Conan Gray Felt ‘Wishbone’ Was the Time for a Queer Story in His Music Videos (Exclusive)

If Conan Gray was going to fall in love on screen, he knew he had to be comfortable.

It’s why he enlisted the help of former Disney actor and decade-long friend Corey Fogelmanis to costar in a trilogy of music videos to accompany his fourth studio album Wishbone.

“I knew I couldn’t do it with a stranger, and Corey was right there in my contacts list. I called him up, I said, ‘Hey, Corey. Can we fall in love in a music video?’ “ the 26-year-old pop star tells PEOPLE. “I truly don’t think I could have done it if it wasn’t for [him].”

Gravitating to what feels natural was Gray’s mantra when crafting the world of Wishbone, a cathartic ’90s-tinged record chronicling a devastating breakup. Released Friday, Aug. 15, the singer-songwriter’s 12-track LP was a return to tradition: He penned most of the songs alone on a guitar, only listened to music he loved and collaborated with his first-ever producer and “musical dad” Dan Nigro again.

He even got back in touch with his Texan roots while creating the album, heading back to his hometown of Georgetown, Texas, to film the music videos for Wishbone’s singles, “This Song,” “Vodka Cranberry” and “Caramel.”

“In so many ways, this album is a confrontation and a reminder to myself of who I am and where I grew up and the dreams that I had when I was a kid,” he says. “Just the person I’ve always been.”

Still, Gray ventures into new territory in his latest era. For the trio of videos, Gray and Fogelmanis play Wilson and Brando, best friends who have a whirlwind summer romance full of emotional peaks and valleys — and a whole lot of kissing. 

He has never shied from queer themes in his songwriting. “The Story” from his 2020 debut album Kid Krow references two boys who were best friends, “but always wished they were more.” In “Boys & Girls” from last year’s Found Heaven, he writes about a love interest who’s the object of both male and female attention.

With Wilson and Brando, it’s the first time Gray has explicitly depicted queer love in his visuals. 

“It absolutely felt like the right thing,” says the “Heather” singer of the choice to portray love between two boys. “It’s just an instinct that I had in me. I knew I wanted to tell a story of these two childhood friends falling in love. And, I don’t know, it just felt like the right time.”

He continued, “It felt like a story that I wanted to see for myself. And so maybe it was a bit selfish, really. I just wanted to see a cute little summer romance.”

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In the wishbone superstition, two people make a wish while holding a bird’s forked bone. When it breaks apart, the person who receives the larger half will have their desire granted, while the other walks away with nothing. 

Gray confesses that the last time he got the losing end of the metaphorical wishbone was when he began writing the album two years ago. Through making record and coming back to himself, his life and his perspective have transformed.

“I realized that somebody getting a short end of the stick is not entirely always true,” he explains. “When you lose something, oftentimes it’s actually just a reallocation or a little nudge into the right direction in life, but you don’t even realize you were in the wrong direction.”

He says, “I felt like I’d lost something, but ultimately ended up finding something that was so much more me and so much more what I was supposed to have versus what I wanted.”

Wishbone is out on all streaming platforms.