Pop music has a habit of moving fast. Blink and you’ve missed three eras, two rebrands, and a TikTok trend that turned a 15-second clip into a chart-topper. But some songs just sit there, stubborn and perfect, refused to be buried by the algorithm. Honestly, Troye Sivan My My My is one of those tracks.
When it dropped in early 2018, it felt like a seismic shift. Before this, Troye was the "Blue Neighbourhood" kid—dreamy, slightly melancholy, and very much tucked into the aesthetic of Tumblr-era indie pop. Then, suddenly, he’s strutting through a rain-slicked warehouse with an intensity that made everyone collectively gasp. It wasn't just a new single; it was a total liberation.
The Night in Melbourne That Changed Everything
You might think a massive pop anthem like this starts in a high-tech studio in LA. Not quite. Troye actually traced the inspiration back to a night out in Melbourne. He was being led through a crowded bar by someone he was seeing at the time, and that specific feeling—the physical pull, the electricity of a new connection—became the heartbeat of the song.
It’s funny because some of the lyrics feel so specific, but they’re actually a bit of a lie. Take the line "Spark up, buzzcut." Troye later admitted in a Genius interview that the guy didn't even have a buzzcut. He just liked how the words sounded together. It’s poetic license at its best. Sometimes the vibe of a word matters more than the literal truth of the haircut.
The song was co-written with his long-time collaborator Leland (Brett McLaughlin), along with Oscar Görres and James Alan Ghaleb. Leland actually had the title "My My My!" written down in a notebook for a while, waiting for the right moment. When he played the initial idea for Troye, it clicked instantly. It captured that "breathless" feeling you get when you’re so into someone you can barely think straight.
Why the Music Video Was a Cultural Reset
If you haven't watched the Grant Singer-directed video in a while, do yourself a favor and revisit it. Grant Singer is the same guy behind some of The Weeknd’s most iconic visuals, and he brought that same cinematic, slightly dark edge to Troye’s world.
They shot it on film, which was a huge gamble.
When you shoot digital, you see exactly what you’re getting on a monitor. With film, you’re basically flying blind. Troye has mentioned how he had to just trust Grant’s vision while dancing in a massive, empty warehouse in front of a crew of sixty people. He wasn't even a "dancer" back then—not really. He had a movement coach on set to help him find that confident, almost animalistic strut, but the energy you see on screen is mostly just raw adrenaline.
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It was also a big deal for queer representation. It wasn't "sanitized" for a straight audience. It was sweaty, it featured shirtless men in the background, and it leaned into a specific kind of "gay joy" that felt rare in mainstream pop at the time. It wasn't a coming-out story or a tragedy; it was just a guy having the time of his life.
Breaking Down the Sound
The production by Oscar Görres is basically a masterclass in tension and release.
- The Verses: They’re quiet, almost whispered. Troye’s voice is right in your ear.
- The Pre-Chorus: The drums start to kick in, building this frantic energy.
- The Hook: It’s an explosion. That heavy synth beat is pure 80s-inspired euphoria but polished for the 2010s.
The SNL Performance and the "Nervous" Narrative
Shortly after the release, Troye performed the song on Saturday Night Live. If you look at the comments on old Reddit threads or YouTube, people were divided. Some loved the grit and the "wet hair" aesthetic. Others thought he sounded nervous or that his voice was too low in the mix.
Actually, the "weak" vocals people pointed out were mostly a result of the song's range. Troye is singing at the very bottom of his register in the verses to create that intimate, "whisper in a club" feel. It’s hard to pull that off live in a studio like 8H, which is notorious for being a difficult place to mix audio. Despite the critics, that performance solidified him as a "real" pop star who was willing to take risks rather than just standing behind a mic stand.
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Troye Sivan My My My: The Legacy of Bloom
The song served as the lead single for his second album, Bloom. While his first album was about the "suburbs" and the quietness of growing up, Bloom was about the "after." It was about the flowers finally opening up.
My My My! peaked at number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, but its impact wasn't really about the numbers. It changed the trajectory of Troye's career. It paved the way for tracks like Rush years later. It showed that he could be "the guy" in pop—the one setting the trends rather than following them.
Even now, if you play this at a club or a Pride event, the room shifts. It’s one of those rare songs that feels both intimate and massive at the same time. It captures a very specific moment in time—2018 pop—while somehow managed to not sound dated at all.
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How to Get the Most Out of the Track Today
If you're looking to dive back into this era or just discovering Troye for the first time, here is how to actually experience the "Bloom" energy:
- Watch the "Verified" Lyrics Video: Seeing Troye break down the "tongue between teeth" line is honestly hilarious and makes the song feel much more human.
- Listen to the Acoustic Version: There’s a stripped-back version that highlights just how good the songwriting is. Without the heavy synths, it’s a totally different, much more vulnerable experience.
- Check out the Remixes: The Cashmere Cat remix takes the song into a much weirder, glitchier territory that’s worth a listen if you’re into electronic music.
- Pair it with "The Good Side": These two songs were released almost back-to-back. One is the high of a new relationship; the other is the complicated guilt of a breakup. Listening to them together gives you the full emotional spectrum Troye was working with at the time.
The real takeaway from the My My My! era is pretty simple: don't be afraid to change your "brand." Troye could have played it safe and stayed the "sad indie boy" forever. Instead, he chose to strut, and pop music is a lot more interesting because he did.