Troye Sivan has spent years chasing perfect pop, but his fourth album, She’s the Best, is the opposite. The singer leans into chaos, swing and isolation on the record, which drops Friday on Interscope. He spoke with the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast about the album, the Madonna sample on “Party,” and why his brother Tyde Levi and longtime collaborator Leland are the keys to the project.
From Stage to Hotel
Sivan describes the record as a push-and-pull between two versions of himself. There is the empowered, sexualized performer on stage, and then there is the lonely hotel room afterward. “I wanted there to be this kind of push-and-pull between going from the stage and feeling like this hyper-empowered, hyper-sexualized, connected version of myself to then the reality of going back to the hotel and at times, honestly, feeling the most isolated that I felt in my life,” he says. “That tension made me want to make something that felt really layered.”
The album follows Something to Give Each Other, the euphoric 2023 release that brought Sivan his first three Grammy nominations and two Billboard Hot 100 hits, “Rush” and “One of Your Girls.” He toured with Charli xcx on the Sweat Tour and his own solo trek.
Writing With Friends
Sivan surrounded himself with collaborators who double as friends. He worked with Jack Antonoff, Allie X and Leland, the trio behind his 2015 debut Blue Neighbourhood. He also brought in Charli and Tyde Levi, his brother, for the first time. Sivan produced himself on several tracks for the first time.
“I would have been really disappointed in myself if I had made something that I thought other people wanted from me more so than something that I wanted to make.”
Party’s Madonna Origin
“Party” samples Madonna’s “Music.” Sivan explains the genesis: he and Tyde were writing a sad song and decided to flip it into something danceable. They drew on a Lady Gaga interview where she described moving between bus, club and another club. Tyde sent Sivan a track he made in his bedroom with a friend, and Sivan FaceTimed Leland with a rough vocal. Rob Feher and engineer Styalz Fuego rounded out the production.
“Even the credit list on this song is like a party,” Sivan says. “It just felt so natural to be passing it around, back and forth.”
Clearing the Sample
Getting Madonna’s approval was easier than expected. Sivan jokes that the story is lame, then admits they simply asked. “We literally just asked and I was very pleasantly surprised that they made it really easy,” he says. The team was filming the most ambitious video of his career while still figuring out the clearance.
Levi adds: “Don’t think that we weren’t waiting by the phone to hear whether Madonna was on board or not.”
Family and Longtime Friends
The album’s magic came from outside the studio, according to Sivan. He recorded vocals at home and let the writing flow naturally. Tyde and Leland both joined the project, with Tyde contributing to three songs, each distinct.
“I’ve known Troye since the day I was born!” Levi laughs. Leland agrees that their relationship is deep: “We would be friends even if neither of us were musicians.”
The Title Track
The album opens with the moody, talky title track, complete with a Nicole Kidman-starring music video. It sets the tone for the record’s duality. Sivan says the tension between the two versions of himself shaped the whole project.
“It was a constant feeling of pressure, and then immediately realizing that the only antidote is to completely f–k it off,” he says.
What To Expect
She’s the Best is out Friday on Interscope. The album balances dancefloor energy with intimate vulnerability, with “Party” serving as the club anthem that samples Madonna. Sivan’s honesty about the contrast between his stage persona and his loneliness makes the record feel personal, not calculated.
The story is a reminder that pop stars are human too. Even someone with three Grammy nominations and a blockbuster tour can feel isolated. The fact that Madonna approved the sample with barely any fuss is a small victory in itself.
Key Facts
- Album: She’s the Best
- Label: Interscope
- Release date: Friday
- Grammy nominations: Three
- Hot 100 hits: “Rush” and “One of Your Girls”
- Tours: Solo trek, Sweat Tour with Charli xcx
Source material: “Troye Sivan Talks ‘Chaotic’ New Album & Getting Madonna’s Approval for ‘Party’: ‘I Was Pleasantly Surprised’,” Billboard.
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