Pop singer-songwriter and filmmaker Hayley Kiyoko has made her feature-film directorial debut with the movie "Girls Like Girls" [1].
The project marks a significant expansion of Kiyoko's creative portfolio from music to cinema. By centering queer joy, the film seeks to provide LGBTQ audiences with celebratory representation that is often missing from mainstream coming-of-age narratives [1, 4].
Released in June 2026 [2], the film was timed to coincide with Pride month. The story serves as a cinematic expansion of one of Kiyoko's songs, transitioning a musical theme into a full-length narrative [3].
"Turning my song into a movie was about finding myself and giving LGBTQ audiences a story they can celebrate," Kiyoko said [3].
The film has already garnered critical attention for its approach to the genre. A reviewer from Variety described the debut as a "conventional but refreshing queer coming-of-ager" [2].
Kiyoko said the primary goal of the production was to create a positive visual environment for her community. "I wanted to create a space where queer joy could be seen on screen," Kiyoko said [4].
The transition from music to directing allows Kiyoko to maintain total creative control over the imagery and storytelling associated with her brand. This move follows a career defined by advocacy for queer visibility in the pop music industry [1, 4].
“"I wanted to create a space where queer joy could be seen on screen."”
Kiyoko's move into feature directing reflects a broader trend of musicians leveraging their existing fanbases to create independent cinematic content. By controlling the directorial lens, she bypasses traditional studio gatekeepers to ensure specific cultural nuances of the LGBTQ experience are preserved, potentially opening doors for other queer artists to pursue multi-hyphenate roles in Hollywood.
