Troye Sivan says straight male artists get an easier ride from the ‘Khia Asylum’
Sivan spoke about the “insane” expectation for women in the industry and where he lands as a gay artist
By Aaron Sugg
Troye Sivan has opened up about double standards in the music industry, saying queer and female artists face greater challenges than their straight male counterparts.
Appearing on Las Culturistas yesterday (26 August) alongside hosts Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, Sivan spoke about how straight male musicians have escaped the “Khia Asylum”.
The viral internet slang term “Khia Asylum” refers to a metaphorical holding cell for musicians who have “flopped” and gone off-grid before making a comeback and escaping the internet-created prison.
Troye Sivan on the Khia Asylum
“I think the whole Khia Asylum thing doesn’t get said about boys that much. I think it’s a spectrum of how much people nitpick at you and pop girls have it really bad,” said Sivan.
Artists who have been connected to the Khia Asylum include Bebe Rexha, Ava Max, Rita Ora and Zara Larsson, though the latter has since escaped following her 2025 chart-topping single Midnight Sun.
“The straight boys might talk shit about you online, but either they don’t care or they don’t get it as bad,” Sivan continued. “I do think that straight boys can get away with releasing stuff that, if a queer artist or a female artist released, they would get ripped to shreds.”
Sivan calls the expectation for women in the industry “insane”
He spoke about the “insane” expectation for women in the industry to constantly reinvent themselves to succeed and, as a gay man, said he finds himself “between the two”.
Sivan’s podcast appearance comes after he announced his fourth studio album, She’s the Best, which is due to be released on 9 October 2026.
Earlier this month, he released the album’s title track, ‘She’s the Best’, alongside a star-studded music video celebrating women from all walks of life.
Nicole Kidman stars in Sivan’s ‘She’s the Best’
Nicole Kidman and drag icon Sasha Colby feature in the video, alongside several trans women and drag queens, celebrating and unifying womanhood.
She’s the Best will mark the former Attitude cover star’s fourth full-length studio album, following Blue Neighbourhood (2015), Bloom (2018) and Something to Give Each Other (2023).