Troye Sivan talks China fandom and collabs

Brands across industries are increasingly adopting the language of fashion houses, hiring celebrity creative directors, and diversifying their artistic visions to court younger generations. Now, the movement has extended into luxury wine with Penfolds and Australian singer-songwriter and actor Troye Sivan. Following on from Nigo as creative partner of the Australian wine brand, the star has built a devoted global following across three studio albums — Blue Neighbourhood (2015), Bloom (2018), and Something to Give Each Other (2023), the last of which earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance for its lead single Rush. He is currently at work on a fourth studio album, drawing inspiration from queer love, sex, and dance. Though Sivan, 30, has not performed in China since his 2019 Bloom tour dates across Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Chengdu, his Chinese fanbase has continued to grow: his hashtag has accumulated 160.7 million views on Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote), while his Weibo account counts 1.56 million followers. China is a critical market for Penfolds — and Sivan’s appeal extends well beyond any single region. Parent company Treasury Wine Estates posted a 17% YoY rise in annual underlying profit in fiscal 2025, buoyed by strong Penfolds sales in China, solid U.S. performance, and the integration of Daou Vineyards, the luxury California winery it acquired in 2023. “Troye really brings this fresh lens for Penfolds, and he's in this beautiful intersection of music, of fashion, and of design, which is actually very rare to find,” says Kristy Keyte, the brand’s chief marketing officer. That convergence came to life during Paris Fashion Week, where Sivan unveiled his first project with the brand: a limited-edition design for Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz. The launch took place at Quartier Général in the city’s 11th arrondissement, drawing together Sivan’s creative circle — from it-girl Gabbriette to fashion designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin — for an intimate dinner marking his new role as Penfolds Creative Partner. Ahead of the collaboration’s global debut on March 6, Jing Daily spoke with Sivan about maintaining his longstanding fanbase in China, and strategizing brand collaborations. JD: What drew you to collaborate with Penfolds? Troye Sivan: What drew me to working with Penfolds is the fact that they’re a heritage legacy brand. They’ve been around for 180 years making beautiful wines and really are an icon of Australia. For me, as an Australian, it was a really big honor to be asked to re-imagine or reinterpret what Penfolds and wine means to me. When asked that question, immediately I started to think of just connecting with people, which is such a through line of all of my work. I’m super inspired by ‘community,’ and just humans. That was my North Star throughout the whole process. JD: What happens when a legacy house like Penfolds meets the tempo of your generation TS: Well, I mean, to their credit, they were so unbelievably open and genuinely trusting of me. I was just explaining to them how wine, for me and my friends, is a really important part of us getting together and creating these beautiful, special memories. I think even if you look at the magnum, it’s all about capturing moments in time and trying to prolong these nostalgic moments that have this haze to them. It was really fun. JD: How do you protect the emotional core of your artistry in collaborations TS: I work with people that I trust and that trust me, and I think that’s incredibly important. I don’t feel creatively pushed in any direction that I don’t like. I love to be pushed, but in a way that feels collaborative and inspiring. JD: What criteria do you have for choosing brand partners? TS: It sounds annoying, but I think a lot of it is just a gut feel. For me, there’s nothing better in the world than creatively bouncing off someone. It’s so fun and it’s so joyous. When that is right, and feels easy, I just go by that feeling. JD: Did you ever imagine that your music would land so well in China? TS: I have such fond memories of China. The first one is crazy. When I was very young, I went to China and performed on a TV show. It was so crazy to me to go to this place that seemed so far away from Australia. I arrived and just felt immediately so much love and support and was really taken aback by it. I’ve always been super touched. I’ve had Weibo for so long now, since that trip, basically. It always felt very inspired by and connected to my Chinese audience. Then it really solidified the last time I was on tour there in 2019; it was just unlike anything I’d ever seen or felt before. I’ve had really amazing memories of being there with my family and eating amazing food. It’s been so fun. JD: Does having Weibo help you engage fans? TS: Yeah, exactly. What we do is we translate a lot of my English posts now too, and put them up there. Jing Daily: Do you have Xiaohongshu? TS: Sometimes — I’ve had it in the past. But I don’t have any of the apps on my phone right now. JD: If you could describe your relationship with your Chinese fan base in one word, what would it be and why? TS: I would say ‘deep.’ It’s been a long relationship. That show that I went on, I’m pretty sure it came from a direct message on YouTube when I used to make YouTube videos. But so long ago, and I just trusted it. I went with my dad. Yeah, that’s it. It was an amazing experience, something that I’ll never forget. Yeah, that’s it. But the way that I'm talking about it, everyone’s going to go watch it now again, and I’m like, please don’t. JD: Will you return to China? TS: I wish. At the moment, I’m just working on new music, so I don’t really have any travel plans. But I’m really excited about the new album. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and brevity. Jing Daily presents Jing Masterminds — a regular, exclusive interview series profiling today’s most iconic names in art, fashion, commerce and culture. Delving deep into their personal journeys, creative processes, business strategies and societal impacts, the series offers readers an intimate look at the lives and minds shaping our industries.

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Troye Sivan talks China fandom and collabs