The pandemic is finally fading, our lives are slowly returning to some semblance of normal, and this summer should be one of rekindled friendships and social experiences. It could be one of the more engaging, exciting summers ever (fingers crossed, we need it), as we cautiously bring joy back into our lives and live freely amongst our friends, family, and colleagues. And as we do all that, we’ll have the white-hot new Hayley Kiyoko single “Found My Friends” bumping down from the heavens.
Out today (April 30), “Found My Friends” is a mega-jam all about self-reliance and finding friendship with your own self. But it’s also hard to not imagine Kiyoko capturing the zeitgeist for Summer 2021 — a coming together in grand fashion, a re-emergence of society, soundtracked by an electronic-pop dazzler. It feels not only like the official Song of the Summer, but one of the best tracks of the year that will be there when we begin to embrace our usual way of life, one not spent trapped in quarantine and isolated fear.
“‘Found My Friends’ is a song I wrote during a challenging time when I realized instead of being my own worst enemy, I could actually be my own best friend,” says Kiyoko. “It’s about discovering and nurturing a strong friendship with yourself. This song resonates even more so now with everyone experiencing isolation in quarantine, when we still somehow find the resilience to connect with one another and find comfort in each other.”
“Found My Friends” also arrives today with a stunning new music video, self-directed by Kiyoko and shot on 16mm film at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. It’ll premiere and go live around 11:15 a.m. EDT.
“The video concept for ‘Found My Friends’ was to capture a moment of being fully present in the moment and working through a feeling,” Kiyoko adds. “Whether it’s excitement, joy, or fear — it’s about taking control and owning it. Color is always a huge inspiration and so it was truly a dream come true to have the opportunity to shoot this video entirely on film. Shooting on film captures color differently than digital but can be a very challenging process because the lighting has to be perfect, the number of takes is limited, and you can’t see the true outcome until you are in the editing room. I am so grateful for our crew who worked hard to pull it all off, especially while still following all the CDC Covid protocol to keep everyone safe on set. I hope when people watch ‘Found My Friends’ they share the same feelings of liberation that I felt when shooting it.”
We’re feeling it , alright.
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