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Hayley Kiyoko Channels Her Inner Bullied Teen In Her New Video

The star's latest is a self-empowerment anthem.
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By 

Senior Culture Reporter, HuffPost

Hayley Kiyoko looks every inch a tortured teen in the video for her latest song, “Gravel To Tempo.”

In the clip, which can be viewed above, the 25-year-old singer-actress roams the halls of a high school, facing down an icy, “Mean Girls”-style posse along the way. By the end, Kiyoko has the last laugh, dancing atop a cafeteria table to the clique’s dismay. 

The star, who’s recently been signed to Atlantic Records, said the self-directed video is “is about realizing that the only validation you need in life is from yourself.”

“I chose high school as the setting because it’s a pivotal moment in your life where you naturally develop insecurities,” she said in a statement. “As long as you know your self-worth, you can overcome anything.”

The video echoes themes of Kiyoko’s 2015 similarly empowering tune, “Girls Like Girls.” The message of that video, which has over 44 million YouTube videos, was aimed squarely at the LGBT community, and told the story of a teenage girl who realizes she has feelings for her best female friend.

“Gravel To Tempo” will be found on Kiyoko’s forthcoming EP, “Citrine,” which is slated for release later this year. 

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Before You Go

10 Songs With Hidden Meanings
The “bitch” Jay Z refers to in “99 Problems” is a dog.(01 of10)
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During a talk New York Public Library, Jay Z explained that the "bitch" he talks about in the second verse of "99 Problems" is actually the K-9 unit that'd be looking for drugs in the car. (Image: Giphy)
Judas Priest's "Raw Deal" is about a gay biker bar.(02 of10)
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Judas Priest lead singer Robert Halford finally came out as gay in 1998. Halford told MTV there have been gay innuendos throughout his songs.

According to the book, "The 100 Greatest Bands of All Time: A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World," the song "Raw Deal" is "explicitly about visiting a gay biker bar" in New York. (credit:Daniel Boczarski via Getty Images)
"Gotta Get You Into My Life" is Paul McCartney's "ode to pot."(03 of10)
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In the book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, McCartney says he wrote “Got to Get You Into My Life,” when he had “first been introduced to pot.” The singer says the song is “not to a person, it's actually about pot.” He even calls it “an ode to pot" just in case you were still a little fuzzy on his intention. (Image: Giphy)
The Foo Fighters' "All My Life" is Dave Grohl's ode to oral sex.(04 of10)
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In a 2003 interview with Q magazine, Dave Grohl was asked about possible innuendo in the song and admitted the song is "a little dirty." He continued, "I'm very fond of giving oral sex to women. It's a pleasure-giving experience - giving someone something that they'll remember for the rest of their lives, and if you do it right they will." (credit:Gallo Images via Getty Images)
Rob Thomas wrote "3 AM" about his mom's battle with cancer.(05 of10)
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Thomas says "you can use it for whatever you want to use it for" but admits he wrote "3 AM" about a time when he was around 12 or 13 and his mom was fighting cancer. (credit:YASUYOSHI CHIBA via Getty Images)
Led Zeppelin's "All of my Love" isn't about a girl.(06 of10)
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Led Zeppelin fans know the song is actually a tribute to Robert Plant's son, Karac, who died in 1977. Image: Giphy (credit:Giphy)
"Imagine" is basically an anthem for Communism.(07 of10)
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Though John Lennon said he wasn't a communist, he once said "Imagine" was "virtually a Communist manifesto." (Image: Giphy) (credit:Giphy)
Kendrick Lamar's drinking anthem "Swimming Pools" is actually the exact opposite.(08 of10)
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Lamar song has lines about peer pressure and alcoholism, but that doesn't stop everyone at the party from chanting, "Pour Up. Drank!" (credit:Tim Mosenfelder via Getty Images)
Sara Bareilles says "Love Song" is actually a love song.(09 of10)
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Bareilles revealed to The Huffington Post, "No," no one ever told her to write a love song. She says, despite the lyrics, it is actually a love song to her craft and being authentic to herself. (Image: Giphy) (credit:Giphy)
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is about coming out ... probably.(10 of10)
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Lyricist Tim Rice worked with Freddie Mercury on the album "Barcelona," and says "Bohemian Rhapsody" is all about Mercury "killing" the straight man he used to be. (credit:Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images)
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