#FIRSTLOOK: “THE SHARDS” TO FEATURE NEW MUSIC BY TROYE AND LELAND

Today, Grammy nominated pop artist Troye Sivan and longtime collaborator Leland revealed that they are contributing original music to FX’s “The Shards,” the new drama series from executive producer Ryan Murphy based on the acclaimed bestselling novel by Bret Easton Ellis.

Troye and Leland shared the news on their Instagram accounts:
Troye Sivan: https://www.instagram.com/stories/troyesivan/3936217845067304453?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Leland: https://www.instagram.com/p/DagNCpUyYbg/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Original music will also be provided by rising pop artist and “The Shards” series star Hayes Warner. Warner, who plays Debbie Schaffer in the new drama, was previously named People Magazine’s Artist to Watch, securing her place in modern pop with millions of streams across standout releases including “Predator” and “Breadcrumbs.”

Inspired by the 1980s setting of the show, the songs help drive the suspense, seduction and obsession of “The Shards,” premiering Wednesday, August 5 with two episodes on Hulu on Disney+ in Canada beginning at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET.

“The Shards” key art was also released today.

About “The Shards”

Set against the vivid backdrop of 1980s Los Angeles, the series follows a group of privileged high school seniors at an elite prep school as they navigate identity, sex, jealousy, obsession and the dangers lurking beneath the surface of American adolescence.

At its centre is Bret (Igby Rigney), an aspiring writer and keenly observant teenager whose reality begins to unravel with the arrival of a mysterious and magnetic new student, Robert Mallory (Homer Gere). Transferring in just before his senior year, Robert’s appearance coincides with the growing terror of The Trawler, a serial killer targeting teenagers across the city.

Alongside Bret is his elite social circle, which consists of Susan Reynolds (Kaia Gerber), Debbie Schaffer (Hayes Warner) and Thom Wright (Graham Campbell), a glamourous and deeply entangled group drawn into a life of wealth, beauty, parties and excess. The promise of their youth is contrasted with the dark and cynical world of the adults surrounding them: Terry Schaffer (Wes Bentley), Liz Schaffer (Evan Rachel Wood) and Steven Reinhardt (Jordan Roth).

A fusion of the voices of two of America’s most provocative storytellers — Ryan Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis — FX’s “The Shards” is executive produced by Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Ellis, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson, Nissa Diederich, Tanase Popa, Nick Hall, Michael Uppendahl, Max Winkler, Kathleen McCaffrey and Brian Young. The series is produced by 20th Television.

About Troye Sivan

Troye Sivan is a singer/songwriter who has firmly established himself as a global icon in the worlds of pop music, fashion and LGBTQIA+ representation. Over twenty-six billion streams and 10 million adjusted albums sold worldwide are milestones only a few artists can claim. Throw in a range of standout roles in Hollywood features, high fashion collabs, runway appearances, launching a global lifestyle brand and a combined social audience of nearly 40 million and the list really boils down to one person – Troye Sivan.

Raised in Perth, Australia, Sivan set the world on fire with a pair of EPs – 2014’s TRXYE and 2015’s Wild. With his debut album Blue Neighbourhood, sophomore album Bloom, the 2020 EP In A Dream, and his third studio album, Something To Give Each Other, as well as a slew of singles and collaborations in between, Sivan has cemented himself in the music industry with over 10 years of experience under his belt. Hailed as “the perfect pop star” by TIME, Sivan’s 2023 hit single “Rush” earned global accolades and praise, including two GRAMMY nominations. He also earned a third GRAMMY nomination for “Got Me Started.”

In 2024, Sivan headlined the European and Australian legs of his Something To Give Each Other Tour and co-headlined the North American SWEAT tour with friend and collaborator Charli xcx. His career has been further celebrated as the recipient of six ARIA Awards, a Billboard Music Award, three MTV Europe Music awards and two GLAAD Media Award wins. “Revelation,” his collaboration with Jónsi for BOY ERASED, was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song – Motion Picture and shortlisted for an Oscar. Sivan has been featured in global campaigns for Prada, Rabanne Beauty, Google, Smirnoff, Cartier, YSL Beauty, Calvin Klein, Valentino, Savage Fenty, GAP and Beyoncé’s Ivy Park, and appeared in The Weeknd & Sam Levinson’s “The Idol” for MAX, alongside Lily-Rose Depp, Blackpink’s Jennie and Abel himself. He also launched Tsu Lange Yor, an independent luxury lifestyle collection of fragrances and art-driven objects.

