Before Troye Sivan became a global pop star, singing was one of the things that made him feel vulnerable at school.
Other boys mocked him for sounding like a girl, and compulsory sport brought another kind of anxiety: being watched while struggling to do something they seemed to expect of him.
In a new interview for A View From A Bridge, published October 22, the gay singer recalls a teacher whose response to that fear stayed with him.
A Different Way to Take Part
Sivan describes a school swimming carnival where participation was compulsory.
Already uncomfortable in the pool, he was acutely aware that boys who had teased him about his singing were watching.
When another carnival approached the following year, he went to a teacher and told her he really did not want to swim.
She offered an alternative: he could sit out the swimming if he sang the national anthem at the event.
He accepted, performed, and heard the school applaud.
As PinkNews reports, Sivan now sees the exchange as an example of leadership that recognizes and celebrates someone’s differences.
Being Seen for Himself
The significance was larger than avoiding a race.
Looking back, Sivan says the teacher recognized “a more real version of myself,” something he was still afraid to embrace.
His account connects the experience to a complicated relationship with masculinity and the pressure he felt to fit in with other boys.
For many gay men, the setting will be familiar even if the details differ: a sports field, a swimming pool, a classroom, or any place where being different felt like being exposed.
The teacher’s decision gave Sivan a way to participate through an ability he already loved.
It made room for him within the event, rather than requiring him to succeed on the same terms as everyone else.
The Small Gestures That Last
In the episode transcript, Sivan reflects on how an apparently ordinary decision for a teacher can carry enormous meaning for a child.
He remembers the gesture as permission to be celebrated for his own strengths.
He also connects it to the support he has received from women throughout his life.
The story offers a tender glimpse of the child behind the performer: someone who needed encouragement while learning how to feel comfortable being himself.
Long before the larger stages, there was a school event, a song, and an adult willing to see what he could bring to it.
📷 @troyesivan
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