Hayley Kiyoko reveals how Hennessy X.O helped her embrace Japanese heritage

Hayley Kiyoko has revealed how Hennessy X.O helped her embrace her Japanese heritage.

The 30-year-old Asian-American star has opened up on how her collaboration with the perfume brand helped when she sat down with her mum Sarah Kawahara for the company’s ‘Original Odyssey’ digital series.

She told PEOPLE magazine: “It was really cool to be able to reconnect with my heritage and get to experience that and share that with my mother, which I’ve never really done.

“I’ve been super excited about this opportunity. It was actually extremely emotional. I’m always emotional about most things that are remotely vulnerable, but it was really incredible.

“I learned so much from her as well, and I think for her and me, it was a moment that we will remember forever.”

Hayley – who will be part of the Hennessy X.O Mid-Autumn Festival, hosted by Harry Shum Jr. with performances by Eddie Huang, Guapdad 4000, Niki and Bohan Phoenix – pointed to the way the company has helped with representation.

She added: “I feel like Hennessy is consistently always supporting the AAPI community and they’re not just talk — they do it with actions, and so I’m really excited to be a part of this Mid-Autumn Festival celebration.”

And she is glad to see that growing with a larger number of Asian stars becoming mainstream names.

She explained: “That’s all I’ve ever wanted. Especially growing up, all I’ve ever wanted was to have people I could look up to that look like me, that I could connect to, and so I think it’s so incredible to see so many artists getting mainstream support and fix that.”