By Azzam Bilal 
HangupsMusic.com – The landscape of contemporary pop music has often been defined by its ability to bridge the gap between the nostalgia of the past and the avant-garde sensibilities of the future. Few artists navigate this intersection with as much poise and provocative intent as Troye Sivan. Following a career-defining year in 2023, the Australian singer-songwriter has officially signaled the beginning of his next era with the release of his latest single, "Party." This new track serves as a centerpiece for his upcoming studio album, She’s the Best, and it arrives accompanied by a visual experience that is as historically dense as it is modernly transgressive.
"Party" is not merely a club anthem; it is a meticulously constructed homage to the titans of dance music. The track’s most immediate and striking feature is its heavy utilization of a sample from Madonna’s iconic Y2K hit, "Music." By repurposing the glitchy, electronic pulse of the 2000 classic, Sivan creates a sonic bridge across two decades of queer-coded pop excellence. The production leans into a hypnotic, repetitive structure that Sivan himself has noted is intentional. In press materials released alongside the single, Sivan articulated his fascination with the way dance music transforms based on the environment in which it is consumed. He observed that the experience of hearing a track through laptop speakers is fundamentally different from the immersive, physical sensation of the dance floor. It is this hypnotic quality—the way repetition can induce a trance-like state in a crowded room—that Sivan sought to capture and manipulate within the architecture of "Party."
The auditory experience is only half of the story. To bring the world of "Party" to life, Sivan once again collaborated with director Gordon von Steiner, the visionary behind the high-octane visuals for Sivan’s previous hits like "Rush." The music video for "Party" is a lavish, baroque-inspired fever dream that juxtaposes medieval imagery with high-fashion grit. Sivan appears on screen as a knight in shining armor, a role that serves as both a literal costume and a metaphorical commentary on chivalry, masculinity, and the performative nature of pop stardom. The video’s aesthetic is "risqué" in the truest sense, blending the opulence of the Renaissance with the sweaty, uninhibited energy of a late-night underground rave.
Perhaps the most unexpected and prestigious element of the project is the inclusion of a legendary voice. The video features a voiceover from none other than Sir Ian McKellen. For those unfamiliar with Sivan’s early career, this collaboration is a profound full-circle moment. Long before he was a global pop sensation, a 14-year-old Troye Sivan was a budding stage actor in Australia. In 2010, he shared the stage with McKellen in a Sydney Theatre Company production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. The fact that "Gandalf" himself—one of the most respected actors in the history of stage and screen—would lend his voice to Sivan’s modern pop odyssey speaks volumes about the respect Sivan commands across the artistic spectrum. McKellen’s narration adds a layer of gravitas and theatricality to the video, elevating it from a standard promotional clip to a piece of short-form cinema.
The release of "Party" follows the announcement of Sivan’s new album, She’s the Best, which is scheduled to arrive on October 9. This record marks a relatively quick turnaround from his 2023 critically acclaimed album, Something to Give Each Other, which spawned the global smash "Rush" and earned Sivan a new level of mainstream recognition and Grammy nominations. The momentum from that era appears to be fueling his current creative output. Last month, Sivan introduced the new project with its title track, "She’s the Best," which featured another heavyweight of the entertainment industry: Nicole Kidman. The inclusion of Kidman, a fellow Australian and Sivan’s former co-star from the film Boy Erased, established a theme for this album cycle—one of high-profile collaborations and a celebration of his own artistic lineage.
Sivan’s ability to recruit A-list talent like Kidman and McKellen is a testament to his unique position in the industry. He occupies a space where the worlds of prestige acting, high fashion, and chart-topping pop music overlap. His career has always been characterized by this multi-disciplinary approach. From his beginnings as a teenage YouTuber to his roles in films like X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the controversial HBO series The Idol, Sivan has always understood the power of the image. With She’s the Best, he seems to be leaning further into the "superstar" persona, utilizing his connections to create a world that feels larger than life.
The sonic direction of the new album, if "Party" is any indication, continues Sivan’s exploration of house music and electronic subgenres. Since the release of Something to Give Each Other, Sivan has become a de facto ambassador for a specific brand of hedonistic, queer-centered dance music. His work often explores themes of intimacy, physical connection, and the liberation found within the nightlife community. By sampling Madonna, he is acknowledging the foundations of this genre. Madonna’s "Music" was a pivotal moment in the early 2000s, signaling a shift toward a more experimental, electronic sound for the Queen of Pop. Sivan’s reinterpretation of that sound for a 2024 audience suggests an awareness of pop history and a desire to keep the lineage of the "dance floor as a sanctuary" alive.
As the October 9 release date for She’s the Best approaches, the anticipation within the industry is palpable. Sivan is currently in the midst of a period of high visibility, having recently completed the "Sweat" tour, a co-headlining arena run with Charli XCX that became a cultural phenomenon in its own right. That tour celebrated the "brat" summer energy and solidified Sivan’s status as a premier live performer. The energy of those arena shows seems to have bled into the production of "Party," which feels designed to be played at maximum volume in large spaces.
The "Party" music video, with its Gordon von Steiner-directed flair, also continues Sivan’s trend of pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable in mainstream pop visuals. He has never shied away from the "risqué," often using his platform to showcase queer desire in a way that is both unapologetic and aesthetically sophisticated. The baroque-meets-medieval-knight concept is a clever way to frame these themes, using the rigid structures of the past to highlight the fluidity of the present.
In the broader context of Sivan’s discography, She’s the Best looks to be his most ambitious project yet. By flanking himself with icons like Nicole Kidman and Sir Ian McKellen, he is positioning himself not just as a pop star, but as a curator of culture. He is someone who can move between a Beckett play and a Madonna-sampled dance track with total authenticity. This versatility is rare in an industry that often demands artists stay in a single lane.
For fans who have followed Sivan since his "Blue Neighbourhood" days, this evolution is both startling and deeply satisfying. He has transitioned from the sensitive, indie-pop boy of the mid-2010s into a confident, experimental titan of the dance-pop world. "Party" is a celebration of that journey. It is a track that honors his roots—both his acting debut with McKellen and his love for the pop legends that paved the way—while keeping its eyes firmly fixed on the next horizon.
As the music industry continues to digest the impact of "Party," the countdown to October 9 begins. If the rest of She’s the Best matches the scale and ambition of its first two singles, Troye Sivan may be looking at the most successful chapter of his career to date. For now, listeners are invited to lose themselves in the hypnotic repetition of "Party," a track that reminds us that while music may sound different on a laptop, its true heart will always be found on the dance floor.
