Expectations (album)

ExpectationsStudio Album by Hayley Kiyoko
General Information
Release Date	March 30, 2018
Recorded	2017
Genre	Pop (Dream pop, synth-pop)
Length	48:37
Label(s)	Atlantic, Empire
Producer(s)	Hayley Kiyoko (exec.), Jono Dorr (also exec.), Ceclil Bernardy, Nick Bailey, Jack & Coke, Jonas Jeberg, The Futuristics, Grizzly
Singles
1. "Sleepover" March 3, 2017 2. "Feelings" October 19, 2017 3. "Curious" January 12, 2018 4. "What I Need" May 31, 2018
Studio Albums Chronology
Current	Expectations
Next	HK2 (unreleased)

Expecations is Hayley Kiyoko's debut full-length studio album, released on March 30, 2018. It was announced, alongside with the cover, on January 5, 2018 through her social media. It was released through Empire and Atlantic.

Background

Hayley Kiyoko first announced this album on January 5, 2018 however, she first confirmed that she was working on her debut album as early as October 14, 2017 and revealed "Feelings" to be one of the tracks of the album which was the first track to be announced off of Expectations. She announced that she finished her album cover on December 14, 2017 and revealed it to the public on January 5, 2018. The album title was confirmed to be Expectations on December 21, 2017.
Pre-orders for this album were made available via iTunes on January 11, 2018.
The album's release was preceded by a countdown on Hayley Kiyoko's social media profiles starting on March 7, 2018 where she started to reveal the track list of the album. The countdown was concluded on March 27, 2018, three days prior to the album's release.

"Women are a constant inspiration to me and I want to translate that love and appreciation into physical art, through all my music and imagery. I want to inspire everyone to fearlessly show their power and strength and to celebrate the beauty of the female body in its truest form."

—Hayley upon annoucing her album

Expectations was preceded by the release of three singles, as well as one promotional single. The first single called "Sleepover" was released on March 2, 2017 along its music video, directed by Kiyoko herself, via BuzzFeed. The second single, "Feelings" was released on October 19, 2017 along its self-directed music video. "Curious" was released as the third single on January 12, 2018, with the pre-order of the album and, as the previous singles, along its music video, directed by Kiyoko herself and James Larese. It premiered via Total Request Live. "Curious'" additionally became Kiyoko's first single to chart, peaking at number 40 on the US Mainstream Top 40 and number 37 on the US Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart. "Let It Be" was released as a promotional single on March 16, 2018. On May 31, 2018 "What I Need", featuring Kehlani was released as a single.

Kiyoko's debut album features a "red threat of water [which is] intense and it crashes but it's also soft and moves and moldable." She said that she featured those sounds because as an Aries, a fire sign, she needs water to calm her down.

Titling

Hayley teasing the album's title on instagram

On December 19, 2017 Hayley posted a photo on her instagram with the dancers from the Feelings music video teasing her debut album's title. With the caption "My album title has been here all along. It’s in this photo.. can you find it?", she challenged her fans to find the title which led a lot of fans to believe the album was titled Prisioner or Love Prisioner.

However, on December 21, 2017 Hayley posted a photo with the caption "#EXPECTATIONS #MYDEBUTALBUM #SPRING #20GAYTEEN" releaving that the album would be titled Expectations (which can be seen next to the guy in purple).

The album was titled Expectations because Hayley wants to give fans hope and fulfill their expectations in lesbian relationships. In an interview with NPR Hayley discussed how she wants to normalize queer narratives in pop music, saying the following:

"My journey has really been trying to normalize girls loving girls…The only films I saw with girls loving girls always ended in suicide; it was very depressing. I really wanted to create a story that ended in hope. [...] Being young is so hard. You’re surrounded by judgment and fear…Every incident that happens in our life is so intense during that time in your teens. So I really try to bring intensity to their life in a positive way."

—Kiyoko

However, the album's title is also linked to Kiyoko's struggle with post-concussion syndrome:

"Expectations are my fuel [...] Because they’re so high, I am who I am. I’m able to show up for myself and do what I do. It’s my biggest strength, but it’s also my biggest weakness since I’m constantly being disappointed everyday by myself and others. It’s a balancing act. Life can be exciting and miserable all at once. Hence, the name of the album."

—Kiyoko

Critical reception

Expectations received generally positive reviews from music critics. Laura Snapes, writing for Pitchfork, gave the album a 6 out of 10 rating. She defines the album's best moments as those "trading in specificity rather than generic neediness, representing an experience that rarely finds an outlet in pop." She also, however, criticized the songwriting on the album. Stating " it lacks that kind of songwriting consistency." Snapes concludes her review by writing, "Kiyoko’s debut won’t blow past anyone’s expectations, but it contains just enough intrigue and individuality to sustain them for a second shot."
Emily Mackay of The Guardian reacted more positively, calling the album "sparklingly refreshing" and felt the album's ability to "[stay] true to idiosyncratic instinct has made Expectations feel more universal than a generic, play-it-safe debut." Mackay rated the album four stars out of five.

