- Hayley Kiyoko is turning her hit “Girls Like Girls” into a major motion picture
- The singer and actress told PEOPLE about the news, which comes nine years after the viral song and video originally went public
- “[I felt] like it’s my destiny to direct this song and publish this story,” says Kiyoko
Nine years after Hayley Kiyoko had a life-changing idea for her viral queer anthem “Girls Like Girls,” the romantic song-turned-book is becoming a feature film!
In a conversation with PEOPLE in light of the exciting news, announced on December 4, the singer and actress talks about how she presented the project, which is coming to fruition after a “very long, emotional journey.”
“I think about a year after the music video came out, I dreamed about turning it into a feature film and I started a very, very long journey of ‘How do you make a movie? How does that even happen in Hollywood?’ I learned why it takes so long to get reps,” Kiyoko, 33, tells PEOPLE exclusively.
There were moments along the way where she “wanted to give up,” but felt the “urge” to keep going for “everyone out there who deserves to be a hopeful queer representative.”
Hayley Kiyoko on creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth with new book inspired by her journey (Exclusive)
“[I felt] as if it is my destiny to direct this song and publish this story. I thought, ‘If I give up, who else will?’ And that’s what kept me going,” she says, adding, “This feels like a huge win for our community.”
When she got the news that the film had been given the green light, she felt a deep sense of “relief”. Now, more than ever, he believes in the power of manifestation.
“For so long I told myself that this is something I could do and that I could do and achieve. I lost that belief many times. You start to lose hope after so many ‘no’s.’ So to finally get a ‘yes’, I just felt like, ‘Uh, I’m not crazy.’ And it felt like I had climbed to the top of a mountain and could breathe,” says the “For the Girls” singer.
He added: “It’s funny. I’ve had some fans say, ‘Did you write ‘Greenlight’ for this?” And I said, ‘Yeah, I wrote ‘Greenlight’ last year because I was so frustrated that the movie didn’t get the green light.’ I did it to give the green light.”
Reflecting on the journey, Kiyoko says the process is “very different” for everyone – but the most important part is finding “the right production partner”.
Hayley Kiyoko is performing in Austin in May 2023.
Rick Kern/Getty
“There was a lot of trial and error in trying to find people who not only saw the vision, but also made it and financed it,” she says of the film, which landed at Focus Features with Marc Platt and Katie McNicol as producers. The film was co-written by Kiyoko and Stefanie Scott, who starred in the original music video, which has more than 157 million views.
Looking forward, Kiyoko assures that she will “put her heart and soul and authenticity into this story and this movie. I’m so, so excited for the fans to see it.”
The song “Girls Like Girls” was first released in 2015 and recounts the first time Kiyoko fell in love.
Hayley Kiyoko on finding her identity and sharing the ‘love’ she has for Becca Tilley with the world
“I fell in love with this girl in high school and it was a pivotal moment in my life,” Kiyoko told PEOPLE in 2023.
“I kind of held a grudge or felt like if someone wasn’t willing to be with me in the moment and parade me around, then they didn’t really love me. And I don’t think that’s true,” said Kiyoko, who is now in a happy relationship Bachelor alum Becca Tilley. “I don’t think that’s a fair statement. And I think because of the experiences that I’ve had and the heartbreak that I’ve had, I’ve carried that with me.”
Since the first release, she has transformed the song into The New York Times bestseller of the same name. She recently published the title of her second novel, Where there is room for us.
“I’m so excited to share with everyone. It’s coming out next November,” Kiyoko says of her upcoming novel, which was inspired by her sweet encounter with Tilley. “Imagine Pride and Prejudice is meeting Little Women set in a quirky Victorian hyper-reality.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education