Photographs by Janine Van Oostrom.
Tuesday night’s sold out show was about love and unity. Thousands of screaming fans packed Toronto’s REBEL to welcome Australian pop star, Troye Sivan to his first show in the six.
But first, Dua Lipa took the stage to showcase songs from her self-titled debut album; which is due out next year. The England-born artist played a short, electric set; full of songs you wanted to dance to forever. With a three-piece band behind her, Dua Lipa managed to capture the audience with her carefree dance moves and synthpop like sound. She told fans that Toronto holds a special place in her heart, because it was the city where she wrote her first song “Last Dance”. She thanked everyone for the warm welcome to the city and ensured fans that she would be back soon.
When the lights dimmed on stage, the roar of the crowd slowly built traction and as Troye Sivan emerged from the shadows the piercing screams began. Sivan opened the show with one of his most popular hits “Wild”. Halfway through the song the crowd waited with baited breath, hoping Alessia Cara would show up as an early-surprise guest (her Instagram that morning told me she was in London so I had less anxiety). The 21-year-old singer was so overwhelmed by the love and support from his Toronto fans who waited over a year to see him preform. His original show back in February was postponed due to an illness and he told the crowd he was sorry it took him so long.
Troye is one of those pop stars the world has needed for a very long time. He is a triple threat with an extremely big heart. He rose to fame thanks to his creative and inspirational videos on YouTube. Back in 2013, he published a coming out video to let his LGBTQ+ fans know that they were not alone. A portion of the proceeds from the show on Tuesday went to The Ally Coalition, which raises awareness and funds in support of LGBTQ+ equality. With the election happening across the border, Troye took a minute to address the fans to let them know that no matter happened the community would rise above. He created such a safe space that night. So much so, that a young girl proposed to her girlfriend in the crowd.
From “Bite” to “Talk Me Down” Troyes’s cool and unique sound was really amplified by the lighting aesthetics of the stage, which perfectly fit the emotions running through each member of the audience. He was so engaged throughout the entire night, interacting with the fans who had spent hours waiting for that front row spot. With the final songs on the horizon, he took a minute during “Lost Boy” to really take everything in and let the crowd sing parts of the chorus back to him. Sivan closed out the show with “Youth”, which was the single that I believe really put him on the map with radio stations across North America. My hope is that Troye’s success continues to grow, and that more and more people discover him. With his Suburbia Tour coming to a close in a few weeks, one can only hope for a second album.
