Hayley Kiyoko says her relationship with Becca Tilley helped heal her ‘younger self’

Hayley Kiyoko is shedding some light on her new relationship with Becca Tilley. The two kept their relationship out of the spotlight for nearly four years.

The pair confirmed their connection in 2022 when Kiyoko released a music video for her song ‘For the Girls’ in May. Kiyoko and Tilley were first photographed together in 2018.

While speaking to People Magazine for their weekly issue, the singer-songwriter opened up about how her relationship with the former ‘The Bachelor’ contestant taught her what a healthy relationship looks like.

A healing journey

“Our journey has been wonderful and beautiful. I think I’ve [also] healed a lot of my younger self in my relationship with Becca,” Kiyoko said.

Kiyoko initially came out in 2015 with her hit single ‘Girls Like Girls,’ where she detailed her first love and heartbreak in high school.

“Because of this instance and this experience I had during this ‘Girls Like Girls’ time, I built this grudge or felt like if someone is not willing to be with me right now in this moment and parade me around, then they don’t really love me,” she says.

“I don’t think that that’s true. I don’t think that that’s a fair statement to make. I think that because of the experiences I had and because of the heartbreak that I had, I carried that with me.”

A new journey

She also revealed that when she met Tilley in 2018, “everything changed.”

“I realized that we’re all on so many different parts of our [coming out] journeys,” Kiyoko says. “Just because we’re in two different places in our journey doesn’t mean that we can’t still coexist and love each other and have an incredible relationship until she’s ready to share that with everyone.”

The singer went on to describe that this was a “massive learning” and “healing” moment for her.

“That doesn’t mean that they don’t want to be with you and that they don’t love you and that they’re not going to show up for you,” Kiyoko says.

“I’ve been so grateful for our relationship and our journey, and our decision to keep our relationship private for so long. I also love being able to share our relationship as well.”