Sarah
I remember the first time I heard of Troye Sivan. One of the residents in my dorm had written “Buy Blue Neighbourhood on iTunes” on their whiteboard. I figured I might as well check it out. I knew they had good taste in music.
So, I opened up Spotify later that day and searched for “Blue Neighbourhood.” Troye’s debut album popped up, seeing as it had come out earlier that day. I listened to it, and was not that impressed. Too electronic. Not my style.
2015 turned into 2016. The new semester of college led me into a downward spiral of depression and anxiety. And at some point in the middle of it all, I discovered Troye Sivan again. But this time, it sounded different. I fell in love with his music. Youth became my anthem. Anytime that I started feeling bad, I would turn it on and would immediately feel better. I remember one night pacing around outside my building in the cold blasting the song through my headphones on the verge of tears trying to calm down. It always worked.
Over spring break, I got a tattoo with lyrics from Youth. It serves as a reminder to myself that I’m stronger than I think I am, and that no matter what, I will be okay eventually. I call it my “anxiety tattoo” because anytime I feel bad, I can just glance down at my arm, and I know I’ll feel better. It’s like I have a little piece of Youth no matter where I go.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCwDQakxAeo/?taken-by=thecottoncandyunicorn
This October, I got the opportunity to see Troye live while he was on his Suburbia Tour. It was a cathartic experience, to say the least. I fought off tears through most of the concert because I was so happy to finally see someone in-person who had affected my life in such a positive way (heck, I’m tearing up as I write this).
Troye Sivan provided a soundtrack to some of my hardest days. His music made me feel something when I was numb. I can honestly say that he changed my life. So, thank you for everything.
