Troye Sivan is basically the crown prince of "sad but make it danceable." Honestly, if you haven’t seen the music video for One of Your Girls, you’ve probably at least seen the memes of a shirtless Ross Lynch looking like he’s having the time of his life while a blonde bombshell gives him a lap dance.
Plot twist: the bombshell is Troye.
It was a massive cultural moment when it dropped in late 2023. People were obsessed. But beneath the Y2K aesthetic and the glossy YSL lipstick, there’s a really specific, kinda heartbreaking story about what it’s like to be a "secret" in someone else’s life.
The Secret Meaning Behind One of Your Girls
The song isn't just about dressing up. It’s actually a pretty deep dive—sorry, a deep look—into Troye’s real-life experiences with "straight" guys. You know the type. The guys who are curious but only when the sun goes down or the drinks are flowing.
Troye told People that he wrote the track to psychoanalyze himself. He kept finding himself in this loop where he was hooking up with guys who would probably have bullied him in high school. Now? They’re texting him at 2 a.m. because they want to experiment.
It sounds hot on paper, right? The "internet's boyfriend" wanting you? But Troye talks about that "empty feeling" that hits afterward.
The lyrics are super blunt about it:
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"Give me a call if you ever get lonely / I'll be like one of your girls or your homies."
He’s literally saying he will be whatever version of a person they need just to get a scrap of attention. He'll be the "girl" if they want femininity, or the "homie" if they need to pretend it's just two bros hanging out. It’s a sacrifice of self-worth for a moment of validation.
Why Ross Lynch Was the Perfect Choice
Let's talk about Ross. Casting him was a stroke of genius. Troye needed someone who represented the "ultimate guy"—the one everyone is thirsty for regardless of their sexuality. Ross Lynch is basically the human embodiment of that.
Interestingly, Ross didn't even hear the song before he agreed to do the video. He got a call from Troye’s team, hopped on a red-eye flight to New York, and showed up on set ready for whatever.
When he first saw Troye in full drag, he actually didn't recognize him. He told a story on a podcast about how even his manager was asking, "Who’s the girl?" before realizing it was the artist himself. The chemistry between them works because it feels real. It captures that specific dynamic of a queer person putting someone on a pedestal while that person just kind of... sits there and enjoys the attention.
That Britney Spears Influence
If you felt like the video looked familiar, you’re right. Troye and his stylist, Dara Allen, leaned heavily into the early 2000s pop blueprint.
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Specifically, they were channeling Britney Spears.
The low-slung denim and the ruffled crop top are huge nods to Britney’s "I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" era. There's also a bit of Christina Aguilera and even some 90s Calvin Klein ad energy in the black-and-white shots.
But it’s not just parody. It’s performance. By transforming into this "fantasy version" of a pop star, Troye is showing how he "bent and changed" himself to fit what he thought these guys wanted. It’s "slay" on the surface, but if you watch the very end of the video, the camera lingers on Troye’s face. He’s staring right at you, and you can see the cracks. He looks like he's about to cry.
The fantasy is over, and he’s still just a secret.
A Cultural Shift in Pop
The song actually had a massive impact on how people talk about "experimenting." For a long time, the narrative was always about the person doing the exploring. Troye flipped the script. He showed the perspective of the person being explored.
It’s messy. It’s complicated. And it’s very human.
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The production by Oscar Görres is also top-tier. That "apathetic robot voice" you hear in the chorus? That was a deliberate choice. Troye wanted it to sound hollow to match that post-hookup loneliness. Fun fact: Max Martin actually walked into the studio, heard the track, and loved it so much he played a synth line on it—though he didn't even ask for a credit.
What You Can Take Away From It
If you’re listening to One of Your Girls and feeling seen, you’re definitely not alone. The song has become a bit of an anthem for anyone who’s ever felt like an option instead of a choice.
Here is how to actually process the themes Troye is laying down:
- Audit your "Late Night" texts: If someone only reaches out when it's "safe" for them (like at 2 a.m.), ask yourself if that's enough for you.
- Identify the "Fantasy": Are you liking the person, or are you liking the idea of being chosen by someone who "shouldn't" want you?
- Watch for the "Cracks": Like the end of the video, recognize when the performance of being "chill" or "cool with it" is actually starting to hurt.
Troye Sivan managed to turn a very specific, painful queer experience into a global pop hit. It’s a reminder that even the glossiest music videos can be hiding a lot of truth.
Next Step: Watch the "One of Your Girls" music video again, but this time, ignore Ross Lynch (hard, I know) and focus only on Troye’s facial expressions in the final thirty seconds. You’ll see a completely different story.