While the singer showed off some now-viral moves in the music videos for his singles “Rush” and “Got Me Started,” Sivan says he was always “absolutely petrified” of dancing on stage. But the pulsating tracks on his latest album and a “personal ambition” to emulate “Britney, Janet” and the tightly choreographed popstars he grew up listening to, convinced the singer to finally let loose. “I think it’s one of those things where you just have to go for it, and be okay with not being good,” he muses to Rolling Stone . “Dance is about freedom and releasing yourself,” he says, “and I have fallen really deeply in love with it.”
Sivan’s newfound love of dance reveals itself in a new campaign with Gap , which drops today. Titled “Get Loose,” the campaign harks back to the iconic choreographed Gap commercials of the past, with Sivan and Dutch troupe, CDK Company, performing to Thundercat’s “Funny Thing,” while modeling Gap’s baggy fall denim collection .
Sivan, who recalls owning a Gap hoodie in his teens and “wearing it to death,” says he jumped at the opportunity to work with the clothing brand and reunite with choreographer Sergio Reis, who helped to create the memorable moves from the “Rush” music video.
“Gap is such an iconic part of pop culture, and they have always had really cool taste,” Sivan says. “I’m a really big fan of the branding and the clothing and everything about this [campaign] felt really right to me. And then the fact that it was Sergio who was directing this campaign — it just felt like a natural extension and made perfect sense.”
Sivan admits he had never been much of a dancer until he met Reis, who also choreographed the music videos for “Got Me Started” and “ One of Your Girls .” The singer credits Reis with helping him overcome his apprehension of dancing, by offering a new perspective on how to move.
“I had never learned choreo or danced before I met him, and I’ve kind of learned how he sees movement, and how he uses movement to create shapes,” Sivan says, of his working relationship with Reis. “There are some core practices that he maintains, and once you start to understand those in your body, it becomes easier to learn and apply.”
And now: “I kind of crave [dancing],” Sivan says. “I miss feeling that kind of connection with my body and with other people. And it’s a new thing in my life that I really, really deeply love.”
Sivan filmed the new Gap commercial after returning from his recent European tour , and admits he “felt like I had been hit by a train” after learning the entire choreography in a day. Still, he says it was a thrill to front the fall campaign, which features the dancers in baggy and loose fit denim, inspired by the ideas of “free movement and personal style.”
“It’s the most important thing when it comes to a personal wardrobe,” he explains, “because upon that you can build and grow and add and layer.”
The new Gap campaign comes ahead of this fall’s “ Sweat Tour, ” which sees Sivan teaming up with good friend Charli XCX for a string of dates across North America . While Sivan has played solo shows this year, he says fans can expect a much larger production for the upcoming tour.
“I think it’s just going to be dialed up like 10 notches,” he teases. The singer is mum on the setlist and structure of the concert, only saying that “It’s going to be a really, really, really special night every show.”
While Sivan has known Charli for years, he says it’s been emotional to see her music — and Brat summer — take off. “My God, it’s been so nice to watch,” he tells Rolling Stone . “I think the thing that’s so exciting to see, is the Charli that the world has all of a sudden woken up to, is like the Charli that we’ve all known and championed and been obsessed with for years. And it’s not because of any kind of change or sacrifice that she made or anything. I think the culture just kind of caught up and was like, “Oh wait, okay, holy shit.”
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