MANIA

## Singles from MANIA

1. "Mad"
Released: January 29, 2021

2. "I Know a Place"
Released: February 14, 2021

3. "Maniac"
Released: February 21, 2021

4. "Would You Stay?"
Released: February 28, 2021

***MANIA*** is the sixth studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan. It was released on February 19, 2021 through Atlantic Records. The album was conceived in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sivan wrote and recorded the album from home with the help of producers Andrew Watt, Louis Bell, Joel Little and Bram Inscore virtually.

The album was preceded by two singles. "Mad" was released on January 29 as its lead single, attaining both critical and commercial success. It became Sivan's biggest hit to date. "I Know a Place" was released as its second single on February 14 and became the record's first and only single to reach number-one on the *Billboard Hot Singles Chart*.

## Background

In April 2020, Troye Sivan was set to continue the dancelife tour, his second concert tour in support of his first compilation album *an afterdance in the afterlife* (2019), which was cancelled following the COVID-19 pandemic. The singer quarantined himself and during that time, began writing and recording what would become a full studio album.

At the same time of recording *MANIA*, he was creating his second collaborative album *Earth, Water & Fire* with Rihanna and The Weeknd. It released on February 7, through Atlantic Records and Republic Records. He appeared on five tracks on the record, including its lead single "SEVENTH HEAVEN" and its promotional single "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow".

## Music and lyrics

Critics mostly categorize *MANIA* as a rock, industrial and alternative album departing from the pop maximalism and synth-driven sound of Sivan's older works. Devoid of radio-friendly pop songs, the album eschews the mainstream sound of Troye's previous album, instead it consists of cinematic, rock tracks inspired by industrial and punk sounds, paired with grand production featuring an orchestra throughout its run. It's a less refined record than anything that came before, with the production giving it a scattered and chaotic sound.

### Concept

Described as a concept album, The record explores the state of mania itself, dealing with mental health issues, and feelings of escapism, presented as a journey through all its different phases. *MANIA* takes this general theme and places it in a universe inspired by stage plays, musicals, circuses, and the discovery of a new world itself; each phase of mania is visualized in the record as a different section of a play, from the overture all the way down to the encore. The concept is driven by the undefined protagonist of the album, who Sivan refers to in various points of view as himself, or some higher figure in multiple songs.

### Songs

"Euphoria" opens the album's first phase with an angelic choir which gradually builds into a full orchestra, giving an overwhelming sense of grandness. This transitions seamlessly into "You're in Paradise", a glorious opener to the album with boasting electric guitars that speaks of finding oneself in a deceivingly perfect place. It takes a dark turn when "Stranger" continues the story, it internalises the arrival to this new world, of feeling like a stranger in one's own body, in a strange land. Once it falls into the rabbit hole of self-doubt, "Would You Stay?" questions this new world, and questions one's own sanity.

The feeling carries over to this next section, introduced by "Psychosis" which is a very frantic string interlude with scattered choir vocals. "Waterfall" is a stadium rock track, with a crowd chanting back that represents inner voices and doubts. The song describes one's mental state as impossible to control as it's flowing. It's then followed by "Mad", the aggressive centerpiece of the album which speaks of losing your head. "Baby, It's Automatic" finds our character in the aftermath of Mad, not in control of their actions. The song has a subtle sensual undertone to it, which contrasts its lyrics.

"Delirium" is a slow interlude, almost completely acapella with Troye vocalising over a choir. It leads into "Perhaps Too Beautiful" which is where the character starts to become wary of the new world they're in, the darkness underneath it all. It's the biggest song on the album, with grand instrumentation like that of a musical. "Pantomime" finds the character pretending to be something he isn't, to belong. The last track of the standard edition, "I Know a Place" brings this journey to a hopeful end, it's the moment where one comes to peace with one's demons, insecurities, and with oneself.

The encore for the album offers an alternative ending to the story. "Grandiose" is a frantic interlude with a cacophony of strings creating an atmosphere of chaos. It leads into "Monsters at Midnight", a song that speaks of narcissism and being the center of attention. It's a fast-paced track inspired by industrial punk, featuring loud and abrasive guitars and distorted vocals. "Eyes on Me" follows the same themes, while placing them on a softer, more traditional rock track. The album's closer is its almost title track, "Maniac", in this song Sivan becomes his inner demons instead of fearing them. It's an aggressive song that changes its sound and structure as it progresses, going from alternative rock to loud industrial punk.

## Title and Artwork

> I had a very clear idea of the record's aesthetic from the very first day I started working on it. Before I even realised it was an album forming. We looked at surrealist work, circus stuff, imagery that played with human scale.
>
> Troye Sivan, on the art direction

The cover art for *MANIA* is a black-and-white picture with color splashes of red. Sivan is depicted as a ring-leader, with a red embellished coat, looming over multiple circus tents that morph into waterfalls. The circus visual imagery is prominent on the artwork and promotion for the album. The backside cover sees a flowing circus text where the tracklist is written.

## Release and Promotion

*MANIA* was released on February 19, 2021 through Atlantic Records. It was announced by Sivan on his Tootland account, revealing the title, cover art and release date in one post. He then revealed the tracklist song-by-song on the same day. The album was first made available for digital download and streaming, featuring the first twelve tracks, including interludes. A week later, it was released with four extra tracks to complete the record. It was made available in CD and vinyl on release with an alternate artwork that features the title.

### Singles

The album was supported by three official singles and one promotional single. "Mad" serves as its lead single. It was released on January 29, debuting and peaking at number-two on the *Billboard Hot Singles Chart* and becoming Sivan's only single to be Diamond certified. It was released on vinyl on February 7, featuring an exclusive song as its b-side, "I Need to Learn". "I Know a Place" was announced as the album's second single, it reached number-one on the *Hot Singles Chart*. Its vinyl release, on February 21, included "New Winds".

"Maniac" was released as the album's first and only promotional single, it was Silver certified and included exclusive song "Nobody Else" on its vinyl edition, released on February 21. "Would You Stay?" acts as the album's third and final single, it peaked at number-two on the *Hot Singles Chart*. It got its vinyl release on June 26 featuring new track "Melt".

### Touring

*Main article: WORLD OF MANIA*
On February 24, 2021, Sivan announced livestream performance WORLD OF MANIA in all of his social media accounts. The performance would be streamed globally on March 12, 2021 and would feature songs from *MANIA*, as well as reimagined classics and deep cuts from previous album.

## Critical Reception

Upon release, *MANIA* received acclaim from music critics, who admired the change in sound from disco, and the album's gritty direction. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from publications, the album has a weighted mean score of 70 based on 3 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim", this makes *MANIA* the ninth highest rated album of all time in the platform. Critics pointed "You're in Paradise", "Would You Stay?", "Waterfall", and "Mad" out as album highlights.

### Accolades

**Billboard Music Awards and nominations for *MANIA***

 Best Album Art
 Best #1 Album

## Commercial Performance

*MANIA* debuted on the *Billboard Top Albums Chart* at the number-one spot with 100 points, becoming his fifth studio album and sixth overall album to do so. It also topped every minor chart on release, making it his only release to achieve that. It stayed in the top ten of the charts until its final week, when it became Platinum certified with 297.92 charting points.

## Track Listing

The album's twelve tracks are split into four different sections, titled after a stage musical's, each section is introduced by a musical interlude. In streaming platforms, the tracklist is split into four different discs to showcase the sections. All sixteen tracks together make up for a running time of 55 minutes and 3 second in total.

**Act. I – Overture**

**Act. II – Interlude**

**Act. III – Finale**

**Act. IV – Encore**