I have featured hundreds of artists the past years and always work hard to keep the commentary as it has been from the beginning. I try to provide background information about each artist, but never cast judgement upon any of their life decisions. I leave such judgement to you – the readers. Nevertheless, today I reach a place unfamiliar to the pages of Weekly Music Commentary. Year after year, I write about artists who are of various racial backgrounds and cultures. Most practice countless religions and have complicated political and religious beliefs. Yes, there are also those who live with differing moral views and sexual preferences. I have featured many without delving greatly into private lives. Today, it all changes just a bit as I decided to feature Hayley Kiyoko.
At this point the reader in their late 40’s or 50’s is possibly asking: Who is Hayley Kiyoko? Why is she different from other young artists featured? Fair questions for those who are not familiar with her career path in the entertainment industry. However, she continues to be quite accomplished in her twenty-seven years of life.
Hayley Kiyoko Alcroft is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and director. Her father is actor/comedian Jamie Alcroft and mother figure skater/choreographer Sarah Kawahara. It seems Kiyoko was born to entertain in some way. She began acting at a young age, appearing in national commercials for companies such as GM Onstar, Slim Jim, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Insisting on drum lessons at age 6, she was writing drum charts for new releases and selling them in a local music store by age 11. She was elected President of her middle school and high school freshman classes school and Vice-president in her senior year. She was appointed Commissioner of Entertainment in her sophomore year and Commissioner of Pep Rallies in her junior year.
Kiyoko was discovered at the age of 5 when she went with her friend to a photo shoot. The director asked her to step in front of the camera, and she ended up in a national print ad for KnowledgeWare. Nickelodeon spotted her at the Culver City Ice Rink, and she ended up featured in and narrating a short piece about children in sports called, “I’m Hayley, a Skater”. Kiyoko created the garage band Hede, named after her grandfather, in November 2007, and released five songs on MySpace and a music video for “Warehouse”. The band performed locally on several occasions and split in 2008.
That brief move toward music would lay the groundwork for bigger and brighter things in the future. Around the same time the band was created, Kiyoko was approached by former pop-star Vitamin C to join an all-girl singing and dancing group. She joined Allie Gonino, Tinashe, Kelsey Sanders (later replaced by Lauren Hudson), and Marisol Esparza to form The Stunners. Six months after forming, the group signed with Columbia Records and released a single titled “Bubblegum” to iTunes along with the official video for the single. They also contributed a cover of the song “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” to the iCarly soundtrack. In 2009, the group left Columbia Records, signed a production deal with Lionsgate Entertainment, and shot a music video for their promo single “We Got It”, which was released on February 22, 2010. The Stunners signed to Universal Republic Records in 2010 and released their first single “Dancin’ Around the Truth”, which featured the New Boyz. The music video for the song premiered June 2, just before the group was announced as an opening act on Justin Bieber’s My World Tour. A full album was planned, but cancelled when the group split in 2011.
In what might seem like a brief time in the music industry, Hayley Kiyoko got a good feel for how it all works. She was able to work with two major record labels, contribute a song for a TV show soundtrack, and prepare for a major tour before splitting up. Hayley Kiyoko and the other young women got a real crash course in the workings of the music industry.
Kiyoko now got an opportunity to work in television in a big way. Kiyoko began work on the Disney Channel movie Lemonade Mouth in 2010, starring in a lead role as rebellious teenager Stella Yamada. The film premiered on April 15, 2011 with 5.7 million viewers. Kiyoko later guest starred in the episode “Skater Girl Island” of Disney XD’s Zeke and Luther which aired May 23, 2011. In February 2012, Kiyoko landed a small role in Blue Lagoon: The Awakening, a Lifetime TV movie and remake of the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon. The movie premiered on June 16, 2012.
With her career in television and film well under way, Hayley Kiyoko would now give her solo music career a chance. On March 12, 2013, Kiyoko released her dĂ©but EP, A Belle to Remember. The album was partly crowdfunded through MusicPledge. Immediately following its release, Kiyoko began writing new music in London with British producer James Flannigan. She announced via Facebook in 2014 that her next EP was finished and she would be debuting the songs at a show later that month. The songs were recorded in her parents’ garage in Los Angeles with Flannigan. Kiyoko also collaborated with Swedish producer Anders Grahn. She released two more EP’s, This Side of Paradise and Citrine before releasing her dĂ©but studio album earlier this year, Expectations.
As the music gained Kiyoko a larger audience, it was no secret that Hayley Kiyoko was a gay woman. In itself that is no headline in the music industry today. However, Hayley Kiyoko was doing unique things with her music. In a 2016 interview in papermag.com, Hayley Kiyoko shared what she wished to communicate before recording her hit song Girls Like Girls.
“Two years ago on a rare rainy day in Los Angeles, in a songwriting session with Owen Thomas and Lily May Young, I was venting my frustration about my music not connecting the way I wanted it to. Lily looked me in the eye and asked, “Tell me something nobody knows about you, something you are afraid to sing about?” I immediately thought, well I like girls and that’s what I want to sing about, but even then I struggled to say it out loud. Finally, I told Lily that I always say “you” and “them” and never the pronoun “her” in all my songs because I was afraid it wouldn’t connect. We talked more about concepts and my experiences, and how I loved the idea of stealing another guy’s girl because that was always a fantasy of mine. Growing up, everything I did was always about girls. I took dance because of girls. I got involved in student council because of girls. Not that I ever expected any of them to like me back, but I just felt comforted being around them, even if I could never date them. So there we were. The song “Girls like Girls” was born.”
As I listened to her new album Expectations, I realized what the young artist was looking to accomplish. Even though I am not a gay woman, she was able to communicate the experience emotionally through her music. “Expectations are my fuel,” she affirms. “Because they’re so high, I am who I am. I’m able to show up for myself and do what I do. It’s my biggest strength, but it’s also my biggest weakness since I’m constantly being disappointed everyday by myself and others. It’s a balancing act. Life can be exciting and miserable all at once. Hence, the name of the album.”
Today, Hayley Kiyoko is enjoying the support necessary to continue to create more music. Kiyoko understands the magnitude of her music. “What I realized is it’s bigger than me,” she says. “The fans care about each other, they care about me, and they also care about the art. I’m simply writing things I haven’t heard on the radio and they happen to be resonating. Every encounter was emotional, impactful, and real, but I remember meeting this one fan at a show. She thanked me for turning her life around. I didn’t turn anyone’s life around; I just created a safe space for them to figure it out.”