Troye Sivan Deserves the Grammys’ Next Best New Artist Honor
As the title of his sophomore LP suggested would be the case, Troye Sivan has spent 2018 in full Bloom.
The 23-year-old, South African-born pop act, who'd already amassed an audience with popular songs like "WILD" and "YOUTH," doubled down on his brand of moody euphoria with his second album, which dropped in August. Featuring tracks like "My! My! My!," the video for which finds Sivan embracing a stark sexuality, and the titular "Bloom," the launchpad for an explicit sense of queer liberation, the collective work has registered like a long-awaited admonition: Accept me for who I am, or kindly clear the path.
So will Bloom have been enough to land Sivan one of the industry's most coveted distinctions — the title of Best New Artist — at the 61st annual Grammy Awards in February?
It's certainly possible.
Bloom, which also includes singles "Dance to This" and "Animal," will likely earn Sivan at least a nomination in the category, the honor of which went to Alessia Cara in 2018. While seeming frontrunners Post Malone, Camila Cabello and Cardi B are ineligible for the next ceremony, according to Hits Daily Double, Sivan, Dua Lipa, Ella Mai and Lil Pump are all among the 332 artists in contention.
So, yes, there's certainly some tough competition, but with near-universal acclaim on his side, Sivan's certainly got a shot at the trophy that's previously gone to the likes of Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood and Sam Smith.
As Sivan told PopCrush in February as part of The New A-List feature, he crafted Bloom to serve as a comfort of sorts, one that could distract the listener from the world's most particularly harrowing headlines.
“I don't know if the world needs a sad gay album right now,” he said. “I think they need to go out and have some sort of sonic relief, and be reminded that we've been through s--- in the past and we’re going to continue to go through s---, but we're always going to be okay.”
It's certainly a winning sentiment.
Tell us if you think Sivan's got a shot at Best New Artist honors, and hang tight for the full list of 2019 Grammys nominees!
PopCrush Presents: The New A-List