Hayley Kiyoko
Hayley Kiyoko (born April 3, 1991) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, director, and LGBTQ+ icon. Explore her biography, creative journey, activism, and memorable quotes.
Introduction
Hayley Kiyoko (full name Hayley Kiyoko Alcroft) is a multi-talented American artist whose work spans music, film, acting, and writing. Known for blending pop sensibility with authentic queer narratives, she has become one of the most visible queer voices in mainstream music and entertainment.
Her fans often call her “Lesbian Jesus,” a nickname that gestures both to her role as a queer icon and to her advocacy for representation.
Early Life and Family
Hayley Kiyoko was born on April 3, 1991, in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Sarah Kawahara, is a Canadian figure skater and choreographer (of Japanese descent), and her father, Jamie Alcroft, is an actor/comedian.
Her mixed background includes Japanese ancestry from her mother, and British/Scottish/English heritage via her father.
From an early age, Hayley was exposed to performance and creative arts—her mother’s choreography, her father’s entertainment work, and her own early modeling and acting opportunities.
She has two siblings: a sister, Alysse, and a brother, Thatcher.
Youth, Education & Early Influences
Hayley’s introduction to the arts started young. She appeared in commercials and print work as a child.
At age six, she insisted on drum lessons, and by her early teens was already writing drum charts and selling them locally.
In middle and high school, she participated actively in performing arts, leadership roles (student council), and created a dance/step team.
She graduated from Agoura High School in 2009.
She was accepted into the Clive Davis School of Recorded Music at NYU, but ultimately declined in order to pursue professional opportunities.
Many of her musical and personal influences include queer pop artists and narratives that normalized same-gender love in pop.
Career and Achievements
Early Career: The Stunners & Acting
Hayley joined The Stunners, an all-girl pop group, in 2007. The group released singles and contributed to soundtracks, but disbanded around 2011.
In acting, she took roles early:
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TV movies Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (2009) and Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster (2010) as Velma.
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Recurring on Wizards of Waverly Place (Disney)
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Later roles on The Fosters (2014), CSI: Cyber (2015–2016) as Raven Ramirez, and Five Points (2018–19).
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Film appearances in Lemonade Mouth (2011), Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), Jem and the Holograms (2015), XOXO (2016).
Her acting career helped raise her profile and gave her a platform to transition into music more fully.
Music & Creative Output
She released her first EP, A Belle to Remember, in 2013. She followed this with This Side of Paradise (2015), which included her breakout track “Girls Like Girls”.
Subsequent works include the EP Citrine (2016).
Her debut full-length studio album, Expectations, was released in 2018. In 2020 she put out I’m Too Sensitive for This Shit (EP). Her second full album, Panorama, was released in 2022.
She has also ventured into writing: in 2023, she published her debut YA novel, Girls Like Girls, which hit number one on the New York Times Young Adult Hardcovers list.
Kiyoko has directed many of her own music videos and has expanded into comics (e.g. based on “Gravel to Tempo”) and storytelling around her music’s narrative universe.
Recognition & Impact
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In 2018, she won MTV VMA Push Artist of the Year.
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Her music is often praised as being “at the forefront of an unapologetically queer pop movement.”
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Her novel Girls Like Girls won the Goldie Award for Young Adult Fiction by the Golden Crown Literary Society.
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She is considered an important figure in queer representation in pop music and youth culture.
Style, Themes & Artistic Approach
Hayley’s artistry blends pop, dream pop, synth, and dance elements, often with intimate, emotionally direct lyrics.
She emphasizes queer narratives—love, identity, heartbreak—in her songs, aiming to normalize queer experiences in pop. Her visual work (videos) often centers queer aesthetics, storytelling, and symbolism.
Her relationship with her own sensitivity, emotional vulnerability, mental health, and healing also show up in her lyrics and public reflections.
In interviews, she notes that the LGBTQ+ community gave her courage to write music that reflects who she is—not just hiding behind ambiguous pronouns.
Personal Life & Identity
Hayley Kiyoko is openly lesbian. She has said she knew, from a young age, that she was attracted to girls, and that coming out was a process marked by fear of judgment and rejection.
Since 2018, she has been in a relationship with Becca Tilley (a former reality TV personality). In 2025, they announced they are engaged.
Hayley has also been vocal about registering fans to vote, supporting progressive causes, and speaking up about LGBTQ+ issues.
Famous Quotes
Here are a few quotes that capture Hayley Kiyoko’s perspective and voice:
“Be brave enough to live the life of your dreams.”
“I’m grateful to the LGBTQ community for giving me the courage to write music about who I am and not just about my sexual orientation.”
“It’s wonderful to see parents come together and openly support their LGBTQ kids at my shows.”
“The fact that I existed for seventeen years without knowing her, and now never have to live another year without having met her.” — from Girls Like Girls novel
“But when you let go, you can take all that love you had, all the energy, and funnel it into yourself instead. Because there is so much for you to love about yourself, Coley.” — from Girls Like Girls
These reflect both her emotional honesty and her commitment to self-love, identity, and queer relationships.
Lessons from Hayley Kiyoko
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Authenticity can be a powerful form of activism
By writing openly queer music, directing her visuals, and telling her own stories, Hayley shows that art and identity are not separate. -
Creativity across mediums matters
She didn’t limit herself to one path—acting, music, writing, directing—and that versatility helped her build a richer creative life. -
Vulnerability resonates
Her willingness to express pain, healing, uncertainty, and hope connects deeply with fans who see themselves in her struggles. -
Representation has impact
For many queer youth, seeing someone like Hayley in mainstream pop validates their own experiences and gives them hope. -
Growth is ongoing
She openly acknowledges phases of her life—injuries, mental health, personal development—and allows her art to evolve.
Conclusion
Hayley Kiyoko is more than a singer or an actress—she is a storyteller, a queer cultural force, and a source of representation for many who seldom see themselves in pop culture. Her journey from child model and actress to charting artist and YA novelist showcases her dedication to creative evolution. Her impact lies not only in her tracks and visuals, but in the spaces she opens up for queer voices in mainstream art and entertainment.