[Musically involved from a young age, this lesbian pop star won a Spotify Award in 2020 for her song "Girls Like Girls."]
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[Who is Hayley Kiyoko?]
Hayley Kiyoko was born April 1991 in Los Angeles, California. Her mother is of Japanese ancestry, and her father has a mix of eastern European ancestry. Kiyoko has been involved in media and music since she was only five years old. She got her first big-time role after graduating high school, starring as Velma Dinkley in Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins (2009).
Despite an extensive musical career, Kiyoko didn't release a studio album until March 2018, titled Expectations. It received mostly positive reviews and debuted within the top 40 of record charts in Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Through her music, Kiyoko works to normalize lesbian relationships in society and the music industry. She identifies as a lesbian and says she knew from a young age, coming out to her parents in 6th grade. In 2015, she released the song "Girls Like Girls" and used the music video as a platform to come out publicly. Since then, she has been an advocate for LGBTQ rights and is widely considered to be a gay icon by her fans, earning the nickname "Lesbian Jesus". Her music video for "One Bad Night" raised awareness of violence against transgender women, and she dedicated her win as Push Artist of the Year at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards to queer women of color.
During the 2020 Spotify Awards, she was nominated for and won the "Most Added Artist to LGBTQ +-Themed Playlists" award for her song "Girls Like Girls".
You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
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"I hope that being brave and bold with my choices encourages people to be brave and bold with theirs."
