Hayley Kiyoko | media-criticism

On June 24, 2015, the music video to ‘Girls Like Girls’ was released on Youtube. The video featured an emotional love story between two girls. Within three months of the release, the video accrued over 15 million views. It currently stands at a strong 63 million.[1] The song and accompanying video were the product of Hayley Kiyoko, a former disney star turned musical artist. From the success of her self-released This Side of Paradise EP, she went on to release Citrine in August 2016. Now currently on the second leg of her tour, Hayley’s eccentric vocals drive home a strong sense of originality in her lyrics. However, her artistic presence goes beyond her sound; she uses her platform and creative content to encourage acceptance and LGBTQ awareness.

Citrine is the first EP released with Atlantic Records. Hayley joins the ranks of hundreds of artists signed with the company, including legacies such as The Rolling Stones and Stevie Nicks. The record company is owned by Time Warner and has been in operation for sixty nine years. In addition to music, she dabbles in acting. She first exercised her singing abilities in Disney’s Lemonade Mouth (2011). Her credits include the Netflix original film XOXO and Insidious: Chapter 3, as well as a TV adaptation of Scooby Doo. This background in acting aids Hayley with directing her own music videos. Though this combination of actress-singer-director may seem a bit much, this triad of talents are what make Hayley Kiyoko an auteur of her own brand.

Citrine’s track list includes ‘Gravel to Tempo’, ‘Ease My Mind’, ‘Pretty Girl’, ‘One Bad Night’, and ‘Palace’. Together, the album can be categorized as a mixture between dream pop and synth. She includes sound effects to enhance the story of her songs. Dripping water opens the song ‘Pretty Girl’, and it continues as a motif throughout the song. ‘Gravel to Tempo’ opens and closes with the sound of someone walking on a track. The last few seconds serve as a reference to a song later in the album, ‘One Bad Night’. Though these sound effect motifs and supporting visuals can be widely interpreted, her music is largely about championing individuality. The Rogue Magazine reports, “...[Kiyoko] pays homage to her teenage self who sought validation by the girls she admired… She sends a strong message: it’s not social acceptance, but self-acceptance, that is the ultimate victory.”[2]

Hayley dives into themes through situational dreams. ‘Gravel to Tempo’ is an essay to judgemental high school girls. ‘Pretty Girl’s lyrics say it all, “I just want to tell you that you’re really pretty girl.” Her fantasy is validated through the lines “...despite the fact you don’t like my type.” She admires a beautiful woman, but does not approach her because of her sexuality. ‘One Bad Night’ chronicles Hayley’s wish to run away with someone for a night. The last track, ‘Palace’, is about losing someone but keeping their memory ‘in a palace inside my head.’ The weak link of the EP is arguably ‘Ease My Mind’. It is neither a situational dream or fantasy. Rather, it seems out of place and overproduced. The interlude is repeated five times and is essentially a track of Kiyoko repeatedly singing ‘do do do do’ in different tunes.

According to Kiyoko, her demographic is primarily females between the age of 18-24.[3] Nearly 80% of these fans joined the ride after the ‘Girls Like Girls’ release, a strong indicator of her demographics’ interest. Throughout all her songs, her lyrics are both attainable and relatable for young, queer youth.

Through promotion of the EP and downtime between tours, her social media has served as a platform for LGBTQ advocacy. Her public identity as a queer musician adds power to the growing surge of artists who champion sexuality in their songs. Hayley concurs, “Throughout the process, I learned my essence is essentially speaking the truth and writing music that tells stories as well as covers extraordinary, sometimes taboo concepts and themes in pop music.”[4] Such is the truth with her first hit ‘Girls Like Girls’. Truly, with lyrics such as “girls like girls like boys do, nothing new,” her music is refreshingly authentic.

Not all artists who are open [5]LGTBQIA writer Tommi Avicolli emphasized the importance of queer artists in his study on the music industry. He says, “When and if gay issues are included in the myriad causes promoted by musicians, then the public’s consciousness will finally have a chance to absorb gay liberation.”about their sexuality touch on the topic in their music. Openly queer artists, however, are musicians which express themes of queerness in their music. Hayley explains, “I’ve never truly believed that sexuality defines who you are. I do believe, though, that sexuality helps shape and build who you become. How you act, what you pursue, who you surround yourself with.”[6]

For context, popular vocal artist Halsey identifies as bisexual. However, her lyrics have shifted from queer to heterosexual as she climbed the charts in popularity. Her loss of queer expression in her music has been up for criticism in the recent months. Halsey and Hayley Kiyoko’s music fall into the same genre. And though Halsey is two leagues above Hayley on the charts, Halsey once reached a similar demographic. Her lyrics once featured female pronouns as the love interest. Following her release of ‘Closer’ with the ever-popular Chainsmokers, her use of these pronouns ceased. Hayley has yet to achieve similar stardom, but her use of female pronouns only increased with the release of the Citrine EP.

One glance at Hayley’s social media accounts indicate that she is driving full speed ahead. Her recent single ‘Sleepover’ was released simultaneously with a music video, directed and acted by Kiyoko. The song complements her aura much in the same way that her EP does; it’s a situational dream. In the video, she plays out a fantasy with a friend staying over for a sleepover. Though this situation will never be reality, Hayley proudly plays out her dream.

As stated, Hayley Kiyoko is the auteur of her own brand. The Citrine EP may be her second album, but its success signaled the start of her career. Her sound is established within the synth tunes and dreamy lyrics from the first to last track of the EP. She achieves a sense of escapism and fantasy through music and supporting visuals. Her talent as a vocalist began in 2011 on Disney’s Lemonade, and she continues to produce a strong sound with her new music releases. Her LGBTQ advocacy is subtly pushed through her identity as a queer artist. As she gains popularity, Kiyoko is one to keep an eye on in the coming years.

References

[1] Hayley Kiyoko, Girls Like Girls. Citrine EP. Atlantic Records, 2016. Digital

[2] Wexler, Alisha. “Hayley Kiyoko” Rogue Magazine. Oct. 5, 2016: Web.

” PopCrush Magazine. 18 Oct 2016: Hayley Kiyoko on ‘Citrine’, the LGTBQ Community and Realizing the Power of Music Rosenzweig, Mathias. “[3]Web.

’ Official Website: Who is Hayley Kiyoko, Hayley. ‘[4]Web.

Avicolli, Tommi. Lavender Culture. New York University Press, 1978: [5]Web. 23 April 2017 Accessed.

. 2017: Untitled Tumblr Post Kiyoko, Hayley. [6]Web. 23 April 2017 Accessed