Photo: Asher Ross
Hayley Kiyoko is a star of the here and now. A biracial, Millennial multi-hyphenate (actress, singer, songwriter, director) with a huge social media who, oh yeah, happens to like girls.
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Best known for playing Velma Dinkley in Scooby-Doo The Mystery Begins and Curse of the Lake Monster and Raven Ramirez in CSI: Cyber, Kiyoko is all grown up now, taking on edgier fare with roles in Insidious Chapter 3 and the EDM coming-of-rager XOXO.
Although acting still plays a major role in the 25-year-oldâs upstart career, it is music where she has really broken out on both a personal and public level with a viral hit âGirls Like Girlsâ (the title says everything) and a debut album in the works. Check out her just-released  âSleepoverâ music video below.
Kiyoko is currently headlining her âOne Bad Night Tourâ, which included a stop at SXSW 2017, which is where I caught up with her by phone.
Crave: You just arrived at South By Southwest. What do you think?
Hayley: Itâs actually my first time in Austin and South by Southwest so Iâm taking it all in. Itâs a lot, but Im figuring it out. I got some barbecue in already. You knowâŚ
Pop music is often labeled as bubblegum or trying too hard to be edgy, but you make pop music with a message and people are responding to it. Â
I put out art because it resonates with me and my fans have inspired me to open myself up. Iâm not (purposely) trying not to make basic music. Iâm just singing about my life and the things that Iâve been through, which arenât really sung about in pop music. I have a unique perspective on certain situations because I like girls.
How did revealing that change your life?
People discovered my music when the music video I co-directed (with Austin Winchell), âGirls Like Girls,â went viral about a year-and-a-half ago. I put myself out there with it and its acceptance gave me the confidence to push boundaries and explore subjects that I hadnât before.Â
Do you think that being biracial (Japanese-Scottish-Welsh) has influenced you as well?
Naturally being biracial shapes you as a person because you experience different things. As an actress for example, Iâm constantly going out for Asian American roles and âIâm not Asian enough.â They will flat out say that. Then, Iâll go out for open ethnicity roles and they will go âyouâre not white enough.â Itâs just part of who I am and what I look like.
So do you find that making music is more empowering since itâs less about what you look like and more about what you sound like?
I like them both, but theyâre totally different outlets and challenging in their own ways. Yes, theyâre both âperformingâ, but with music I can conceptualize the songs. Direct the music videos. With acting thereâs only a certain amount of control you have, but you try to do your best.
You have quite a social media following in part because your posts are very candid â
I try to be an open book. I want people to understand why I connect and do certain things.
So whatâs something that people who âfollowâ you wouldnât know about you?
Hmm. Well, I naturally exude confidence, but Iâm a very sensitive person. A lot of people donât know that about me. Iâm an artist. I cry a lot. And, because of that I express myself through my art. The songs I write. The music I make. The videos I direct. Everything I do is 100% me.Â
For more sights, sounds and info on Hayley Kiyoko go (HERE).