Troye Sivan 'Blooms' into a pop superstar with his magnificent sophomore album

20GayTeen is the gift that keeps on giving!

Finally, after an almost three year wait, queer icon and musical genius Troye Sivan has returned to us with his second album, Bloom.

As a fan of Sivan, I've been following his music career since the beginning, becoming mesmerized by his official debut single "Happy Little Pill" and the EP it came along with, TRXYE.

Not long after, he released another EP titled Wild, providing a sample of what would become his debut album Blue Neighbourhood in 2015.

With a slew of singles and a three part video series sharing the same name as the album, Sivan began to make waves with his indie pop style and cemented a loyal fan base.

Now, almost three years later, Sivan has taken the BBMA's stage, performed with Taylor Swift on her Reputation Stadium Tour, collaborated with Alessia Cara, Martin Garrix and on his new album, Ariana Grande.

It's been a joy seeing Sivan grow into this incredible artist and amazing person, and as a big fan I was super excited when we finally got a release date for his official second album, Bloom.

Earlier in the year, Sivan teased us with the lead single, pop masterpiece "My My My!" which was the perfect way to start off 20GayTeen. (And should've been a bigger hit than it was.) A week later he offered us the guitar ballad, "The Good Side," ultimately tugging on our heartstrings and making us want more.

Now, all of this was in January, so with his album out just today, that would mean we had a seven month wait. SEVEN MONTHS. It was torturous and confusing at times, especially when we didn't hear from him for a while. However, in early May, Sivan reemerged, giving us some more details.

The fun and (totally not sexual, but also completely sexual) song "Bloom" was released along with the reveal of the album title, which—you guessed it—is also Bloom.

Then Sivan began releasing even more songs in the following months, making up for the lost time and before you know it, we've arrived at the album release.

Bloom is a slight departure from the alternative pop sounds of Blue Neighbourhood. Most of the songs on Sivan's first album were never meant to be radio singles, but Bloom is full of potential pop hits. And that's not a bad thing.

With Bloom, Sivan is planning to break more into the mainstream pop scene, but never once does he fall into a generic or played out sound. Sivan is always unique in his approach to a song, and it shows throughout the album.

Bloom opens with "Seventeen," a confessional pop song about an experience Sivan had with an older man when he was underage. In in the song's chorus, he sings "I went out looking for love when I was seventeen, maybe a little too young, but it was real to me."

In the title track, (which Sivan claims to be only about flowers) he sings "I need you to tell me right before it goes down. Promise me you'll hold my hand if I get scared now. Might tell you to take a second, baby, slow it down."

I don't know what that has to do with plants, but we'll let that slide for now since it's an absolute tune.

In the aforementioned collab with Grande, "Dance To This," we get a scene depicting a late night in the kitchen with the radio on, just kind of finding anything to dance to with a loved one. When I first heard the song, I was pleasantly surprised, fearing it would be an in-your-face over produced dance track, but instead it turned out to be much more chill, but still dance-able.

My personal favorite track from Bloom is "Postcard," featuring Australian folk singer Gordi. The song is a piano ballad detailing an experience Sivan and current boyfriend model Jacob Bixenman had earlier in their relationship.

The first line kind of says it all: "I sent you a postcard from Tokyo, baby. You never picked it up. I even wrote it in Japanese, baby. You didn't give a fuck."

There's obviously more to the story than that, but it was a pivotal moment in their relationship and it can be heard throughout the song, both vocally and lyrically. It's definitely a must-listen.

Other fun pop songs on the record include "Plum" and "Lucky Strike," both great potential single choices. "What A Heavenly Way To Die" is a mid-tempo ballad that I enjoy very much, but unfortunately would select as my least favorite. The song; however still provides a great lyrical experience—the title possibly inspired by The Smiths' song "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out."

The final track on the standard edition of the album, "Animal" is probably one of the biggest standouts and one of the more bare offerings. The song starts off soft, focusing on Sivan's voice, before bringing in strings, pianos, drums, synths—basically anything he could find. And it works out very nicely.

In an interview with I-D Vice, Sivan described the song as a "five minute 80s stadium love song," which makes me even more excited to see the live show.

For those considering purchasing the album, I do suggest the deluxe version from Target. It features only two extra songs, but they are both some of the best on the whole record. "This This" is basically a perfect pop song. If it was possible to release it as a single, I would strongly urge Sivan to do so. "Running Shoes" is a more folk guitar driven song, a bit slower than "This This," but much stronger lyrically.

Overall, Sivan is much more confident on Bloom, unapologetically using male pronouns and providing a safe space to talk about queer sex and relationships. I wouldn't say Bloom is my top favorite album this year, but I can definitely see the impact that it will have and it excites me to see what else Sivan may be cooking up.

Bloom is out now on iTunes and most retailers. It's also available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. You will not be disappointed.

~Happy #20GAYTEEN~