Hey, guys! I am so freaking excited to talk about my most anticipated Album of the entire year, and that is Hayley Kiyoko’s debut album Expectations. This was released on March 30, and I am so in love with it. Hayley Kiyoko is a queer singer, songwriter, and actress, and I am just so freaking excited to discuss this album in all its glory. This album is talking about several relationships that Hayley has gone through, and the transitions between the songs make it seem like its one seamless, beautiful track, and I am just so excited to talk about it, so let’s go ahead and jump right in!

1. Expectations/Overture

This serves as a buildup for the rest of the album. Its chill and very relaxed and upbeat, which really serves as a good lead for the rest of the album. The first track transitions seamlessly into her song “Feelings” (one of my faves) which is really speaking to how Hayley was lonely and she was looking for love. She is tired of being single and just wants to love someone and for them to love her back just as fiercely. This track just really helps you get an idea of what the album is going to be like (epic and emotional).

2. What I Need (featuring Kehlani)

This is another one of my favorites. I just really love the sound and I just really am in love with this one. What I Need is talking about how she has met someone, but she is getting really mixed signals. She doesn’t understand why this girl is distancing herself and hiding from Hayley. She doesn’t know what the girl wants and what her whole deal is because Hayley knows they could be great together. She just is trying to figure out what is going on between them.

3. Sleepover

This is an extremely emotional song, which actually makes much more sense now that the full album has been released. When I first heard it (without the rest of the album), I just figured it was about her being in love with her best friend, but now that we have the rest of the album, I actually can hear it for what its actually about. It’s not a surface level song like I just described. Hayley is really talking about how she really wants to be with this girl, but this girl she has feelings for doesn’t seem to want that, so Hayley settles for fantasizing about this girl and what their relationship could be like. It’s something I think everyone can really relate to. I definitely can.

4. Mercy/Gatekeeper

This is such an emotionally charged song. You can just feel Hayley’s confusion and pain, and I just really love this one. It is just talking about how much Hayley is in pain because she can’t stop thinking about this girl and how she can’t tell her how she feels. It is tearing her up inside, keeping her feelings inside of her. She is so terrified of messing things up between them, so she decides she needs to get away and get a fresh start. This is yet another extremely relatable to everyone, not just queer girls/boys. This is true for all relationships.

5. Under the Blue/Take Me In

This is one of the happier tracks, but its still very deep. It is basically this really happy point in the relationship in which they finally get together and it makes Hayley so happy. There’s always that really amazing moment when you like someone and things finally are happening with you two. That’s how I felt when I realized my girlfriend liked me. I had been questioning whether it was all in my head for months until we actually went on our first date, which was so magical and satisfying to know who I liked actually liked me back.

6. Curious

This is definitely my favorite one on the album. It’s such an upbeat, sexy track. I loved it from the first time I heard it, back when it was released as a single. This is just really showing how their relationship is back to a bad place again. This girl is avoiding Hayley and is back with her boyfriend. Hayley is wondering what this girl wants, what they are to each other, and why she is back with her boyfriend when she clearly wants to be with Hayley. She just wants her to stop playing games already. I think this is something everyone can relate to because everyone goes through a relationship at least once in which the object of your affections is just playing games with you and your emotions. I definitely have felt this more than once.

7. xx

This track has no words, but it is symbolic of Hayley’s emotions. She is confused and wondering why this girl broke her heart like that, why she is toying with her emotions. She is trying to figure out what to do and why this girl is doing this to her. I think we can all relate to this on some level. Its this interlude before things happen again, whether you get back together or you really are broken up for good. I went through this a lot with some of my past boyfriends…

8. Wanna Be Missed

This is yet another emotionally-charged track, which I really love (okay, I love every song on here. Let’s just get used to me saying I love her songs). This is really describing how Hayley is wondering why this girl suddenly doesn’t want her whenever she was so into her and said all these things to her and made her develop feelings for her. She wants to know what is going on with their relationship. There is a lack of explanation and communication and she just wants to know what is going on. Another description of a point in a relationship we all feel at some point in our lives…

9. He’ll Never Love You (HNLY)

This is probably my second favorite track. Before I even heard it, I knew that I would absolutely love it. I love the music and the production and it just is another really sexy track. This is essentially Hayley calling this girl out. She is telling this girl that she knows that she wants her as much as Hayley wants this girl. Why is she with this guy when being with Hayley would be better than anything the two of them could ever be? I love how Hayley in this one is just like moving on from being confused and hurt to just wondering why the hell this girl could be with that guy when she could be with the hot and sexy Hayley Kiyoko.

10. Palm Dreams

This is just a song about her being resigned to the reality. She is coming to the terms with the fact that she and that girl will not be together. She is going home. She will be there if that girl wants her, living her life. She knows she can’t make that girl be with her, and she of course only wants to be with someone who is as into her as she is into that girl. We all want to be loved and we want to be in a relationship with someone who loves us just as much as we love them. But we all know that sometimes a relationship just is not meant to work out, and that’s okay.

11. Molecules

This is more of a resigning track. Hayley has come to terms with the fact that not all relationships work out, no matter how much she wants it to work. She is coming to terms with the fact that she and the girl will never be together, never have a future. This girl is gone. She wants to feel things again, but its so hard when this girl made her feel so alive. She kind of feels numb and wants to feel something again because this girl really drained her emotionally, which I think everyone feels at some point. You just are numb from your relationship.

12. Let It Be

This is the final track on the album and its how she is finally dealing with everything this relationship has put her through. It is really speaking of how she knows she has to move on, but she misses the girl and it’s so hard because her feelings for her haven’t left. So, she just has to let it be. It’s hopeless to continue to want this girl when she clearly doesn’t feel the same about Hayley. Its very much a resignation and it was a really great end to the rest of the album.

Wow, this album was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. I absolutely loved this album, and I think it is a phenomenal debut album. I love the style of her music because it sort of has this timeless feel to it. It feels modern while also having this retro vibe, resulting in a very fresh and new sound. I just loved it, and if you haven’t listened to it yet, I highly recommend it because it is just so amazing!

Oh, and I am seeing her in concert in June AND I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED!

And there you have it! That was my review of Hayley Kiyoko’s Expectations album. If you have heard it, what is your favorite track? Comment down below! I would love to know. And that is going to be it for this review today. Thank you all so much for reading this, I hope you enjoyed it, and I will see you next time!