June is Pride Month, and unfortunately, a lot of public festivities will likely not be able to go on as planned due to the current state of the world. There will still be ways to celebrate, though, and Amazon Music is doing their part with a number of Pride initiatives. One of them is by relaunching their “PROUD” playlist, and it now boasts a new, Amazon-exclusive cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” as performed by Hayley Kiyoko.
Covering an iconic track like “Mr. Brightside” is a tough task, but Kiyoko performed wonderfully here. She struck an ideal balance of keeping what made the song great while showing off a different side of the beloved composition. Naturally, Kiyoko’s version has more of a pop slant to it, and her cover serves as a worthy complement to the original.
Kiyoko took to social media to write about the impact the song has had on her life, saying, “I was 13 years old when ‘Mr. Brightside’ was released. I remember really connecting to that feeling of sitting alone in my room, knowing that my crush was probably with some other guy and how it broke my heart. This song made me feel seen at a young age, and gave me the strength to embrace who I was, to stay positive even though I was struggling to find that positivity in my own life at the time. […] Thank you @thekillers for getting me through.”
Listen to Kiyoko’s cover of “Mr. Brightside” below.