Hayley Kiyoko Wants Her Music Videos To Fill You With Hope: ‘There Can Be A Fairytale’

With her ambitious debut album, Expectations, finally out in the world, Hayley Kiyoko has proven herself a formidable new force in the pop realm — however there’s still more work to be done.


The 27-year-old — who’s MTV’s Push: Artist to Watch for the month of April — recently opened up about the, uh, expectations she puts on herself as one of pop’s few openly gay female artists. Speaking to MTV News correspondent Meredith Graves, she admitted that, growing up, there were no lesbian or queer narratives that discussed to her, and that’s a void she’s decided to fill.


“That’s what I’m doing with my work. I’m attempting to make hope,” Kiyoko mentioned. “Because the films that I grew up watching were very depressing, and I’d be like, ‘Great! I feel terrible about who I am! Awesome!’ That’s what I’m pouring into [my] music videos, is showing that there can be a fairytale, and also you can have hope with being who are, and you also can find the one. You could be yourself, and these feelings that you have are valid.”


Kiyoko directs or co-directs all of her videos, from “Curious,” which documents a flirtatious relationship with a girl at a party, to the intimate “Sleepover,” which captures the rush and pain of falling in love with a friend. Kiyoko cites Britney Spears’s “iconic” videos as a major source of inspiration, although it’s clear that she’s forging her own path in back of the camera, as one of the few artists who’s putting queer love onscreen.


“I love telling stories, and that’s sort of how I transitioned into directing my music videos,” she explained, adding that it’s a wonderful feeling have the ability to share her vision with fans. “I feel very free to be myself. I feel very free being able to sing my songs and know that folks are able to sing them with me and folks are able to connect to them. I’m attempting to motivate people to know that life is short and yes it feels good to be yourself.”


For more from Kiyoko, check out her exclusive efficiency of “Curious” below.