“Youth” by Troye Sivan

According to Troye Sivan’s primary explanation of Youth, this is a song which is based on a romantic fantasy. And said vision would basically consist of falling in love with someone while the two of you are really young, running away together and living happily ever after. And such is the individual he is addressing in this song, with Troye letting this person know that s/he is the master of his youth, so to speak. 

So for the most part, this piece centers on the concept of loving with reckless abandon and actually finding someone worthy of such a brave commitment.

But that noted, Sivan has also offered an alternate explanation. And in that sense, what the lyrics would allude to is the fact that he’s been in game, i.e. a professional entertainer, since his own youth. So based on that understating, this narrative would serve as a metaphor for Troye’s own lifelong commitment to his fans, so to speak.

But as designed, this is primarily a love song. And therein, the vocalist is most pointedly encouraging his sweetheart to “run away” with him, ideally into a destiny where the two of them will in fact prove to be lasting soulmates.

Music Video

American filmographer Malia James directed the music video to this track. And it featured a couple of American actresses, Lia Marie Johnson and Amandla Stenberg.

Said clip went on to win a 2016 ARIA Award in the category of Best Video. And the audio itself was concurrently awarded Song of the Year.

Facts about “Youth”

Youth, which was officially released on 13 November 2015, can be considered the first truly big hit in Troye Sivan’s catalog. Besides going triple-platinum in his homeland of Australia, it also achieved double-platinum status via the RIAA stateside. 

In fact Youth remains Sivan’s most-successful single overall, even as of the writing of this post.

This song was issued as the second single from Troye Sivan’s maiden album Blue Neighbourhood, which is a product of EMI Australia and Capitol Records.

Troye, who was born in 1995, would have been 20 years old when this track was dropped. And even though the aforementioned project was his first full-length album, by that time he already had four EPs under his belt. 

In fact Troye is someone who has been officially part of the entertainment industry since 2006. Prior to that he did a considerable amount of acting. For example, he starred in the early-2010s South African Spud movie trilogy.

One notable live performance of Youth came on 8 December 2015. This event saw Troye Sivan, backed by American jazz/hip-hop group The Roots, perform the tune on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The incident was so special because it marked the first time he appeared on American television.

Did Troye Sivan write “Youth”?

Yes. He composed it with 4 other songwriters, including Canadian singer Allie X. The others are:

• Alex Hope
• Bram Inscore
• Brett McLaughlin