Sivan spends his time between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia; and he continues to be represented by Good World Management, CAA and imPRint. www.troyesivan.com

About Leland

Leland is a Golden Globe nominated songwriter, producer, and DJ. Responsible for contributing to some of pop music’s most influential releases, he’s written hit songs for Troye Sivan, BTS, Ariana Grande, Kelsea Ballerini, Charli XCX, Cher and more. Highlights include the Grammy nominated “Rush” and “One of Your Girls” by Troye Sivan, “Talk Talk” and “1999” by Charli XCX and Troye Sivan, “Kings and Queens” by Ava Max, and “Fetish” by Selena Gomez. Leland is the founder of Laurelvale Studios in Laurel Canyon, where artists including Zara Larsson, Troye Sivan, RuPaul, MUNA, and Demi Lovato have recorded. Songs co-written by Leland have generated over 17 billion streams. In television, Leland has served as a head songwriter, on-camera talent and producer for the Emmy Award winning competition series RuPaul’s “Drag Race,” having worked on more than 25 seasons of the show. Most recently, Leland was the Executive Music Producer for Bravo’s 2026 Las Culturistas Culture Awards. As Executive Music Producer for seasons 1 and 2 of Hulu’s “Love, Victor,” Leland also wrote the series’ theme song and 11 original songs featuring prominent and emerging LGBTQ+ artists. Additionally, Leland wrote the theme song as well as original songs for seasons 1 and 2 of HBO Max’s “The Other Two.”

In film, he composed the score and wrote original songs for the Netflix Original Movie “Sierra Burgess Is A Loser”, as well as Executive Producing the soundtrack. Leland was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song with his longtime collaborator Troye Sivan for their song “Revelation” written for the film “Boy Erased,” a biographical film about LGBTQ+ conversion therapy. Most recently, Leland wrote two original songs for “Stop! That! Train!” starring RuPaul.

Robust parental controls ensure that Disney+ remains a suitable viewing experience for everyone in the family. Subscribers can set access limits on mature content and create PIN-protected profiles alongside the already existing Junior Mode profiles to give parents and guardians peace of mind.

#NEWMUSIC: TROYE SIVAN – “ANGEL BABY”

This new single from Troye Sivan‘s upcoming third Studio Disc is a gem. We’ve been obsessed since it randomly showed-up on Spotify as a recommendation. This gorgeous early ’90s-inspired Ballad finally has a Video!

Check it out below:

Stream or purchase ANGEL BABY here.

(Photo/video credit: Universal Music)

#GIVEAWAY: ENTER TO WIN ADVANCE PASSES TO SEE “BOY ERASED”

Following its rousing reception at TIFF ’18, Universal Pictures x Mr. Will want to give Readers in Toronto, Vancouver + Montreal a chance to attend an Advance Screening of Joel Edgerton‘s BOY ERASED. Screenings take place Thursday, November 1, 2018.

Synopsis:
“Boy Erased” tells the story of Jared (Lucas Hedges), the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, who is outed to his parents (Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe) at age 19. Jared is faced with an ultimatum: attend a conversion therapy program – or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith. Boy Erased is the true story of one young man’s struggle to find himself while being forced to question every aspect of his identity.

 

Trailer:

 

Artwork:

 

To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your City. Tell us what you would have done if you were Jared and faced with his challenging situation.

 

Universal Pictures Canada release BOY ERASED Friday, November 9, 2018.

 

(Photo/video credit: Universal Pictures Canada)

#TIFF18: HIGHLIGHTS OF 2018 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

By Mr. Will Wong

And in a blink of an eye, another TIFF has passed and this one had us working right to the finish line! It’s only after the fact that we have a moment to take it all in how much we went through. We estimate double our average in Celebrity Snaps this year. That’s how star-studded TIFF ’18 was. It was that kind of a year!

We had the pleasure of previewing several of this year’s Awards Season contenders and we are waiting with baited breath to see A STAR IS BORN and GREEN BOOK, both outstanding, duke it out for Oscars glory in coming months. We loved both, are thrilled the latter was honoured with the People’s Choice Award at the Festival, but something about the former makes our heart sing. We cannot stop thinking about it or its Soundtrack. It takes a magical Film to do that.

Let’s relive some of my favourite star-studded moments of the Festival, as lensed through the Nikon D3400. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without this amazing camera which worked amazingly-well with our Blackberry Key 2 in terms of file transmission to ensure we were able to get our photos uploaded and edited within moments for you all to enjoy! The clarity of these snaps speak for themselves.

A STAR IS BORN Press Conference

Lady Gaga

Timothée Chalamet

Chris Pine

Julia Roberts

Kristen Stewart

Ryan Gosling

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Matthew McConaughey

We will never stop taking our signature Celebrity Selfies and TIFF ’18 was unforgettable even if we saw many returning faces. We wouldn’t have been camera-ready without the right gear and depending on each scenario, sometimes the Blackberry Key 2 worked best for those Selfies, sometimes the Nikon D3400 worked better. What matters is that more often than not, we got the snap! And many we did.

Here’s some of our faves!

