Hayley Kiyoko Learns To Love Herself With “Found My Friends”

With her brand new single, Hayley Kiyoko nurtures a more compassionate, understanding, and healthy relationship with herself. “Found My Friends,” co-produced by Kiyoko, Danja (Britney Spears), Pat Morrissey, and Kill Dave, the low-key club banger witnesses the pop singer-songwriter’s journey from misery to acceptance, weaving through a synth-strewn haze to rediscover what makes her so special.

I keep on running, beside myself / I keep on running, don’t think I’m well, she sings across a pummeling backbeat, coercing herself out of darkness. I can’t be alone, beside myself / I can’t be alone, I need some help.

“Found My Friends,” her first single of 2021, was written “during a challenging time when I realized instead of being my own worst enemy, I could actually be my own best friend,” Kiyoko says in a press statement. “It’s about discovering and nurturing a strong friendship with yourself. This song resonates even more so now with everyone experiencing isolation in quarantine, when we still somehow find the resilience to connect with one another and find comfort in each other.”

The accompanying visual, self-directed and shot on 16mm film, is set inside LA’s historic and illustrious Millennium Biltmore Hotel. Within such an environment, the clip seeks to “capture a moment of being fully present in the moment and working through a feeling,” the pop star shares. “Whether it’s excitement, joy, or fear – it’s about taking control and owning it. Color is always a huge inspiration and so it was truly a dream come true to have the opportunity to shoot this video entirely on film.

“Shooting on film captures color differently than digital but can be a very challenging process because the lighting has to be perfect, the number of takes is limited, and you can’t see the true outcome until you are in the editing room,” she continues. “I am so grateful for our crew who worked hard to pull it all off, especially while still following all the CDC Covid protocol to keep everyone safe on set.”

Kiyoko experienced her breakout moment with her 2018 debut full-length record, Expectations. Earlier this year, she launched a gender-inclusive fragrance called HUE.