Intersectional feminism: a concept often used in critical theories to describe the ways in which oppressive institutions (racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, xenophobia, classism, etc.) are interconnected and cannot be examined separately from one another. Meet Hayley Kiyoko: a gay woman of color making the catchiest pop music this side of paradise (that’s a joke, she has an EP called This Side of Paradise).
You may be familiar with Hayley through her work in the cinematic masterpiece Lemonade Mouth. Okay, so it was actually a Disney Channel Original Movie starring Bridgit Mendler but it was better than High School Musical. That’s right; I said it and I meant it.
Hayley has also appeared in movies like Insidious 3, Jem and the Holograms, and the new Netflix film XOXO.  She was a regular on The Fosters, CSI: Cyber, and even had a stint on Wizards of Waverly Place for a few episodes. Now Hayley is focusing on her music career and it’s everything we could have ever dreamed of.
In 2015, Hayley broke Tumblr with her incredible music video for the catchy and meaningful song “Girls Like Girls”. It stars Disney beauty Stefanie Scott breaking a few barriers and embracing the girl-on-girl love. Truly, a cinematic masterpiece.
Hayley followed her success up with “Cliff’s Edge”, another incredible video that features Hayley herself this time. Not only is the song beautiful, but the video is aesthetically pleasing in a way that can only be described as #aestheticgoals.
A few weeks ago, Refinery29 premiered Hayley’s first single from her new EP Citrine called “Gravel to Tempo”.
“From the beginning of writing that song, I envisioned myself in front of all the girls I had crushes on in high school. I remember so well what it was like to idolize other people and look for validation from them. But then I grew up, and I realized: The only validation I need is from myself,” Kiyoko said in an interview with the website.
The video was self-directed and derived from her own creative struggle.
“I think the reason I’m just continuing to tell my story is because I didn’t really have that growing up. I never really had someone that I could 100 percent relate to. It was difficult, to never have that,” Kiyoko said in an Elite Daily interview.
The 25-year-old is bumping some hip tracks and taking on the responsibility of being a role model. Tumblr fans have coined her “Queen of The Gays”, a crown she wears with pride.
“My goal is to inspire my fans to find happiness in themselves earlier on, so they don’t have such a tough time growing up. The world is a hard, difficult place right now. But it can feel a little bit easier if you believe in yourself.”
Hayley just made her music festival debut performing at Billboard’s Hot 100 festival, and you can catch her on tour right now with Miike Snow!
Photo source, Quote sources: Refinery29, Elite Daily