Alexander Skarsgård

Amandla Stenberg

Amber Heard

Anthony Ramos

Boyd Holbrook

Cara Delevingne

Chris Pine

Claire Foy

Daniel Kaluuya

Elizabeth Debicki

Gwendoline Christie

Hari Nef

Jacob Tremblay

Jamie Dornan

Jamie Lee Curtis

John David Washington

Julianne Moore

Kelly Marie Tran

Keegan-Michael Key

Lady Gaga

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Margaret Qualley

Mahershala Ali

Olivia Munn

Paris Hilton

Parker Sevak

Peter Sarsgaard

Quincy Jones

Riz Ahmed

Ryan Gosling

Steve Carell

Steven Yeun

Timothée Chalamet

Trevante Rhodes

Troye Sivan

Zhang Yimou

In case you missed our Television appearances during TIFF ’18 this is our first year hitting-up the three big media giants: Global, CITY and CP24 (Bell Media). Thrilled! Our brand continues to thrive as a Festival go-to and we are so happy for the recognition.

CP24 with George Lagogianes

Breakfast Television with Winston Sih

Global News with Farah Nasser

Until next year.  We’re already ready!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

#TIFF18: DAY SIX – RYAN GOSLING, NICOLE KIDMAN, ODESSA YOUNG, TROYE SIVAN, KEIRA KNIGHTLEY, CLAIRE FOY + MORE

By Mr. Will Wong

TIFF ’18 officially has reached its cooling point, but that doesn’t mean that Day Six wasn’t filled to the brim with starpower! Ryan Gosling was out and about promoting FIRST MAN with his Castmates and Director Damien Chazelle, while Nicole Kidman continued to do the rounds for her latest, BOY ERASED.  While TIFF ’18 heavyweight Lucas Hedges couldn’t make it to Toronto to promote his three Films at the Festival, it was a pleasant surprise that Singer/Songwriter/YouTuber Troye Sivan could make it for the Film in which he stars. Also, you might want to know about Sundance breakout hit ASSASSINATION NATION which premiered to much fanfare at Ryerson Theatre for Midnight Madness, as we expect this one to catch on in this post-#MeToo climate.

See who was saw!

 

FIRST MAN – Ryan Gosling, Damien Chazelle, Claire Foy, Kyle Chandler, Olivia Hamilton, Patrick Fugit x Corey Stoll

 

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The #FirstMan Press Conference with #RyanGosling, #OliviaHamilton, #ClaireFoy, #PatrickFugit, #CoreyStoll, #RickArmstrong, #MarkArmstrong, #KyleChandler and Director #DamienChazelle. 🚀 Lead Photo: @davemabaldwin | Others: @mrwillwong #TIFF18 #TIFF #torontointernationalfilmfestival #NikonD3400

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 9:35am PDT

 

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First men. I will never stop believing in you, #RyanGosling. Thank you for always showing love. Also, #DamienChazelle. #FirstMan #TIFF #torontointernationalfilmfestival #TIFF18

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 9:21am PDT

 

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With the Cast of #FirstMan: #ClaireFoy 👑, #CoreyStoll, #PatrickFugit, #OliviaHamilton and #KyleChandler. #TIFF #TIFF18 #torontointernationalfilmfestival 🚀

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 10:38am PDT

 

BOY ERASED – Nicole Kidman, Troye Sivan x Joel Edgerton, an Australian triple!

 

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The Cast of #BoyErased: Goddess #NicoleKidman, #TroyeSivan and Director #JoelEdgerton. #TIFF18 #TIFF #torontointernationalfilmfestival

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 5:37pm PDT

 

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Singer-Songwriter-YouTube personality #TroyeSivan at #TIFF18 for #BoyErased. #TIFF #torontointernationalfilmfestival

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 5:10pm PDT

 

COLETTE – Keira Knightley x Dominic West

 

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#DominicWest and #KeiraKnightley, stunning in Chanel. The latter extremely late for #TIFF18 Premiere of #Colette, leaving fans who queued for hours and media disappointed. Time is valuable. Someone of her experience and level of professionalism should get that. #torontointernationalfilmfestival #TIFF

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 3:21pm PDT

 

VITA AND VIRGINIA – Elizabeth Debicki

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The stunning #ElizabethDebicki at #TIFF18 for both #Widows and #VitaandVirginia. #torontointernationalfilmfestival #TIFF

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 5:51pm PDT

 

ASSASSINATION NATION – Odessay Young, Suki Waterhouse, Abra and Hari Nef

 

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The party kicked-off at Mister C before heading via Party Bus to #AssassinationNation. #MidnightMadness #TIFF18 Premiere! Attending were: #OdessaYoung, #SukiWaterhouse, #HariNef, #Abra and #ColmanDomingo. #TIFF #torontointernationalfilmfestival

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 7:22pm PDT

Expect things to start slowing down in terms of star-spotting, but we look forward to focusing on the Films of the Festival!

 

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)