Five Fits With: singer Tyde Levi

In our first international edition of Esquire's Five Fits series, the Melbourne-based singer chats to us from New York City about his personal style, music he listened to growing up, and where to get an extra dirty martini in Manhattan

By Tyler Dane Wingco

Published: Jul 24, 2025

Esquire Five Fits With Tyde Levi — Esquire’s Five Fits With: singer Tyde Levi.

ESQUIRE’S FIVE FITS goes international! And to do so is none other than singer Tyde Levi, who brought us along to New York City.

A man of many talents (DJ, model, to name a few), the 25-year-old’s creative trajectory in music reached new heights with the release of his debut studio album, A Thousand Ways to Say Nothing at All, last year. An eight-track meditation on processing heartbreak, the album was an outlet for Levi to be “alone in my bedroom, allowing myself to express these thoughts and feelings, putting them on paper and into a melody,” he said at the time. “It helped me gain clarity and be honest with myself, something I wasn’t doing with others.”

Of his creative pursuits, Levi says music always made the most sense. As you’ll read below, Levi’s sound was shaped through his father playing U2 and Toto albums in their home sound system, and his mum blasting Frank Ocean and Flume on the way to school. And like any creative child of the internet, he and his siblings found themselves on YouTube, often appearing in home videos with his older brother, musician Troye Sivan.

And like any good world builder, that mix of sound and media is mirrored in Levi’s fashion choices. He’ll pair a well-worn pair of Levi’s jeans with a rotation of thrifted T-shirts, hitting the pavement in click-clack-y Chelsea boots. Recently, he took Esquire through five fits from his trip, while telling us about how he became interested in clothing and style, the Australian label he’s loving at the moment, and where to get an extra dirty gin martini in Manhattan.

Fit one

Esquire: Firstly, where did you grow up and where do you call home now?

Tyde Levi: Hey! Born and raised in Perth. Melbourne is home now. But Perth will always be close to my heart.

What was considered ‘stylish’ or ‘cool’ when you were growing up?

Oh, gosh. I liked [the] internet-hipster boy vibe: button-up shirts to the top with coloured Vans. Lots of colour.

When did you first become interested in clothing and style?

Probably around that age! So like 2012? By then, Instagram was fully up and running, and I remember taking ‘artsy’ photos of my shoes with the built-in filters and thinking it was so dope.

Fit two

Who are your personal style icons? What do you like about their style?

I think at the heart of my current style is anything that feels timeless to me. I’m not the loudest dresser. Just classic silhouettes and pieces that could be worn forever and ever. That kinda looks elevated, vintage and slightly rock and roll leaning.

Did you always want to be a musician? What drew you to writing and performing?

I did, yeah. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Dancing to Michael Jackson as a kid; drumming along with All American Rejects and Green Day; DJing at music festivals as a teenager and then finally finding singing at 17 years old.

Fit three

What kind of music was playing at home when you grew up, and how has it influenced your own sound?

We listened to all kinds of music. We had a pretty big sound system, and sometimes my dad would take us downstairs and blast his U2 or Toto albums. Mum listened to all kinds of music. Driving to school was always a highlight of the day because she would blast the music we were playing whether it was Frank Ocean, Flume or insane psy-trance.

Do you have any rituals to get into writing?

Not particularly. Most of the time a line or two will pop into my head, but otherwise, I am more of a melody guy. Get in the studio and start building out the track and sing along melody after melody.

Fit four

When you’re not working, how do you chill out?

Make music [laughs]. Just not for me. I produce dance music and have a couple of things in the works. If I’m not doing that, I’m probably on a run/at the gym or at the pub.

Can you give me three non-negotiable albums you think everybody should listen to?

Insane question, by the way. But I’ll give three different kinda vibes that all tickle a different spot in my brain. 1) Cold Fact by [Sixto] Rodriguez, 2) Selected Ambient Works by Aphex Twin, and 3) Two Star & The Dream Police by Mkgee. I had, like, six others I wanted to add but . . .