Kiyoko is admired for her candor, but according to her, that willingness to be open and honest may be due to a concussion she suffered shortly before writing her 2016 EP Citrine. The incident happened during a Road Rules/Real World–themed competition at her 25th birthday party and it left her in constant pain, which was especially difficult, seeing as she was on tour at the time.
"I don't like to say that it happened for a reason. But it's taught me to slow down," she explained to CR Fashion Book. "I think that there was always going to be a crash. There was always going to be something that happened that was going to teach me to slow down. Because of it, I've learned a good self-care routine. I've learned how to function when I'm not feeling well when I don't know my purpose or what I want in life or when I'm lost. It's really challenged me mentally to know who I am."