Hayley Kiyoko has been regularly putting out some of the best queer pop songs and videos for a while now, with videos like “Girls Like Girls,” “Cliff’s Edge,” “One Bad Night” and “Gravel to Tempo,” and songs like “Pretty Girl.” Now she’s released a brand new music video via Buzzfeed, “SLEEPOVER,” and she’s once again here for all of us queer girls.
In this newest video, Kiyoko takes center stage as the queer protagonist of her video and her song. She sings about the difficult feelings of a queer woman who develops feelings for a friend, something that’s just about as universal a queer experience as we can find. “You want to be friends forever/I can think of something better” — jeez, wow, that’s relatable.
Kiyoko posted a short message on Tumblr yesterday, in preparation for the video coming out because it has a message that’s close to her heart.
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. This music video for “Sleepover” is not a concept or an idea for me. It is my life. It defines a part of who I am today. I grew up a dreamer and found comfort through a safe haven in my head. It’s where I was able to find self-love and feel validated. This music video validates those feelings for me, even if in those moments the girl I fell for was unavailable. I made this video to help validate those fantasies. To create a space for the lovers, dreamers and seekers. Falling in love can be a bittersweet feeling, especially if you know it’ll never be reciprocated. I think we can all relate to that. Thanks for always supporting me. Love you.
The video takes the chorus, where Kiyoko sings “At least I got you in my head,” and brings it to life, showing the singer and her co-star, Rose, played by Christina Santini, making out, dancing together, taking a bath and lying in bed together. Kiyoko has seriously some of the best queer videos of all time. In “Girls Like Girls” we got to see Stefanie Scott and Kelsey Chow act out a cute romance; in “One Bad Night” a trans girl played by trans actor Erin Armstrong finds love, in “Cliff’s Edge” Kiyoko directed herself making out with Sonya Esman, and in “Gravel to Tempo,” Kiyoko gets pretty gay in high school trying to impress the cool girls at her school. Plus, all these songs are just great pop songs. Hayley Kiyoko is exactly the kind of queer artist that’s leading us into a wonderful bright and openly queer future in music, and I love it.
