“I Wish” by Hayley Kiyoko
The “wish” the singer (Hayley Kiyoko) is making in the title of this song is to find a lover, implicitly one who will reciprocate her affection. In other words, it is clear from the onset that she is already in a romantic relationship. But she has issues with her current lover. Or succinctly put, her love is unrequited.
This is manifest in her partner not ‘paying her no attention’ nor caring when she hurts her emotionally. Moreover she has been “paying… attention” to some dude, insinuating that her interest in Hayley is waning. Indeed the singer implies that there is ‘nobody by her side’, thus making the audience privy to the fact that despite having a partner, that individual is not truly committed to her.
But this unsatisfactory relationship is just the backdrop of the song, as in the premise which brings us to its conclusion, which once again is the singer’s desire to find a true love. And obviously she does not perceive any concrete way of doing so. Thus she finds herself “cry(ing) to the heavens” for some type of divine intervention (as the music video insinuates) in resolving this matter. So despite “I Wish” coming off like a dance track, it is actually centered on two quite-emotional topics, which are the singer’s discontent with her current relationship (i.e. heartbreak) and her longing for a new lover.
Music Video
The music video to this song, which was directed by Hayley Kiyoko, depicts the singer and her friends trying to conjure up a love potion via witchcraft.
In addition to Hayley Kiyoko, the video stars the following:
- Australian actress, Maia Mitchell
- American actress and model, Madison Pettis
- Venezuelan-born American actress Ana Osorio
- American actress, Tamika Miller
Writing, Production and Release Date of “I Wish”
Hayley Kiyoko wrote and produced “I Wish” all by herself. And the song was officially released on 19 July 2019.
“I Wish” marked the first track Kiyoko released as a lead artist since her maiden album Expectations dropped in early 2018.
