"Curious" is a song by American singer-songwriter Hayley Kiyoko, from her debut studio album Expectations (2018). It was released as the album's third single on January 11, 2018 by Empire/Atlantic Records. Kiyoko co-wrote "Curious" with Lisa Vitale, Brandon Colbein, Jakob Hazell and Svante Halldin, while Jack & Coke (Halldin and Hazell) produced the song. The dance-pop, R&B and synth-pop track details Kiyoko confronting an ex-girlfriend she believes is dating a man to mask her true feelings for Kiyoko. Its title adopts "curious", a term used within the LGBT community to express casual same-sex experimentation, as Kiyoko demands the truth about the authenticity of her love interest's new relationship.
Kiyoko wrote the track based on a past relationship with a closeted woman, as well as various romantic experiences with women who were unsure about their sexuality, hoping the song would encourage open dialogue among queer individuals. "Curious" has earned acclaim from music critics, who praised its production, subversive themes and Kiyoko's confident delivery, often deeming it one of Expectations' strongest tracks; some media publications have ranked the single among the best of 2018. Despite limited radio airplay, "Curious" peaked at number 40 on Billboard's US Mainstream Top 40 chart.
A music video for "Curious" was released the same day as the single, which Kiyoko co-directed with James Larese. Actress Tereza Kacerova co-stars as Kiyoko's former love interest, who she encounters at a house party Kacerova's character is attending with her new boyfriend (Henry Zaga). Critics praised the video's visuals, choreography and Kiyoko's direction, as well as its sensual depiction of a lesbian relationship. Kiyoko has performed "Curious" live several times, including on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards and during her Expectations Tour. Kiyoko also performed "Curious" with singer Taylor Swift during the latter's Reputation Stadium Tour (2018).
Background and writing "Curious" was written by Hayley Kiyoko with Lisa Vitale, Brandon Colbein, Jakob Hazell and Svante Halldin. The track was produced by songwriting duo Jack & Coke, which consists of co-writers Hazell and Halldin. Describing herself as very selective when it comes to choosing her collaborators, Kiyoko described working with Jack & Coke as largely incidental because "there’s only a few guest producers on the album" and believes that both artists' strengths can be heard via their production throughout the track. "Curious" covers several of Kiyoko's past relationships with women, as she openly identifies as gay, during which she wanted to clarify that their feelings for each other were genuine as opposed to simply fun. "Curious" is partially based on true events about Kiyoko's "dalliance with a girl on the down-low". Admitting that she shares a personal connection with every song she writes, Kiyoko revealed that "Curious" specifically pertains to "that feeling of learning self-respect and ... walk away from a game". The singer believes any listener would find the situation addressed in the song relatable, claiming everyone has encountered similar dilemmas "where someone's playing games ... In the dating game, the world is difficult, because people don't communicate, or they communicate but then their actions speak louder than words."
Regarding the song's title, Kiyoko explained that the term "curious" "has always had a negative connotation to me" because she finds curious people to be "unsure" about themselves. Believing that everyone longs "to be with someone who knows what they want and ... who they are", Kiyoko attempted to implement such themes into both the song and her album in general. Kiyoko found writing "Curious" an enjoyable process because it "was this ... cheeky fun song where I got to call out" a partner's indecision. Kiyoko claims she knew "Curious" would be a "big song" once she finished recording it, elaborating, "this is what we are looking for. This is what we were missing, is something that’s still honest but really has that backbone of strength, and undeniable hook."
Kiyoko insists that her intention behind writing "Curious" was not to "break the mold (sic)", but simply convey "facts from my life" and encourage open conversation among other queer individuals, explaining, "It’s like, 'Hey, this was a situation I was in and it was effed up. Here you go. Have you been in that same situation? Let’s start a dialogue about it.” "Curious" was released as the third single from Kiyoko's debut album Expectations on January 11, 2018 via Empire Distribution and Atlantic Records, to several digital music retailers and streaming services. The single was also distributed to pop and hot adult contemporary radio formats throughout the United States.
