Hayley Kiyoko and Mike Shinoda Got Personal About Their Lyrics On 'TRL'

It was a singer-songwriter extravaganza as Hayley Kiyoko and Mike Shinoda dropped by TRL to chat all about their latest releases.


Hayley, affectionately referred to as "Lesbian Jesus to her fans," had a bonding moment with Sway Calloway over their shared attraction to ladies and respect for Kehlani, who Hayley features on joint single "What I Need." Hayley explained the meaning beyond the track's lyrics with Sway and why the backstory resonated with Kehlani.


Sway told Hayley that her personalized lyrics caught him off-guard as soon as listening to her debut album Expectations, but Hayley defended her songwriting. If there's a topic that music fans can relate to, Hayley thinks it deserves to be written about, even if that topic is risqué.


Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park recently released his debut solo album Post Traumatic, a deeply personalized look at his life following bandmate Chester Bennington's death. Though his album is written about a dark topic, Mike pointed out to Sway that his songs are more about leaving the darkness than entering it: "It's not called Traumatic; it's called Post Traumatic." Plus, catch Mike answering a question from Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons below. TRL airs on weekdays at 8:00am ET.