Readers' Choice Award Nomination: Troye Sivan
The YouTube star has translated his fame into pop music and acting, and he continues to influence youth around the globe
Internet celebrity may sound like a dubious accolade, but an entire generation have taken to YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr, and other platforms to create personas that appeal to people around the world, and some lucky talented ones have leveraged it into a career. After Australian teenager Troye Sivan, now 19, gained popularity via his YouTube channel, he announced he'd signed a record deal with Universal Music and his debut single, the dark pop anthem "Happy Little Pill," was a hit on iTunes, and his EP, titled TRXYE was released in August 2014. The video has been viewed over 5.5 million times.
Sivan, who was born in South Africa, also acts. He played the young James Howlett in the 2009 film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and, most recently, starred in the Spud film trilogy.
He also came out in a video blog last year, which inspired many of his fans -- including young LGBT people globally -- with his simple, honest admission about being gay.
"It feels kind of weird to announce it like this on the Internet," he explained to the camera. "But it feels like a lot ofyou guys are real, genuine friends of mine. And I share everything with the Internet, every aspect of my life with the Internet. Whether or not that's a good thing, I don't know, but this is not something I'm ashamed of, and it's not something anyone should have to be ashamed of..." The clip has been viewed over 4 million times.
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