Music and lyrics "Curious" is a dance-pop, R&B, and synth-pop song, performed over a "bright", synth-pop beat, the bassline of which Rolling Stone likened to a "bouncing-ball". Incorporating electropop and power pop elements with "rubbery" synths, the song lasts three minutes and twelve seconds. Despite seemingly simple instrumentation and refrains, its chorus features a targeted, "rapid-fire" delivery and biting, "faux-casual" lyrics, during which Kiyoko adopts a fast speech pattern and confrontational tone, as her combination of confusion and frustration surfaces. Over a "flirty dance chorus", Kiyoko demands answers from a former partner who has moved on by pursuing a relationship with a man. Kiyoko's website similarly wrote that the song "shuffles from a wild beat towards a shimmering refrain hinging on her charismatic delivery". Simon Miraudo of Student Edge observed that the track exploits the singer's "favourite kind of chorus": "a speedy, trilled lyrical run-up to the song title, delivered deliberately on an isolated and sparse musical bed", followed by "sudden sonic emptiness" reminiscent of an ellipsis in a text conversation. The New York Times music journalist Jon Pareles wrote that the track "rotates through three chords and a hollow beat with a lot of echo in its empty spaces". Despite featuring similar production to previous singles “Feelings” and “Sleepover”, the song's demeanor and Kiyoko's performance are more confident and empowered overall. NPR claims that "When Kiyoko ... assures her love interest not to worry, you know she means it. She's not going to be destroyed by their return to a played-out heteronormativity". Vice writer Avery Stone wrote that "Kiyoko calls out her love interest for being hot-and-cold", citing the track as an example of the album's themes about navigating difficult relationships with girls unable to commit. According to Billboard's Abby Jones, the song "depicts Kiyoko's frustrations with a former love interest who" is now dating a man, neurotically questioning her purpose within the love triangle.
The song's lyrics suggest that Kiyoko is curious to know if the relationship between her ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend is as serious as the one they once had. Despite being Expectations' most upbeat song, its lyrics nonetheless "carry the same weight" as its other tracks, which USA Today's Patrick Ryan described as "a deceptively bouncy anthem about gay individuals who stay in straight relationships to mask their true feelings". Featuring lyrics about a girl who struggles to accept her feelings for Kiyoko and dates a man to mask their history, Kiyoko confronts her ex about the latter's alleged bi-curiosity. Kiyoko asks her love interest "Are we just friends? You say you wanted me — but you’re sleeping with him", which Spin's Anna Gaca believes "flip[s] the narrative to set up a classic Hayley Kiyoko situation". Questioning if her "ostensibly hetero friend is queer-baiting her", Breanna Belken of The Daily Dot wrote that the singer's lyrics "address the confusion and uncertainty queer women and girls face when pursuing a love interest, in this case a woman who is ambivalent about their relationship." The Guardian's Michael Cragg summarized "Curious" as a song "about being a straight girl’s secret," which he claimed Kiyoko delivers "with a knowing wink". Stone identified its hook as "I’m just curious ... Is it serious?”, which Pitchfork contributor Laura Snapes believes Kiyoko sings with "icy mocking" as the word "curious" adopts a double meaning. The New Statesman writer Myfanwy Craigie elaborated that the title "playfully sets up expectations of a song about bicuriosity" before "our expectations are undercut and 'Curious' is really about her flirtation with a girl who has a boyfriend", ironically questioning the seriousness of her new relationship. Lindsay King-Miller of Lenny Letter agreed that the hook's "feigned nonchalance ... reveals more depths of emotion than a hundred heartbroken torch songs."
Snapes found the song's chorus similar to "New Rules" (2017) by Dua Lipa, while likening its "pin-sharp barbs" to singer Lorde, particularly its chorus "Did you take him to the pier in Santa Monica? Forget to bring your jacket/Wrap up in him ‘cause you wanted to?”, which is a tongue-twister performed in double time. Describing the song as "razor-edged", Rolling Stone's Suzy Exposito opined that few "lines cut as cleanly" as the chorus. King-Miller compared "Curious" to "He’ll Never Love You", another track from Expectations that similarly details a love triangle between Kiyoko competing against a man for the same woman's affections. Meanwhile, Audrey Bowers of Study Breaks likened the track to Kiyoko's "What I Need", a song "about how frustrating it is dating a straight woman because what she needs is for her partner to be sure about their relationship". Lauren Mullineaux of The 405 identified "Curious" as one of the album's most blatant queer song examples. Billboard critic Alexa Shouneyia ranked the lyrics "Calling me up, so late at night/ Are we just friends?/ You say you wanted me, but you're sleeping with him" the album's second most queer lyric, in which the singer "cheekily nods to bi-curiosity." Idolator's Mike Wass found the song's message "about self-respect and knowing when to walk away when someone you care about is playing games" to be empowering.
Reception
Critical response "Curious" has garnered acclaim from music critics. In January 2018, Time's Raisa Bruner recommended "Curious" among "5 Songs You Need to Listen to This Week", describing it as a vulnerable "frothy pop confection" the author believes is more socially conscious than Katy Perry’s "I Kissed a Girl" (2008). Gay Times' Nick Levine called the track "super-catchy". The Guardian's Michael Cragg reviewed the song as an excellent "electropop belter", throughout which Kiyoko does "what she does best", while Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic called it "an endearing gem that chronicles a girl-likes-girl-likes-guy triangle". Abbey Perrin of Affinity Magazine welcomed "Curious" as the single "we’ve all been waiting for", praising Kiyoko's "smooth, effortless vocals". Perrin also observed that although its production "stays true to her earlier releases", the single "features a more confident and empowering vibe [from] Kiyoko [who] stands her ground ... which is refreshing as we have never really seen this from her before."