When we think of ex-Disney stars who still make music we generally think of Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez. But I want to talk about someone we should pay more attention to and her name is Hayley Kiyoko.
I first fell in love with Hayley in the Disney Channel Original Movie called Lemonade Mouth. In this movie she played a bad-ass rebellious guitarist who always strived to be different and to stand up for what she believed in. Fast forward to today and Hayley’s music reflects this character in every way possible.
After her Disney days, Hayley disappeared on my radar until she released a music video for her song “Girls Like Girls” in 2015. It was all over social media and I stumbled upon it on Tumblr. After watching I fell in love all over again, not with Hayley herself but with her music and message. Even though Hayley wasn't in the music video, two other ex-Disney actors, Stefanie Scott and Kelsey Chow, were the stars. Also, Hayley directed the music video herself. The first time watching this music video is something I wish I could relive. Watching the story of two best friends falling in love unfold was magical. And the best part? They were both girls. It was realistic, yet enthralling. It was the first time I saw a Sapphic relationship portrayed without hypersexualizing the characters. It was authentic and it meant so much to every queer girl it reached.
A couple months later, Hayley released another aesthetically pleasing music video about a lesbian relationship for her song "Cliff's Edge". Since queer relationships are so underrepresented in the media, usually one side is shown where the couple is happy. This music video shows the complicated and heated relationship between the two, once again depicting a realistic expectation for viewers.
After releasing her EP titled This Side of Paradise in 2015, I was deprived of her music for a year. Finally, this August, Hayley released a new song called “Gravel To Tempo” and announced her new EP which was to come out late September. I was ecstatic and couldn’t wait to receive new amazing music from a girl using she/her pronouns. Hayley certainly did not disappoint.
Her first music video from this EP, “Gravel To Tempo” shows Hayley in high school basically making every girl who was mean to her when she was a teenager fall in love with her. The girls are judging her for dancing in the hallways and in the cafeteria. Meanwhile, the lyrics are uplifting and talk about being confident in yourself. One of the girls in the music video, who the internet named "Headphone Girl", became a meme on twitter because of how in love she looked with Hayley. She basically represents every girl who listens to Hayley's music.
After these three music videos portraying stories of queer girls, Hayley’s videos started to become expected. When her latest EP titled Citrine dropped, her songs did not stray from this expectation. They were all amazing tracks talking about girls liking girls and her fans were definitely satisfied. When Hayley announced she was releasing a video for her song from this EP, “One Bad Night”, we all assumed it would portray one of these relationships as always. But, instead, she made her newest video about a topic every single human can relate to using a very important actress.
The first time I watched this video, I was confused at first. It wasn’t like Hayley’s past videos. As I watched, I experienced an enthralling story of two worlds colliding. The most important part of this video is that it stars a transgender Youtuber vlogger named Erin Armstrong and raises awareness about violence against transgender women. It highlights the idea that everyone is going through something, and it’s never a bad idea to help others.
Hayley summed up the video perfectly in a quote, “With the issues going on in our world right now, it's important for us not to turn our backs each other. Anyone we come across could be an unlikely hero. Even the simple things in life can make or break your night, whether it's a smile at the grocery store, an acknowledgment of support... just being seen. I wanted this video to be a reminder that humanity is looking out for you."
Hayley’s music and music videos are gaining more attention every time she releases one of her masterpieces. But, she deserves to be acknowledged a whole lot more for the amazing messages and representation found in the music videos she directs herself. Showing realistic homosexual relationships and shedding light on important issues such as violence against transgender women in the media is something we need more of. But, for now, Hayley has us covered. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next and the world should too.
