"Easy" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter
Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan Mellet ( ; born 5 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter, actor and YouTuber. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with EMI Australia in 2013 and released his thir ...
from his fifth
EP, ''
In a Dream'' (2020). It was released on 15 July 2020, accompanied by its music video, which was directed by Sivan.
At the
ARIA Music Awards of 2020
The 2020 ARIA Music Awards are the 34th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) and consist of a series of awards, including the 2020 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Ha ...
, "Easy" was nominated for
ARIA Award for Best Video.
On 10 December 2020, Sivan released a new version of the song featuring country singer-songwriter
Kacey Musgraves and producer
Mark Ronson.
Background
Lyrically, "Easy" is a song about someone trying to salvage a dying relationship. Sivan sings of how being in love with his partner was "easy" and begs him to "please don't leave me". The track was allegedly written about Sivan's breakup with American model and photographer
Jacob Bixenman, whom he had dated from 2016 to 2020.
Critical reception
Justin Curto of ''Vulture'' called the song "a more relaxed outing than 'Take Yourself Home,' built around some drums, lots of autotune, and a flute-y synth solo".
Stephen Daw of ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' wrote: "With '80s-twinged production and Sivan's classic laid-back delivery, 'Easy' follows the star as he examines a crumbling relationship, begging his lover to give their relationship a second chance."
Music video
Released on July 16, 2020, the self-directed video focuses on a heartbroken Sivan attempting to come to terms with a recent breakup in a large mansion. Visually, the video uses a muted grey, blue and green colour palette as Sivan sings until he sits down to watch an 80's-inspired music video on television which features Sivan paying homage to
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
, wearing a vintage brown
Gucci
Gucci (, ; ) is an Italian high-end Luxury goods, luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty Inc., ...
suit and black leather gloves, sporting bright red hair and white and yellow makeup while backed by a band of drag queens on a bright, neon pink set. Sivan then succumbs to the pain of losing his lover as a mirror falls on top of him, leaving a huge cut on his forehead. Clips of Sivan performing as Bowie and sitting alone in the mansion drinking and crying are interspersed with him dancing shakily around the room. His body subsequently bursts into flames in the shape of a cross and Sivan falls backwards into a pool and sinks to the bottom. The video received 300,000 views within its first nine hours of release and has currently accumulated almost 10 million views on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
. A shot of Sivan in the pool is used as the cover art for ''
In a Dream''. The video was nominated for the
ARIA Award for Best Video at the
2020 ARIA Music Awards
The 2020 ARIA Music Awards are the 34th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) and consist of a series of awards, including the 2020 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Ha ...
.
Remix
"Easy" was remixed with vocals from American singer
Kacey Musgraves and production from British musician
Mark Ronson. It was released on 10 December 2020. Musgraves co-wrote and performed a new verse for the song, and Ronson added a "
disco-
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
heartbeat" to the track.
Background and release
Sivan tweeted that he collaborated with "two of
isfavourite artists of all time" and filmed a music video that "
adpotential to be
isfavourite
e'sever made" in November, and announced his collaboration with Musgraves and Ronson on 7 December. Sivan and Musgraves previously collaborated on the song "Glittery" from ''
The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show'' (2019).
The song was sent to
contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
in the United States on February 2, 2021, making it Musgraves' first pop radio crossover single.
Music video
The music video for the remix was filmed in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...
and directed by Bardia Zeinali, who previously directed the music video for Sivan's 2018 song "
Dance to This". It was released to coincide with the song on 10 December 2020. It features Sivan and Musgraves as two people on the run, driving vintage cars, dyeing their hair in a motel bathroom and going to melodramatic drag shows, with Sivan explaining to
Vogue that his and Musgraves's character have "separately had our own experiences, regrets, scorned our lovers and will find solace in each other".
Charts
Original
Remix
Certifications
Release history
References
{{authority control
2020 singles
2020 songs
Kacey Musgraves songs
Mark Ronson songs
Songs written by Kacey Musgraves
Songs written by Oscar Görres
Songs written by Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan songs
LGBT-related songs