Lauren Mullineaux, writing for The 405, rated the album 8 out of 10, praising the album's LGBT themes. She noted Kiyoko as "the first unabashedly queer female normalising this in the mainstream on such a transparent, visible level; through her lyrics and her videos." Mullineaux was also complimentary towards the album's "polished" production, as well as listing "Mercy/Gatekeeper", "Molecules", and "He'll Never Love You (HNLY)" as album highlights. Sydney Gore of MTV described the album as "a full range of life experiences covered within these 13 tracks, marking the first chapter of an ongoing story that Hayley finally feels comfortable in sharing with the world." Glenn Gamboa of Newsday.com praised the album, writing that "For Kiyoko, "Expectations" couldn’t be higher, but the music is so good she seems set to surpass even the loftiest ones."

Charts

Following its release the album peaked higher in English-speaking countries: peaking at number 12 in the US Billboard 200 chart, at number 16 in the Canadian Albums Billboard chart, number 20 in the Australian Albums chart, number 21 in the Scottish Albums chart, number 23 in the Irish Albums chart, number 24 in the UK Albums (OCC) chart and finally, number 25 in the New Zealand Albums chart. The album was also received well in European countries peaking at number 44 in the Dutch Albums (MegaCharts) chart, number 46 in the Belegian (Ultratop Flanders) Albums chart, number 47 in the Austrian (Ö3 Austria) Albums chart, number 56 in the Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) chart and number 93 in the German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) chart.

Additonally, "Curious", a single from this album, was Hayley's first single to chart. It peaked at at number 40 on the US Mainstream Top 40 and number 37 on the US Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart.

Track listing

Standard
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Expectations (Overture)"	Hayley Kiyoko, Nicole Morier, Jonathan Dorr, Cecil Bernardy, Olivia Marisco	Bernardy, Olivia Marisco, Jono Dorr Bernardy	1:52
2.	"Feelings"	Kiyoko, Brandon Colbein, Nick Bailey, Dorr Bernardy, Katherine Ostenberg	Bailey, Dorr, Bernardy	3:37
3.	"What I Need" (featuring Kehlani)	Kiyoko, Dorr, Kehlani	Dorr	3:39
4.	"Sleepover"	Kiyoko, Brandi Flores, Dorr, Bernardy	Dorr	3:54
5.	"Mercy/Gatekeeper"	Kiyoko, Dorr, Bernardy	Dorr, Bernardy	5:44
6.	"Under the Blue/Take Me In"	Kiyoko, Morier, Dorr Bernardy	Dorr, Bernardy	5:37
7.	"Curious"	Kiyoko, Lisa Vitale, Colbein, Jakob Hazell, Svante Halldin	Jack & Coke, Dorr	3:03
8.	"xx"	Dorr	Dorr	0:51
9.	"Wanna Be Missed"	Kiyoko, Jonas Jeberg, Alexander Schwartz, Joe Khajadourian, Madison Love	Jeberg, The Futuristics, Dorr	3:15
10.	"He'll Never Love You (HNLY)"	Kiyoko, Dorr, Bernardy, Cara Salimando	Dorr, Bernardy	3:51
11.	"Palm Dreams"	Kiyoko, Gustav Jonsson, Fredrik Berger, Colbein	Grizzly	5:14
12.	"Molecules"	Kiyoko, Morier, Dorr, Bernardy	Dorr, Bernardy	4:10
13.	"Let It Be"	Kiyoko, Chloe Angelides, Dorr, Bernardy	Dorr, Bernardy	3:41

Cut tracks

• "Blame Joy"
• "Curious (Acoustic)"
• "Notice"

Singles

The first single, "Sleepover", was released on March 2, 2017 prior to the album's announcement as a stand-alone single. However, it was revealed to be part of the album later on.

The lead and second single, "Feelings", was the first track to be announced off of the album and was released on October 19, 2017.

The third single, "Curious", was released on January 12, 2018 and became Kiyoko's first single to chart.

The fourth single, "What I Need", featuring American singer Kehlani, was released on May 31, 2018.

Promotional singles

A promotional single, "Let It Be", was released on March 16, 2018, a few days before the album dropped.

Sleepover

Feelings

Curious

Let It Be (promotional)

What I Need

Tour

Main article: Expectations Tour

On February 9, 2018, Kiyoko announced the Expectations Tour in support of Expectations. The tour was scheduled as a North American tour however, later became a world tour and started on April 12, 2018 in San Luis Obispo, California and ended on November 7, 2018 in Reykjavic, Iceland.

Trivia

• Kiyoko struggled a lot to come up with the album's cover art. She didn't want to put herself into the image at first because when she "visualizes her art" she doesn't see herself in it.
• Kiyoko had previously considered to name her debut album I'm Too Sensitive For This Shit. The name was later given to her fourth EP.