Out gay pop star Hayley Kiyoko, known endearingly to her fans as Lesbian Jesus, released her debut album Expectations earlier this year. The debut record included her songs “Sleepover,” “Feelings” and “Curious,” all of which skyrocketed in popularity due to her women-loving-women music videos. Today, she announced that a brand-new music video will drop Thursday morning.
Kiyoko’s upbeat, summer bop “What I Need” features guest vocals from fellow queer pop artist Kehlani. “TOMORROW,” Kiyoko wrote on Twitter, posting a brief sneak peek of the video, which depicts the singer-songwriter sprinting through the desert with purpose.
Kehlani took to social media to tease fans as well. “just so u know…this is my favorite video I’ve ever been apart of,” she tweeted—high praise, coming from the artist who released a Sapphic video for her song “Honey.”
She added, “Hayley is a genius, an incredible actress and one of the most diligent and hard working directors i’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. who’s ready? #WHATINEED“
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Kiyoko directs all her music videos, which typically flip male-dominated narratives on their head, like “Feelings,” where she serenades a girl down the street a la Michael Jackson, or “Curious,” where she’s joined by a group of male backup dancers, a pastiche of *NSYNC. Both Kiyoko and Kehlani make daily efforts to center queerness in their work, and “What I Need” will looks like a collaboration that’s worth the watch.