Hayley Kiyoko: A Pop Artist For A New Generation

Topher Shrigley – Hayley Kiyoko
Cover photo for July, 2, 2018

Hayley Kiyoko was performing eight years ago with girl group The Stunners as Justin Bieber’s opening act for the first 20 North American dates of his “My World Tour.” Since then, she’s managed to pull off one of the rarest of showbiz feats: transitioning from a member of group to a successful solo career – while finding her voice as a songwriter, music video director and proudly-out gay woman.

As this story was going to press, Kiyoko was wrapping up her North American spring headline tour with two sold-out shows at New York’s 1,092-capacity Irving Plaza June 16 and 18.

Her agent, WME’s Dave Tamaroff, told Pollstar, “Thirty-one of the 34 headline dates sold out in advance, prompting a handful to step up in venue size. The scant few that did not go 100 percent clean came close,” such as Emo’s in Austin, Texas, with 1,521 out of 1,550 tickets sold and a gross of $36,627.

The 27-year-old pop star/actress has been playing music since she was a young child, starting with drum lessons at age 6 and writing her own songs two years later. Her time in the spotlight began with appearances on national commercials (like Cinnamon Toast Crunch) and acting roles including Velma in the 2009 TV film “Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins.”  

After The Stunners split, Kiyoko launched her solo music career with the release of the 2013 EP A Belle to Remember and began working with manager Fabienne Leys of Steel Wool Entertainment in 2014.

“She’s been incredible,” Kiyoko said of Leys. “We’ve been building this from the ground up together. I remember going to her and really needing a manger who understood who I was. …  I really appreciate her because she’s just a power woman.”  

She added, “I feel like everyone on my team dreams big because that’s what I do. I need a team that really understands that I’m trying to do something a little different and exciting.” 

Daniel Knighton / Getty Images – Great Expectations:
Hayley Kiyoko opens her ‘Expectations’ tour with a sold-out show at Observatory North Park in San Diego April 11, 2018.

Leys said she was immediately drawn to Kiyoko’s effortless ability to write great pop melodies, her musicianship “and even more so by how driven she was as an artist.

“Hayley is incredibly grounded and has a keen sense of what it means to create a brand around her artistry, in addition to possessing a work ethic that is unparalleled,” Leys added. “We initially set out to establish Hayley as an authentic, credible artist and build on that throughout each phase of her career.”

Kiyoko’s second EP, 2015’s This Side of Paradise, represented several milestones for Kiyoko including the chance to get more personal and write songs about relationships with women, as well as her entry into directing music videos, by co-directing “Girls Like Girls.” That video went viral and still stands as Kiyoko’s most popular with more than 92M YouTube views.

“I’ve just become more honest and kind of fearless about what I want to sing about and the stories I want to share,” Kiyoko told Pollstar. “I feel like that’s probably the biggest development [with] my songwriting throughout the years.”

The fearless artist explained that she started directing her own music videos out of necessity because she couldn’t get the directors she wanted to work with.

“I’ve always known what I wanted the videos to look like, but I needed the courage to go for it because it was something I had never done before.

“The process is intense and there’s a lot of pre-production because I like to plan out everything and I’m a perfectionist on that level of creating mood boards, color palettes and rehearsals.”

While there have been numerous female LGBTQ+ musicians who have found success over the years, from Melissa Etheridge to Tegan and Sara, there haven’t been many out artists in the mainstream pop world until now.

Kiyoko is in good company in today’s pop scene, including Janelle Monáe, who identifies as pansexual, and Kehlani, who prefers the term queer (and is featured on Kiyoko’s track “What I Need”).

But there’s only one artist known by her fans as “Lesbian Jesus.”

Kiyoko, who does meet and greets before every show, describes her relationship with her fans as “very emotional. They’re sharing personal stories with me that mean a lot to them and mean a lot to me. Every time we connect it’s always on a very deep level.”

Jeff Hahne/Getty Images – All The Feelings:
Hayley Kiyoko performs at The Underground in Charlotte, N.C., June 11, 2018.

Leys explained that Kiyoko speaks “her truth and [provides] content that validates an entire community of individuals, who didn’t always have a ton of representation in the mainstream.

“Hayley’s not on a soap box, she’s just creating amazing music and content that also happens to normalize the LGBTQ+ narrative.” 

WME’s Tamaroff started working with Kiyoko in fall 2015 after browsing recommended artists and coming across This Side Of Paradise.

“It resonated immediately and loved everything I heard,” Tamaroff said.

“Once I heard the EP, I started listening to her previous releases and the track ‘Rich Youth’ was an immediate stand out. It was pop, it was edgy, and signaled the path she wanted to forge for herself.

“Her videos were all incredibly well done and had been getting an incredible reaction online.

She was building a strong fanbase for herself at an early stage in her career with fans that were discovering her for themselves all on their own. It was everything you could hope for in a developing artist.”

When it comes to routing dates for Kiyoko, Tamaroff notes that one of the many things that make her such an incredible artist is her wide appeal.

“Her music has been a voice for LGBTQ+ issues, resonates with the pop crowd, the indie-dance scene, and others. We work to target each of these fanbases on each date she plays,” he said.

Kiyoko has been touring this year in support of her debut major label studio album, Expectations, which was released in March.

The album includes the singles “Sleepover,” “Feelings,” “Curious” and “What I Need.”  

Other firsts in 2018 include her debut at Coachella and her late-night TV debut on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” 

“The shows have been sold out, the fans line up really early and the energy and the love in the room is so intense and exciting,” Kiyoko said.

“It’s a new lifestyle for me. I’ve never done a tour on a tour bus before. It feels really cool.”

Kiyoko has gotten to this point by gradually making the move from small clubs to theatres, while fine-tuning her live show production.

She’s also continued acting when not on tour, including an appearance on HBO’s “Insecure” and a role in the web TV series “Five Points.”

“Hayley is an awesome entertainer, and her live shows never disappoint,” Leys said.

“She’s worked hard to incorporate all her talents into the shows, including playing percussion, dancing, and showcasing elements of her signature music video content.  

She added, “The outpouring of mutual support and love between Hayley and her fans at these shows is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”

Kiyoko is heading out on the road next in July for a North American arena tour with Panic! At The Disco.

As for the future, Kiyoko’s team is dreaming big right alongside her with their sights set globally.

Tamaroff says he is eyeing a global stadium tour in 2022.

When Leys is asked what her future goals are for Kiyoko’s career, she simply declares “global pop icon.”