Hayley Kiyoko to Make Directorial Debut With ‘Girls Like Girls’ Feature

It’s time for the disciples to gather — because Lesbian Jesus is finally coming back to people’s screens. Pop star Hayley Kiyoko will make her directorial debut with her Girls Like Girls film, which was acquired this week by Focus Features.

The film, which Kiyoko also co-wrote, is loosely based on the singer-songwriter’s hit 2015 track of the same name and will explore themes of first love and identity. The song “Girls Like Girls” was Kiyoko’s first mainstream success as a solo artist. In 2018, she told Rolling Stone the inspiration for the song came from getting her heart broken in high school by a friend who denied they were ever involved. “There was this vision of what I’d always dreamt of seeing in a relationship between two best friends. I grew up with stories of girls killing themselves, never getting the girl,” Kiyoko said at the time. “It’s very disheartening because you’re like, ‘It’s gonna suck to like girls.’”

With the help of her manager Fabienne Leys, Kiyoko spent $5,000 to independently produce and shoot a music video for “Girls Like Girls,” which quickly gained more than a million views in less than a week and became a classic representation of the grassroots era of YouTube virality. Kiyoko also turned the premise into a New York Times best-selling book. And now, it will transform once again into a feature film.

“Bringing this film to life has been a journey worthy of its own movie, and I’m so thrilled to finally celebrate this moment with my community and ‘Girls Like Girls’ fans around the globe,” Kiyoko tells Rolling Stone. “This story is a love letter to my younger self — a powerful reminder that we all deserve hopeful queer representation. After nine years, we’re here. I hope this inspires others to keep chasing their dreams, no matter how impossible they might feel. From a song to a book to a feature film — it’s all happening.”

In addition to the Girls Like Girls film, Kiyoko is also releasing her second novel, Where There’s Room for Us, on Nov. 25. The book is inspired by her own “meet-cute” with her girlfriend and two-time Bachelor contestant Becca Tilley.

“Picture Pride and Prejudice meets Little Women set in a hyper-realistic queer Victorian era. The story is deeply personal and something I’ve always dreamed of creating,” Kiyoko says. “As someone who grew up loving period pieces but never seeing myself in them, this project feels especially meaningful. I can’t wait to share it with you.”