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"Curious" is the third single and seventh track off Hayley Kiyoko's debut album, Expectations. It was released on January 12, 2018 as a single through Atlantic and Empire, shortly before the release of Kiyoko's debut album.

It became the first single of Kiyoko to chart, peaking at number 40 on the US Mainstream Top 40 and number 37 on the US Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart.

Background[]

The song was first teased on January 6, 2018[1] and was followed by The Curious Show which was hosted by Hayley's father, Jamie Alcroft.[2] It was first announced on January 11, 2018[3] and released on the following day. During the "#CountdownToExpectations" it was revealed that "Curious" would be the seventh track on March 18, 2018.[4]

The song talks about members of the LGBTQ+ community who create a facade by dating people of the opposite gender and thus keeping their feelings to themselves. However, secretly they are romantically and/or sexually involved with people of the same sex but are not willing to admit those feelings in public and leave the people they are involved with frustrated and wondering if their relationship is even serious.

"This song is all about self-respect and knowing when to walk away when someone you care about is playing games."
—Kiyoko in a press release.[5]
"I have hung out with a lot of girls that like to play games. There was a girl in particular that I was involved with that really liked to push my buttons. And there were a lot instances in the lyrics like, “You think of me, I’m what you see when you look at the sky.” Or like being with her boyfriend and texting me at the same time. And a lot of instances where I’m like, “I don’t really want to get wrapped up in this situation. I just want to know—like I am just curious, is it serious? What’s going on? Are you having genuine feelings for me? Is this serious? Also, I don’t really want to get involved in whatever this is.” Because I know who I am, so I’m like, “What’s going on?”"
—Kiyoko on the song [6]
"I was going through this experience. This girl, I really cared about her, and she kept playing with my emotions and feelings. You want to like them, and you want them to like you, but it is also a weird situation where she didn’t love herself enough to be with me. And you can’t teach someone that, and so also you have to learn to respect yourself enough to learn when to walk away from the situation. Tear. I shot the music video for “Curious” as well and that is kind of what that situation was. I learned to be like, “OK, I have got to walk away from this.”"
—Kiyoko on what happened the day she wrote the song [7]

The Curious Show[]

The Curious Show was a goof to promote Hayley's new single, "Curious". It was promoted to be a three-part-television talk show where the guests would reveal "the shocking truth about their love life". The show was hosted by Jamie Alcroft, Hayley's father who is an actor himself. The show consists of three short clips which slowly fade into the first notes of Curious. The clips were uploaded to Hayley's instagram.[8][9][10] A running gag is that Jamie Alcroft keeps repeating the phrase "We're just curious, is it serious?" which is an allusion to the refrain of the song that contains the lyric "I'm just curious, is it serious?".

Lyrics[]

[Verse 1]
Yeah
I need a drink, whiskey ain't my thing
But shit is all good
I can handle things- like I wish that you would
You've been out of reach, could you explain?
I think that you should
What you been up to?
Who's been loving you good?

[Pre-Chorus]
I'm just on the floor, I’m like a model
Been looking through the texts and all the photos
But don't you worry, I can handle it
No, don't you worry, I can handle it

[Chorus]
If you let him touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya (yeah)
The way I used to, used to, used to, used to, used to, used to (yeah)
Did you take him to the pier in Santa Monica?
Forget to bring a jacket, wrap up in him cause you wanted to?
I'm just curious, is it serious?
I'm just curious, is it serious?

[Verse 2]
Calling me up, so late at night
Are we just friends?
You say you wanted me, but you're sleeping with him
You think of me, I'm what you see
When you look at the sky
I don't believe you
You ain't been loving me right (yeah)

[Pre-Chorus]
I'm just on the floor, I’m like a model
Been looking through the texts and all the photos
But don't you worry I can handle it
No, don't you worry I can handle it

[Chorus]
If you let him touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya (yeah)
The way I used to, used to, used to, used to, used to, used to (yeah)
Did you take him to the pier in Santa Monica?
Forget to bring a jacket, wrap up in him cause you wanted to?
I'm just curious, is it serious?
If you let him touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya (yeah)
The way I used to, used to, used to, used to, used to, used to (yeah)
Did you take him to the pier in Santa Monica?
Forget to bring a jacket, wrap up in him cause you wanted to?
I'm just curious, is it serious?

[Bridge]
I'm just on the floor, I’m like a model
Been looking through the texts and all the photos
But don't you worry I can handle it
No, don't you worry I can handle it
If you let him, if you let him

[Chorus]
If you let him touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya, touch ya (yeah)
The way I used to, used to, used to, used to, used to, used to (yeah)
Did you take him to the pier in Santa Monica?
Forget to bring a jacket, wrap up in him cause you wanted to?
I'm just curious, is it serious?
I'm just curious, is it serious?

Critical reception[]

The song was very well received by critics and listeners alike and some might argue that it was one of the best received songs from Kiyoko as it became the first single of her to chart. It has also been referred to be "one of the first great pop songs of 2018".[11]

Music Video[]

The music video was released on January 11, 2018 and was self-directed by Hayley Kiyoko.

Cast[]

Trivia[]

  • This song is about the same girl that also inspired "What I Need" and "He'll Never Love You (HNLY)". Thus linking the three tracks together.[12]
  • In some of the official remixes as well as the radiot edit the line "But shit is all good" has been changed to "But guess it's all good".
  • An acoustic version was registered to PPL Repertoire however, it is listed with a duration of zero seconds and a release date for 2018 which implies that it might have been intended for the album but did not make the cut.[13]

References[]

Expectations
March 30, 2018 • 48:37 • Atlantic • Empire
Songs
Released CuriousExpectations (Overture)FeelingsHe'll Never Love You (HNLY)Let It BeMercy/GatekeeperMoleculesPalm DreamsSleepoverUnder the Blue/Take Me InWanna Be MissedWhat I Needxx
Unreleased Blame JoyCurious (Acoustic)
Artists
Hayley KiyokoKehlani
Tour
Expectations Tour
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