Lesbian artist Hayley Kiyoko releases ‘Panorama’
Hayley Kiyoko, lovingly known by her fans as ‘Lesbian Jesus,’ has released ‘Panorama,’ her first album since her 2018 debut studio album, ‘Expectations.’
The former Disney actor first captured the world’s attention with the release of her song ‘Girls Like Girls’ from the EP ‘This Side of Paradise.’
This single went viral in 2015 for its open discussion of same-sex relationships. Meanwhile, its music video depicted the heartfelt story of sapphic love flourishing despite homophobia.
Kiyoko returns with a new album ‘Panorama’, released last July 28, which captures the act of embracing herself after struggling with both mental and physical health concerns.
The singer also has plans for a tour this summer with fellow pop singer-songwriter LAUV.
Hayley Kiyoko faces health issues, loss of direction
Kiyoko shared in an interview with Billboard that she was aware that this album took a while to make.
She mentioned experiencing “a lot of health issues” that made her re-evaluate the direction the album would take.
“I knew who I was, but that person is now gone. So, it became a question of, ‘How do I find myself when I’m lost?’,” she said.
“It’s right there, I can see it, I just can’t connect to it”, she said, adding: “I wanted this album to be a reminder to stay present.”
Panorama: A true expression of her authentic self
She described Panorama as an expression of her ‘truest authentic self.’ She said, “I think as a queer person, we’re constantly catching up with ourselves.”
“We’re constantly having to come out all the time. We’re unlearning so much and traumas that we have or walls that we’ve built,” she pointed out.
She declared that, “This is my truest authentic self and my current present self.” Not surprisingly, the album bears a clear theme of queer joy, love, and hope.
“Reality doesn’t make it easy for the LGBTQ community, so yeah, there is trauma, and there are hardships,” she said.
“But there’s also so much joy, there’s gold at the end of the rainbow. I’ll always need that kind of hope, so I hope that continues to strike a chord with my fans.” She told Billboard.
The album’s lead single, “For the Girls,” a simmering summer track, even features her girlfriend, Becca Tilley, in its music video.
Hayley Kiyoko concerned about increase of anti-gay legislation
Kiyoko has also commented on the wave of anti-LGBT+ legislation that has hit the US during a recent interview with Attitude.
“Society makes it so hard to navigate even existing as a queer person,” she told Attitude.
She added, “To have those laws put in place and to have people talk about threatening those rights — they shouldn’t be a privilege, they should be a given. You should be equal.”
“It’s so hard as a queer person to discover who you are and navigate survival, and life. When I think that there are kids growing up in a world that’s preaching hate, I just cry,” she said.