Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe short answer: the August 2020 PerthNow headline said Troye Sivan “confirms” his split from Jacob Bixenman, but the article’s own wording is weaker. It says Sivan “all but confirmed” the breakup, based on remarks about being single and about new music, not a direct announcement. Later retrospective coverage supports the broad picture that the relationship ended, but the sources disagree on the year, so a precise breakup date should not be treated as settled.
What the August 2020 report actually claims
PerthNow published “Troye Sivan confirms split from model boyfriend of four years Jacob Bixenman” on August 23, 2020. The headline’s certainty and the body’s qualification are different things, and readers should keep them apart.
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| Element | What the August 23, 2020 PerthNow piece says |
|---|---|
| Headline | “Confirms split from model boyfriend of four years Jacob Bixenman” |
| Body summary of Sivan’s position | Sivan “all but confirmed” the split |
| Basis for that summary | Comments in which he alluded to being single while discussing music about “a person going through life on your own” |
| Explicit breakup announcement quoted from Sivan | Not presented in the article |
The remark the article quotes is this: “It’s so strange because I have written about my private life a million times, but there’s something about this that hurt so much more.” The article attributes it to Sivan while he discusses the new music. It does not name Bixenman in that quotation, and it does not announce the breakup in Sivan’s words. That is why “all but confirmed” is the accurate description of the report, and “confirms” is the headline’s shorthand.
The rumours that came first
The split was not first reported in August. On July 26, 2020, PerthNow described a split as rumour, which shows that speculation about the couple was circulating about four weeks before the later report. The August article therefore followed an existing rumour cycle rather than breaking the news from a single announcement.
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- Troye Sivan's third studio album, Something To Give Each Other, is a celebration of sex, dance, sweat, community, queerness, love and friendship
Who Bixenman was in public coverage
Contemporary reporting placed Bixenman in Sivan’s life well before the split. On April 6, 2019, The Guardian described Jacob Bixenman as Sivan’s boyfriend and reported that much of Sivan’s then-recent album Bloom documented their relationship. That is useful context for how public the relationship was, but it says nothing about how or when it ended.
When the split happened: the sources disagree
The “four years” duration appears in the 2020 headline and in a later Rolling Stone UK retrospective. It is a descriptive claim made by those outlets, not an independently verified relationship timeline. The later accounts also date the breakup differently.
| Source and date | What it says about the relationship | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| The Guardian, April 6, 2019 | Describes Bixenman as Sivan’s boyfriend; much of Bloom documented the relationship | Any end date or the state of the relationship at publication |
| PerthNow, July 26, 2020 | Describes a split as rumour | Confirmation from either party |
| PerthNow, August 23, 2020 | Headline says “confirms”; body says “all but confirmed,” citing indirect remarks | An explicit announcement in Sivan’s own words |
| Rolling Stone UK, later retrospective profile | Places the split in 2019, after four years together | A verified date; the profile’s own dating is retrospective |
| The Irish Times, later retrospective coverage | Describes the split as occurring in 2020, in the background of the album Something to Give Each Other | A precise day or month |
Taken together, the reliable statement is that the relationship had ended and that the split was being reported by 2020. A reader who needs a year should attribute it to a named source rather than repeat it as established fact.
How the music connects to the split
Later coverage ties Sivan’s work from this period to the end of the relationship, but the link is interpretive. Rolling Stone UK connects the six-song EP In a Dream, released in 2020, to the confusion and grief of the breakup period. The Irish Times places the split in the background of Something to Give Each Other.
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- Bloom is an incomparably sweet and intimate work, and yet it's so well-named because from that base unfurls something grand and universal
Sivan’s own account is more general. In an Associated Press interview published in October 2023, he described a low point and said what he craved most was “levity and fun and community and being with people.” AP reports that this experience helped set him on the path to the album it was discussing. That is a description of how Sivan framed his own process, not a statement about Bixenman or the breakup.
In an Irish Times interview published October 14, 2023, Sivan said of the changes in his life: “For me it’s felt gradual.” He was discussing learning about relationships and figuring out what he wants, so the line should not be lifted out of that context.
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How to read a celebrity split report
- Check whether the subject spoke directly. A quote naming the partner or announcing the end is different from remarks that readers interpret.
- Read the hedge in the body. Phrases such as “all but confirmed” or “rumours swirl” mark the reporter’s level of certainty, even when the headline is firmer.
- Separate contemporaneous from retrospective sources. A 2019 report describing a couple as partners is not evidence about when they separated.
- Treat song interpretation as commentary. Lyrics and album stories can reflect a period of someone’s life, but they do not verify private facts, dates or causes.
Applying those checks to this story, the picture is clear: a 2019 relationship documented in public, a July 2020 rumour, an August 2020 report that stopped short of a direct announcement, and later accounts that agree the relationship ended but disagree on the year. No cause or blame is established in any of the coverage reviewed, and this article does not offer one.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- In A Dream is Troye Sivan's six-song concept EP featuring the singles "Take Yourself Home" and "Easy," an infectious plea to set a relationship back on course
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