the school system, Parton, Cyrus and GSafe (which create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth in Wisconsin schools) and civil rights.
Tempel also included the lyrics to “Rainbowland,” the Cyrus/Parton duet about acceptance that appeared on Miley’s 2017 album Younger Now. “Living in Rainbowland/ Where you and I go hand in hand/ Oh, I’d be lying if I said this was fine/ All the hurt and the hate going on here/ We are rainbows, me and you/ Every color, every hue,” they sing on the song.
On March 24, Tempel wrote, “The latest I heard is that the song was banned bc @MileyCyrus is controversial. D’oh, I thought for sure it was @DollyPartonvand her beautiful drag queen followers! Oh well, I can’t stop my students if they still sing ‘Rainbowland.’ It’s a fun, catchy song!” First grade teacher Tempel later speculated that the duet was pulled because of its “beautiful LYRICS. Because saying an ARTIST is controversial would be a very slippery slope and they wouldn’t want to go there. Amirite?,” she wrote.
When a commenter asked why the song was pulled from the concert Tempel responded, “no reason given.” A day later, Tempel reported that the administration had also banned the beloved Muppet Movie ballad “Rainbow Connection,” writing, “so it seems the reason is rainbows”; Tempel later clarified that “Rainbow Connection” had been unbanned after “parents sent emails to admin,” though at the time it appeared “Rainbowland” was still off the lineup.
The mother of a first-grader at the school said she was told the songs were pulled because they were too “controversial,” telling the Los Angeles Times that the local school board had undergone a “conservative flip” following COVID-19 mitigation strategies during the global pandemic. “One of those is a controversial topics policy saying that teachers can’t have any kind of signage that could be deemed political. … Discussion of pronouns with students was another thing that came up. And teachers aren’t allowed to wear rainbows,” parent Sarah Schindler said.
Another parent with a student enrolled in the district told the paper that the Waukesha school district has “really cracked down on anything LGBTQ… so this song being an ‘issue’ has not in any way come as a surprise.” The Board of Education reportedly said that the principal checked with the central office about district policy when the song was suggested and, “they determined that the song could be deemed controversial in accordance with the policy,” the board said in a statement in March.
The school’s principal, Mark Schneider, told the School Board at Wednesday’s hearing that he never said he thought the song should be vetoed or banned, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. Schneider also said that he was flooded with voicemails — some of which were threatening — which made him concerned for the safety of the school community, including “vulgar” messages that said he would “get what’s coming to (him).”
Superintendent Sebert also reportedly testified that he got a large volume of inquiries from parents, community members and people outside the district, which also included some threats. “I thought the way in which she disagreed with this decision was in direct violation of multiple board policies,” Sebert said at the hearing. Following a closed-door deliberation, the board voted unanimously to fire Sebert, saying she violated three different school board policies, including not following the chain of command by going to the media before airing her concerns to supervisors, engaging students on social media and making statement that “sowed disharmony among [the] staff.”
In the wake of the ruling, NBC reported that Tempel’s attorney said they believe they have a strong First Amendment case, with the teacher telling reporters she wouldn’t have done anything differently even if she’d known this would be the result. “And I really just want to say ‘hi’ to my students, because I haven’t been able to talk to them since March, and I really miss you guys,” Tempel said.
Kid Rock got pretty worked up earlier this year after transgender TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney shared a video on April 1 of herself participating in Bud Light’s Easy Carry Contest for the end of the NCAA’s March Madness. So worked up, in fact, that the rapper-turned-MAGA-country-rocker uploaded a video in which he attempted to obliterate 12-packs of Bud Light […]
Birds of a feather stick together, and pop superstar Adam Lambert is happy to see the similar plumage between himself and Lil Nas X. On Tuesday night’s episode (July 11) of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Lambert gave a shout-out to the “Industry Baby” star. When a fan asked on-air about Lambert’s reaction […]
The Las Vegas residency is the new staple in the careers of pop icons — superstars such as Adele, Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson are currently lighting up the Strip with their shows. Now, Kylie Minogue is teasing that she might be joining their ranks soon. On the Tuesday (July 11) episode of Watch What […]
Rina Sawayama is still feeling a certain type of way, and fans believe that Matty Healy is the cause of it all. During her set at NOS Alive in Lisbon on Saturday (July 8), Sawayama went on a short rant during her performance of “STFU!,” her rage-fueled song about dealing with microaggressions. “So I’ve been […]