Troye Sivan on the Rush of Melbourne and home decor

THERE’S NOTHING quite like the rush of a night out in Melbourne. If anyone can attest to that, it’s Troye Sivan — who told me his latest hit, fittingly titled ‘Rush,’ was inspired by some of his hedonistic nights out at the one of the city’s most popular LGBTQIA clubs on Smith Street, Sircuit and even Chapel Street’s infamous Revolver Upstairs, aka Revs (if you know, you know). Honestly, his The Idol cohort wouldn’t know what hit them if they swapped La La Land nightlife for a good old fashioned Melbourne rave. 

“Obviously, I’m biased but I really do genuinely believe that Melbourne is the greatest city in the world,” Sivan shared of the endless inspiration his hometown offers, which even saw EmRata declare: “I need to go” during an appearance on her High-Low podcast recently. The unapologetic club banger ‘Rush’ (and my current audio respite from winter blues) was subconsciously conceived while the 28-year-old was freshly single during the pandemic. In the periods between the city’s multiple lockdowns, Sivan said he “fell in love with partying in a way that I never have before.” 

I really do GENUINELY believe that MELBOURNE is the GREATEST city

“It sounds grandiose to say or something but I found this almost spiritual experience of being sweaty on a dance floor with a million people. It just felt so radical,” Sivan shared. No doubt, the Perth-born, Melbourne-bred star had many a kitchen disco while hunkered down at his iconic home in Carlton — more than 8.4 million views on Architectural Digest’s YouTube. “I knew that I wanted the first single from the album to, like, slap you across the face…” While he didn’t film the music video for ‘Rush’ in Australia’s answer to the eat, sleep, rave, repeat culture — Berlin provided the backdrop (go figure) — Sivan did ensure Melbourne saw his debut luxury lifestyle line first.

“It was just very important to me,” Sivan shared of launching TSU LANGE YOR (pronounced tsoo-lang-yor), at a vibrant pop-up on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy — intentionally within walking distance to his home. “There was no other option really, than to do it in Melbourne.” 

Having co-founded TSU LANGE YOR independently with his older brother Steele Mellett, Sivan calls it “a family affair” rather than business. The name even derives from a yiddish toast the singer-actor grew up with: “To long years and to good years,” a reflection of his Jewish heritage. It’s seemingly a culmination of emotions, beauty and belonging — a reminder of home and self-sanctuary, wherever one finds themselves in the world. Erotically displayed (and distilled) as three distinct unisex eau de parfums with complementary candles as well as oil burners, which abstractly emulate teeth, each piece is Australian-made, Sivan-influenced. Think of each objet d’art as a physical lens into Sivan’s version of Melbourne.

“I really want to be able to kind of proudly show, yeah, this is where I come from,” Sivan said of sensorially sharing his experiences with fans around the world. 

Unique scents, nostalgia and Australianism looks like the Tasmanian mountain pepper found in TSU LANG YOR’s signature scent, sensually named TLY 5755 — the first fragrance to include such a “beautiful ingredient,” Sivan shared. There’s Australian sandalwood to evoke the “clarity” and freshness of Australian air in most products — and a redolent smokiness, which mimics a wood fire burning, in Sivan’s Sassafras oil burner and candle. The particular aroma resembles his parents’ home in the fern-clad (and chilly) Dandenong Ranges. While Sivan calls his bergamot and moss-infused scent Luca his sexiest scent, he leans towards the “very cute” Pool as soon as it hits 24 degrees. “It’s inspired by the countless days that I spend at the public pool over here, near my house,” Sivan shared; with its lush notes of cucumber, lychee, tomato leaf and coriander. 

“It also comes in a candle and I find that when the house is really clean and fresh and I want to open all the doors and windows and have that sort of fresh feeling, I’ll gravitate towards that one.” 

Actively involved in the whole design process, Sivan not only took a crash course on scent analysis with Sydney-based perfumery expert Craig Andrade — with fragrance predilection being such an “innate” choice — but even designed his sculptural pieces using virtual reality. While in Los Angeles, he collaborated with Sydney-based artist Joel Adler using a VR headset where he got to virtually play around with TSU LANGE YOR in different environments, including his Carlton home. But, the Australian partnerships didn’t stop once products were firmed up and packaged. Sivan called on a select few inspiring “friends,” Melbourne artisans whom he has “really fallen in love with,” to assist with his six-day pop-up. 

Flack Studio, which helped design his iconic home — and is currently in the process of fitting out Sivan’s Los Angeles estate (we smell an Arch Digest 2.0 video) — helped furnish the living room-esque space. Other local collaborators included Castorina and Halcyon Lake, with indoor flora curated by Florian Wild — whom also did the landscaping at Sivan’s place. His own personal art collection also features. “If we do a pop-up anywhere else, I’m like ‘Oh my god, how am I gonna do it?’ Because I’ve got all these incredible talented people around who are just so generous and excited to help.” 

It’s REALLY just like I’m HOSTING a MILLION people at my HOUSE. It’s GREAT.

As for generosity, Sivan himself couldn’t be more of an Idol. He was around each day of the pop-up (even while hungover after a classic late night party to celebrate the launch), where he happily took selfies with fans and talked them through his new labour of love. A rarity to see a celeb of his fame appear for meet-and-greets, as opposed to a traditional media launch. “It’s really just like I’m hosting a million people at my house. It’s great.” If you’re to ask his biggest design tip though, Sivan simply says be unpretentious, remain open-minded and ensure you love each piece. ‘Like’ isn’t going to cut it. 

“I wouldn’t overthink too much,” Sivan began. “It’s really easy to feel just completely out of your depth and I definitely did. And only once I started to really trust myself did I really fall in love with it.” He recommends checking out Facebook Marketplace, buying art from friends or even sussing if anyone (of any age) in the family is handy with the paint brush. “I’m going to be an uncle for the first time this year,” Sivan shared. “I’m excited for a number of reasons, but the second that baby can hold a paintbrush [I can’t wait] to hang some art by my nephew in the house.” 

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For the star who has seemingly got it all figured out, there does remain one “impossible question”: Timothée Chalamet or Harry Styles? Following a 2021 interview on Zach Sang’s podcast where he spoke about his two crushes (relatable), I had to ask whether Sivan finally met the ‘Daylight’ singer. “Yeah I met him [Styles] on Grammy night when he won Album of the Year. He was so lovely and took some time to chat with me. He’s a legend.” As for Chalamet, Sivan bumped into the “lovely” Bones & All actor yet again while at a dinner in Paris this year. 

“He actually introduced me to someone and was like, ‘Troye has the coolest house.’ And I was really, really, really flattered by that.” Who knows, maybe Sivan’s next TSU LANGE YOR venture could be styling celebs’ homes? Stay tuned for a possible coffee table book collab (hopefully set in Melbourne!) with Chalamet and Styles. 

Take a peek at Sivan’s private TSU LANGE YOR launch party below.

This story originally appeared on Harper’s BAZAAR Australia.