[This story contains spoilers for Girls Like Girls.]

Hayley Kiyoko has accomplished something very unique. She took her 2015 hit song “Girls Like Girls” and turned it into an expansive universe featuring a music video, novel and now a feature film.

Though the 35-year-old got her start with roles in Disney Channel’s Lemonade Mouth and the Scooby-Doo! live-action films, she didn’t wait long before turning her full attention to music. She used her lyrics as a tool for self-expression and healing, leading to her personal coming-out anthem “Girls Like Girls,” which established her as a major force in the music industry.

Fast forward, and she has continued to share her revolutionary story across multiple mediums to reach as many people as possible. While the long journey has seen plenty of hurdles, it’s also been extremely rewarding for Kiyoko. “I’m not religious, but there was something in my body that was propelling me forward. And every time I wanted to give up and every time I was like, ‘I don’t think this is going to happen or come to fruition,’ my body was like, ‘But you have to do this,'” she tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It was just like, ‘If it’s not you, then who?'”

The Focus Features film Girls Like Girls is a coming-of-age story that follows Coley (Maya da Costa), a grieving teen who moves to a small Oregon town to live with her estranged dad, Curtis (Zach Braff). It’s there that she sparks romantic feelings with a charismatic girl named Sonya (Myra Molloy).

“I really believed that this movie — I’m sure I have more to share — but I do believe that this movie is a huge part of my purpose and a huge part of just helping others on their journey of self-love and self-discovery,” Kiyoko adds.

Below, she gets candid about the 10-year-long journey to bring Girls Like Girls to the big screen, why more coming-of-age LGBTQ stories are needed, the film’s casting process, writing an album for the film, her other directing ambitions and more.

Having got your start in acting and then transitioning to music, where did that spark for the arts first begin? 

I knew that I was different from a lot of people as far as hiding my sexuality at a very, very young age. We’re talking like 6 years old. So my whole upbringing was hiding and carrying this huge weight and secret. So I found music, and music was like my way of being able to communicate my truth even if I wasn’t being honest with myself. I was still writing he/him pronouns in my journals, but it was an outlet for me to express myself. And I think that that’s really where the inception came from. I started on the drums; I started writing music at a very young age and I remember seeing NSYNC in concert and them performing on stage. I was like, how do I do that? I want to do something like that.

You’ve directed several of your own music videos before, so what made you then want to direct your first feature film? 

When I co-directed Girls Like Girls in 2015, I was like, “Oh my gosh, I’ve always been a director. This is what I want to do forever.” And I directed the next 11 music videos for myself and initially started out of necessity because I wanted to create hopeful queer content. And then I was like, “Oh my gosh, how do I make Girls Like Girls into a movie? Because I would die to see a film like this.” And so began the 10-year journey of trying to figure it out, writing the script, trying to find financing for it, a distributor, all those things. And then here we are in 2026, a couple weeks away from the movie premiere in theaters, which is so mind-boggling to me that we did it.

This film has really been 10 years in the making, first with the song and music video, then with your 2023 novel and now the movie. What does that mean for you as the mind and creator behind the story?

It’s been really impactful and also challenging because you’re constantly wanting to outdo yourself and you’re constantly trying to get closer to the truth. And the song, I was manifesting being confident in who I was. And then the music video, I wasn’t in it. And then the book, I made the lead half-Japanese and I went way deeper into the story. And then in the movie, I was able to cast two Asian leads in the film and let that be representation for so many people that are so deserving. So I really look at this journey of getting closer and celebrating my authentic self and not trying to change who I am and just embracing who I am. … And this is a very unique situation where I’ve had my hand in every single medium, and it’s been so rewarding because every time I’m opening a door to a new medium.

Talk to me about casting your Coley and Sonya, and when you knew Maya and Myra were perfect for the roles? Also, how did you get Zach Braff signed on to the project? 

We had over 4,000 submissions for this film, and Maya was actually the very first audition tape I had watched. And there was a moment at the end of the tape where she was just sitting in Sonya’s bedroom and she was just taking in her crush’s space, and it took me right back to that moment where you’re in someone else’s room and it’s super vulnerable and you don’t know what to do with your body. And I was just like, “Oh my gosh, this is going to be the girl to beat.”

And then Myra, she actually auditioned for Coley, and in her audition tape, she turned around and gave a look and I was like, “Oh my gosh, she is not Coley. She’s a Sonya.” And we brought her back to read for Sonya for a chemistry read. And Sonya’s character is a really hard character to take on because she is verbally saying things that hurt, but she is not a terrible person. So I think Mrya did a really beautiful job navigating that character’s complexities of being messy and being young and figuring it out.

