‘Is it 2017 again?’: What older meme did Troye Sivan sample in his song ‘Got Me Started?’

After the success of his dance hit “Rush” earlier this summer, Australian pop singer Troye Sivan is seeing a resurgance in popularity. The YouTuber-turned-popstar famously became one of the site’s biggest creators in the early 2010’s, before releasing his first album Blue Neighborhood in 2015. Since then, Sivan has focused on creating music, with his latest song “Got Me Started” already amassing a large amount of listens.

But eagle-eared listeners will realize the main beat of the song on the chorus sounds oddly familiar. Sivan teased the sample on social media on September 19, saying “Forgot to mention how hard the sample goes on this one.” If you were on social media in 2017, you definitely recognize the iconic sound of “Shooting Star” by Bag Raiders, which was a meme early on that year featuring people falling through galactic backdrops with the song playing the background. So why is Sivan sampling the song in 2023?

Aussies supporting Aussies

In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Troye Sivan mentioned that he is officially the first artist to sample the hit song, and Bag Raiders members Chris Stracey and Jack Glass made it clear that they chose him. “They were like, ‘By the way, we’ve had hundreds of requests and we’ve never said yes. So don’t f*** this up.'” Sivan shared in the interview.

According to Sivan, he was already singing the sample while in the studio working on a demo for “Got Me Started.” While he loved the idea of using “Shooting Star,” he assumed since the song had never been sampled before, he would never get permission from Bag Raiders to do it. So while recording a formal version of the song, Sivan texted the A&R (Artists and repertoire) rep for his label EMI Music Australia, asking about getting a sample.

While under separate labels, both Sivan and Bag Raiders are managed by parent company Universal Music Australia, so Sivan’s A&R rep was able to get in contact with Bag Raiders fairly quickly. According to Sivan, not even 20 minutes after requesting the sample, he received a text with the music track readily available for his use. After the song’s release on September 20, Bag Raiders shared a clip from the music video on TikTok, sharing that they were proud to give the first permission to sample their song to Sivan. “No way we’re doing it for someone we don’t love and respect. Happy release day Troye!!” shared the duo on TikTok.

Paying tribute to the meme

Considering Troye Sivan has the internet to thank for his career, it’s no surprise he paid tribute to the “Shooting Star” meme in the video for “Got Me Started.” While brief, around the 2:31 minute mark in the video, you see Sivan launch up the side of a building and start flailing as he runs up, something that was a common theme in the edits to the song in 2017.

For those who may have forgotten about the “Shooting Star” meme, the joke of the meme was someone fell in a weird way, whether off a diving board, a swing, or just tripping on grass. But rather than show them falling and hitting the ground, the freeze-frame of them falling is launched through a variety of green screen backgrounds, most commonly outer space.

Most people credit the trend to YouTube user All Ski Casino, who posted an edit of a larger man diving off a bridge and having him fly through various backdrops. The meme took off in popularity from there, and even got featured in the music video for Katy Perry’s “Swish Swish.” Of course, because it was only in the video and not in the actual song, that doesn’t count as a sample.

Meaningful sampling

While his sample of “Shooting Star” is historic for Bag Raiders, Troye Sivan said he made sure it was a genuine fit for him during his interview with Apple Music 1. “I think it’s tacky when people sample something, like, out of term. I really, really didn’t want to do that, and I wouldn’t be doing this if that’s what I felt like I was doing.” Sivan shared. Since the usage of the sample came naturally during the production process, Sivan knew to stick to his guns and try for the sample. We’re glad he did, as “Got Me Started” wouldn’t be as iconic without it.