In June 2015, Hayley Kiyoko shot to cult fame on Tumblr and beyond with a breakthrough single and music video about simmering romance between two women.
Eleven years later, the pop star known as “Lesbian Jesus” blessed her fans with an expanded story of the “Girls Like Girls” music video and its subsequent 2023 novel on the big screen — a realization of a promise she made to herself: “to create hopeful queer content at the largest scale possible”.
The coming-of-age film is Kiyoko’s debut feature, both as director and screenwriter.
The former Disney alum co-wrote the script with actor and producer Stefanie Scott, who appeared in the original music video opposite Kelsey Asbille.
“Girls Like Girls” hit cinemas across the United States on June 19 — just in time for Pride Month.
Sapphic, sun-kissed romance
Set in the summer of 2006, the film follows the story of Coley (Maya da Costa), a shy highschooler who moves from San Diego to rural Oregon to live with her estranged father (Zach Braff) as she grapples with her mother’s passing.
There, she meets the coolest-girl-in-town Sonya (Myra Molloy), her on-and-off boyfriend Trenton (Levon Hawke), and their circle of friends.
As the summer progresses, Coley and Sonya become inseparable and soon find themselves falling in love with each other.
Rooted in personal experience
“Girls Like Girls” is originally a catchy electro-pop track off the extended play “This Side of Paradise”, with unapologetic lyrics that go: “Girls like girls like boys do, nothing new.”
It is inspired by Kiyoko’s personal coming-out story and experience falling in love with her female best friend at the age of 16.
Ahead of the film’s release, she said she felt the need to expand the story after the music video gained traction, having amassed more than 160 million views on YouTube.
“There’s a couple of scenes in this film that I have lived through, specifically the jacket scene.”
“I had left my jacket at this girl’s house and got driven over there and confessed my love and she didn’t kiss me back, and I was devastated,” the Japanese American said in a video posted on the film’s official Instagram account.
“So I was able to really tell a good portion of my personal experience through the eyes of Coley and Sonya.”
‘Girls Like Girls’ companion album features queer artists
Kiyoko also worked on songs to capture the nostalgic summer element of the film.
She initially wanted to license Mandy Moore’s cover of Switchfoot’s “Only Hope” from the 2002 film “A Walk to Remember” for the “Girls Like Girls” album, but later deemed it too costly.
“So I went into my old music ideas and I had this idea I had started when I was 16 and decided to finish it for the film,” the 35-year-old said in a Hollywood Reporter interview published on June 19.
The album features a softer rerecorded version of “Girls Like Girls”, as well as track collaborations with other queer artists such as Young Miko, Tegan and Sara, Gigi Perez, Chelsea Cutler, August Ponthier, Snow Wife, and Joy Oladokun.
“I dreamt of an album that takes us back to parts of ourselves still yearning to be seen,” the singer-songwriter wrote on Instagram.
“I’m SO proud of this album and the community of artists that came together to celebrate this cultural moment for our community.”
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Newsjustnews writers 
James Mario Ajero 
Jheruleene Anne Ramos