"Heaven" | |||||||||||||||
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Single by Troye Sivan featuring Betty Who | |||||||||||||||
from the album Blue Neighbourhood | |||||||||||||||
Released | 17 October 2016 | ||||||||||||||
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Length | 4:21 | ||||||||||||||
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Troye Sivan singles chronology | |||||||||||||||
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"Heaven" is a song by Australian singer and songwriter Troye Sivan featuring Betty Who. The song was released as the fourth single from his debut studio album Blue Neighbourhood (2015). It was written by Sivan, Alexandra Robotham, Jack Antonoff and Claire Boucher.
The song's official lyric video was released on 17 October 2016. The video was released on 19 January 2017.
The song details Sivan’s struggle with coming out as gay. He explains “When I first started to realise that I might be gay, I had to ask myself all these questions—these really really terrifying questions. Am I ever going to find someone? Am I ever going to be able to have a family? If there is a God, does that God hate? If there is a heaven, am I ever going to make it to heaven?” He refers to the track as “the most important song” he has ever made.
In an interview with Vulture magazine, Sivan said; “I came to the point where I wanted to delve into something a bit more specific about my experience as a gay man. I went into the studio and had to revisit some pretty uncomfortable and sometimes painful memories of what it was like to be 15 years old and in the closet. I started writing this song called "Heaven" about that experience.” Sivan added he was inspired by the documentary How to Survive a Plague.
The music video for "Heaven" was directed by Luke Gilford and released on 19 January 2017. According to a representative, Sivan was going to release the video on 20 January, to coincide with Donald Trump's inauguration. However, the release was forward a day due to an overwhelming response from fans to teasers for the clip.
The black and white clip, sees Sivan being embraced by an unfaced male friend while being soaked in the rain and pays homage to the LGBTQ movements and accomplishments that have come before him. The clip shows assassinated gay rights leader Harvey Milk alongside footage of Pride parades and same sex weddings.
Sivan's message that accompanied the clip read; “We have always been here. we will always be here. this video is dedicated to all who’ve come before me and fought for our cause and those who now continue the fight. in dark and light times, let’s love forever.”