<\/p>\n
Troye Sivan says Michael Jackson was a huge inspiration to his music career.<\/p>\n
The \u201cAngel Baby\u201d hitmaker was influenced by the stage presence of the King of Pop \u2013 who died in 2009 aged 50 \u2013 to make performing his dream career after watching old footage of the \u201cBad\u201d superstar.<\/p>\n
In conversation with his \u201cThe Idol\u201d co-star Rachel Sennott for Interview magazine, the 27-year-old singer-songwriter said: \u201cIt was 100 percent Michael Jackson. Growing up in the mid-\u201990s my parents had VHS concert tapes and my dad had this Michael Jackson one. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd of course, I loved music since the day I was born. But then it clicked that you could do it for so many people. <\/p>\n
\u201cI remember watching this clip of him where he stared off into the distance for three minutes and the audience just got louder and louder, and then he just moves his head to the other side \u2013 I went ballistic. <\/p>\n
Watch video:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThat was when I was like, \u2018Damn, I want to do that.\u2019 When it came to songwriting, that only clicked for me later in life because I always loved singing, but I would just sing covers.\u201d<\/p>\n Sivan also later got \u201cobsessed\u201d with Amy Winehouse \u2013 who died aged 27 from an alcohol overdose \u2013 and her 2006 album, \u201cBack to Black\u201d, which prompted him to pick up a pen and write his own songs.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cIt was Amy Winehouse. I remember listening to Back to Black when it came out. I found out she was Jewish and I was obsessed. I was like, \u2018Why am I relating to this 24-year-old who is singing about such specific stuff?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cLike what sports game she went to, or whatever. Something about writing with that specificity made the songs feel more real. It was an aha moment where I was like, \u2018Oh, you can write super diaristically and it actually makes the songs better.\u2019 <\/p>\n \u201cThat freed me up where I was like, \u2018Okay, if I want to write songs, I don\u2019t have to try and write for everyone. I\u2019m going to write for me and see what happens\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n