Why Troye Sivan Refuses to Make the Same Album Twice

An Instagram DM became “Rush.” “Bloom” started with Troye Sivan thinking it wasn’t working. And after more than a decade of writing together, Troye and Leland are still trying to surprise themselves. On Unfamous, they break down their creative partnership, how Troye keeps evolving without repeating himself, the stories behind “Rush” and “Bloom,” imposter syndrome, writing for RuPaul’s Drag Race, and what makes the right collaborator click. Chapters are below so you can jump straight to your favorite parts. Chapters 0:00 Troye Sivan Introduces Leland 2:09 How Troye Sivan + Leland Met 6:27 Their First Song Together Ended Up With BTS 10:57 Why Troye Never Wants to Make the Same Album Twice 18:43 Why Songwriting Is Mostly Social Skills 22:10 How an Instagram DM Became “Rush” 26:57 Troye + Leland on Imposter Syndrome 29:46 Cirkut, Mark Ronson + Getting Nervous Around Your Heroes 32:34 How “Bloom” Went From “This Isn’t Working” to an Album Title 37:12 What 11 Years of Writing Together Teaches You 43:08 Writing Pop Hits vs. Writing for RuPaul’s Drag Race 47:33 Britney, Janet + the Pop Music That Changed Them 55:55 Why Great Artists Are Secretly Music Geeks 57:01 How Troye Keeps Evolving Without Forcing It 1:03:33 What Troye + Leland Would Tell Their Younger Selves 1:10:42 Gagged or Dragged: TikTok, Gay Icons + Pop Songwriting 1:16:31 The Best Advice for Creative Collaboration 1:18:52 Troye’s Advice to Songwriters: Not Every Collaboration Works Credits: Unfamous is hosted by Justin Tranter Created by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart Produced by Justin Tranter & Morgan T. Stuart Written & Researched by Morgan T. Stuart Director: Morgan T. Stuart Co-Director + Cinematographer: Olivia McCrary Audio Engineer: Mike Sabri Camera Assistant: Sherrae Rucker Special thanks to Mark Beaven and Jimmy Knehans Shout out to Leslie Tranter and Chloe Pappas on Patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices