Troye Sivan and Chappell Roan’s hidden connection, explained

Chappell Roan is the latest queer pop star taking over the world — but one of her first fans was another gay icon who tuned into her music nearly a decade ago.

The icon in question is Troye Sivan, who, back in his YouTuber days, told his fans to support a young singer named Kayleigh Rose. 

“I’ve had this 16 year old girl on repeat for 2 months,” Sivan wrote on X (then Twitter) in 2014. “You HAVE to listen to this, guys — go send some love.” He also linked to a (since deleted) YouTube video of Rose singing an original song called “Die Young.”

Where does Chappell Roan fit into this? You might’ve guessed, but Kayleigh Rose was Chappell Roan’s original stage name. (Yes, her real name is Kayleigh. It doesn’t quite match her current persona, but it certainly suits her Missouri roots.)

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Sivan also shared Roan’s social media account at the time, writing, “LETS BLOW KAYLEIGH UP BC I HAVENT HEARD A VOICE LIKE THIS SINCE ADELE, NO EXAGGERATION.”

Sivan’s YouTube bestie (and one-time boyfriend) Connor Franta also replied, writing, “YESSSSS GIVE THAT VOCALLY BLESSED GODDESS HER WELL DESERVED PROMO.”

Sivan and Franta’s promotion helped Roan reach 15,000 views on that video. “THIS IS AMAZING,” she wrote on Instagram. “Thank you so much to all who have supported my music and I! Also, thank you so much Troye Sivan!” How amazed would teenage Chappell be to see she now has nearly 8 million listeners on Spotify?

Sivan, Franta, and Roan even all met in person, capturing a picture together that feels like a time capsule of the 2010s.

When a fan recently posted screenshots of Roan and Sivan’s decade-old interactions with the caption, “Know your gay history!!”, the internet was gagged at their forgotten connection.

the way i remember streaming bc troye told us to 😭

— zara ⎊ (@foolsdnp) April 21, 2024

troye sivan threw the first stone at the chappell roan wall?

— heaven✮knows (@FrankOceansdye) April 21, 2024

THE GAY X LESBIAN SOLIDARITY WE LOVE TO SEE

— Fay (@FayFarabi) April 21, 2024

Now that they’re both fully realized pop stars, we need a collab from Sivan and Roan. The sheer queer power of that song would be off the charts.