And Zach, talk about manifestation. I’ve had a lot of really interesting manifestation stories on this whole journey, but I’ve had Garden State on my mood board for a very long time because I was so inspired by the soundtrack and the impact that it made on me when I was younger. So when we were looking for a dad, we sent the script to Zach Braff and he was obsessed with it. He met with me. He’s a fellow Aries. His directorial debut was Garden State, so he understands the pressure and the hardship of being a first-time director. And I just was so grateful for him.

You also make a little cameo in the film, so was that always planned or kind of a last-minute decision?

It was at the end of the shoot, and I just was like, “I guess let me just try to throw myself in here for a second and see if it makes the cut.” I’m in there for literally a second, but I was like, “You know what? It has been a 10-year journey. I might as well say hi.” (Laughs.)

This film reminds me of how much I loved all the coming-of-age shows and movies growing up, and how formative that time in our lives is. But then you realize there aren’t many LGBTQ coming-of-age films that young people can connect with, especially with two women leads. So do you feel honored to be one of the first to bring this story to the big screen?

I feel like we should have more, but I’m super honored. This story was pioneered by the fans and I felt so alone before releasing Girls Like Girls the music video. So to have everyone raise their hand to be like, “I also feel the same way,” or “I also have had this similar experience,” has really brought me a lot of community and support that I didn’t have really growing up. So I’m super appreciative and grateful that I get to bring this story to the big screen and try to make change and try to break the glass ceiling in this medium, and then hopefully it’ll be a little easier for the next story and for other people to shine as well.

But this is the movie of my dreams. This is the movie that I wish I had growing up and even though this movie is called Girls Like Girls, whoever you love, everyone has had to confront someone and ask them if they like them back and where this relationship is going. There’s always that pivotal breaking moment where you move forward or you break up, and I think that humanizes and brings us all together. Whether you’re 16 or 45 or 60, I really believe that this story and watching Girls Like Girls will take you back to that moment, that one person that you never quite got an answer back from.

What was the reason behind including that sweet moment between Coley and Sonya in the post-credits?

There were a lot of reasons for literally everything. I mean, I had over 20 scenes that aren’t in the movie anymore, but it was so important for me to see Coley and Sonya be together and I felt like the post-credit scene, there were a lot of discussions on how the film should end, and without spoiling it too much, the end is all about the girls. I really wanted to be like, “This is about them and highlight that.”

Your music is also a massive part of the movie, releasing a whole album with the film. Can you talk about combining your love for music and film into one project?

It’s very rare to have a directorial debut opportunity, so when I got this chance, I was like, “We’re not only just doing a movie, we’re doing an album. We’re going as big as we can go.” So I completed the movie and then I jumped into the studio and wrote a bunch of songs through the lens of the two characters. And because this is an indie-ish film, there was a song that I wanted — it’s a Mandy Moore song — that we couldn’t afford or license. 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. And then the other songs on the album are inspired by tracks. So you can go watch the movie and then go listen to the album and then be like, “Oh my gosh, ‘Choker,’ that song is from that one scene.”

And all of the queer artists on the album — Young Miko, Tegan and Sara, Gigi Perez, Chelsea Cutler — they’ve all been impacted by Girls Like Girls at some point. And so they were 100 percent down to jump in and be a part of this cultural moment for our community, so I’m super grateful for them.

Having directed your first feature, what are your other directing ambitions? Do you already have more stories you want to tell?

I have my second book, Where There’s Room for Us, that I would love to tell as like a movie or a TV show. … I mean, it’s been a 10-year journey, so I have a ton of other stories and ideas that I’d love to share, but your first is your first, and my dream in life is to just continue to direct and write music for those projects and I would be very happy if I could do that for the rest of my life.

It’s been several years since you stepped away from acting. Do you ever see yourself returning to the front of the camera?

Not a 0.5-second cameo? (Laughs.)

Maybe a little longer?

I loved acting, but my focus is directing and getting stories told. I feel like that is the best use of my energy and time. But if the right role came up, maybe down the line. But I’m grateful for people who recognize me from Lemonade Mouth, and it’s been a really interesting parallel too because that character was like, “Be heard, be strong, be proud.” And she was fighting for what was right and trying to break the glass ceiling in her own right. And so it’s been interesting to also have my own journey as well and see myself a little bit in that character.

If you had to describe what makes Hayley Kiyoko, Hayley Kiyoko, what would you say?

That I love to try new things. I think my motivation is I love to do something new. I never like to do the same thing twice. And so here I am, books, music, movies (Laughs). I don’t know what else is next.