LGBT+ relationships within Troye Sivan's music video trilogy

1. REPRESENTATION CASE STUDY
How are minorities represented within music videos?

2. TROYE SIVAN – BLUE NEIGHBORHOOD
Troye Sivans 2015 album Blue Neighborhood featured a trilogy of music videos for individual songs ‘Wild’,
‘Fools’ and ‘Talk Me Down’, which share a narrative of Troye Sivan and a fictional childhood friend and the
struggles they face in their same-sex relationship.
Sivan has since been praised for his relatable and honest portrayal of young same-sex relationships, the
videos touching on ideas of homophobia and abuse that LGBTQ+ youth face. Music magazine ‘Project U’
said in an article on the music videos ‘For so many young gay people, to engage with something that’s actually
relatable to them is either impossible or quite rare. This media representation can normalise your feelings and
show you that you’re not alone. Just the sheer relatability of Troye Sivan’s music on Blue Neighbourhood will
have a profound impact’.
Representation of minority groups such as the LGBTQ+ community is becoming increasingly common.
Artists such as Troye Sivan who are themselves part of the community, use their platform to showcase the
pressures and difficulties youth face, and give them a representation of themselves that allows them to feel
less isolated.

3. FURTHER ANALYSIS INTO LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION IN
‘BLUE NEIGHBOURHOOD’ MUSIC VIDEOS
In the first video of the
trilogy, a large focus is
the flashbacks into the
young couples
childhood, establishing
the origins of their
relationship. This focus
on a carefree and
happy youth shows a
positive representation
of LGBTQ+
relationships, as it
suggests an innocence
and wholesomeness to
their relationship.
This part of the video shows the two characters playing, a montage unfolding
of their childhood antics which show them having innocent fun. In this shot
they are shown play-fighting under the covers. The white of the sheet
suggests an innocence and creates an image of purity that also establishes a
positive and carefree representation of LGBTQ+ youth relationships.
The low contrast
colour grading
which creates a
faded image could
perhaps portray the
nostalgia within the
flashback, and
could demonstrate
a sentimentality to
the narrative.

4. FURTHER ANALYSIS INTO LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION IN
‘BLUE NEIGHBOURHOOD’ MUSIC VIDEOS
In the second video
of the trilogy, the
narrative develops
to show the
struggles the
couple face in their
relationship. In this
part of the video,
Sivan’s partners
father discovers
their relationship,
and acts out in
anger against his
son. The struggles the young couple face within this
video reflect the conflicts LGBTQ+ youth can have
with their parents. In this way, the video reflects a
negative portrayal of the truth LGBTQ+ youth face.
The desaturation
of this shot
portrays the
sombre
atmosphere of the
narrative, further
enforcing the
unfavourable
elements of
LGBTQ+ lifestyle
through the
depressive
representation.

5. FURTHER ANALYSIS INTO LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION IN
‘BLUE NEIGHBOURHOOD’ MUSIC VIDEOS
This shot from the last
of the trilogy ‘Talk Me
Down’ captures an
image of peace within
the otherwise
depressive narrative.
The mise-en-scene uses
the cliché image of a
sunset. This normalises
same-sex relationships
as it uses the same
trope often found
within heterosexual
relationship
representations.
The framing of this
shot shows an
intimacy between
the two
characters, a
positive
representation
created due to the
evident love and
care they have for
each other.