Releasing her third extended play (EP), Citrine, on September 30th, singer and actress (known majorly for her roles as Stella Yamada in the Disney Channel original movie Lemonade Mouth and Velma Dinkley in Scooby Doo! The Mystery Begins) Hayley Kiyoko has taken her music to a new level.   Having released the popular single in 2015, Girls like Girls based on the premise that “girls like girls like boys do”, Kiyoko has again created music that speaks to her fans.
Citrine includes five of Kiyoko’s newest songs: “Gravel to Tempo”, “Ease My Mind”, “Pretty Girl”, “One Bad Night”, and “Palace”.  The songs “Gravel to Tempo” and “One Bad Night” each have a music video as well.
As an artist who is determined to break the status quo, Kiyoko’s song “Gravel to Tempo”, the debut song on Citrine, highlights her independent nature.  A song meant to empower her fans, and herself, “Gravel to Tempo” emphasizes the importance of being true to oneself especially in times of self-doubt with the phrase “I’ll do this my way/don’t matter if I break/I gotta be on my own”. Beginning with the sounds of someone walking on gravel, the song is electrifying and inspiring, and is really something that everyone can identify with.
The “Gravel to Tempo” music video features Kiyoko dancing and portraying her own style in the classic high school setting.  She exudes confidence and amplifies her quirky attitude as she proves that she doesn’t need to be one of the “popular girls”.
The entire EP lives up to its name, Citrine with its collection of songs that are warm and vibrant much like the gemstone for which it was named[Ma1] .  The unique and open lyrics that are so much a part of Kiyoko’s style give her music that extra something that most artists lack.
Having been a huge fan of Girls like Girls, I was extremely excited to hear Hayley Kiyoko’s newest EP, and I was by no means disappointed.  Each song has its own personality that I was able to relate to and I often found myself wishing there were more!  The songs on the Citrine EP are, in my mind, worthy of the blissful moment that comes from hearing that one song on the radio that always makes you turn your car speakers up as loud as they will go.
All of the songs featured on Citrine – EP can be found on iTunes, Youtube, and Spotify