Lucy Hale Will Sing on 'Katy Keene,' Teases 'Riverdale' Surprises

Riverdale is a town of dark intrigue and scandal. Nearby New York City, on the other hand, is a candy-coated bop of a town, all fashion, romance and camaraderie! At least, that’s how it’s portrayed on Katy Keene, the CW’s latest Archie Comics spinoff. “Our show is happy and inspiring,” Lucy Hale, who plays Katy, says in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.

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The series centers on four twentysomething BFFs with big dreams. “I’m at the point in my career where I only want to do things with a good message or that resonate with me,” the Pretty Little Liars alum, 30, shares. “I just feel really grateful that the show came into my life because, for more than one reason, it’s made my life better.”

In the series, Lucy leads as Katy, an old friend of Riverdale‘s Veronica (Camila Mendes), which means yes, she will appear on an episode of the original series.

“Katy Keene takes place five years in the future, so my character on Riverdale, I’m going back in time to when I’m in high school,” she says. “There’s a really great scene between Veronica and Katy where they’re discussing Katy’s mom and you realize the importance of Katy’s mom throughout this whole story. One of the first voiceover lines in the pilot is, ‘My mother’s name was Katherine Keene.’ So that sort of sets you up for a lot of the season.”

Does that mean that Veronica — or any other Vixens — will show up on the spinoff? “We have some really cool surprises in store for the Riverdale fans,” she confirms.

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One member of Riverdale, however, has already made the movie to the Big Apple. Josie, played by Ashleigh Murray, is one of Katy’s best friends — and they may have something big in common: Their love for music.

While Hale doesn’t tease much, she reveals that yes, she will be singing on the new series: “They haven’t told me that I can’t say that, so I’m just going to!”

Lucy Hale as Katy Keene and Zane Holtz as K.O. Kelly in “Katy Keene.” Barbara Nitke/The CW

The Fantasy Island star, who actually got her start on TV on Fox’s American Juniors in 2004, loves to sing — but that’s only one thing she has in common with Katy.

“She’s very passionate and loyal to a fault,” Hale states. “She’s optimistic and inspiring, but she’s a little lost too. And she can put on a good face, which I relate to. I’ll deal with anybody’s problems and try to fix them so I don’t have to focus on what’s going on with me.”

This character is much lighter than say, Aria Montgomery, the character Hale played on Pretty Little Liars for seven years. “They both have a great sense of style,” she says. “Aria has more of an edge to her, whereas Katy’s more wholesome and a little naive.”

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Overall, Hale just wants to send a strong message to women — which is part of the reason she wanted to partner with Kyleena and discuss women’s rights: “It’s such an exciting time for women and women are taking their power back and women are speaking up about things that are important to them. And for me, I think that women’s healthcare is everything. I think that it’s so important that we all know our options and know that we have options, and at the end of the day we all can make that decision for ourselves.”

Katy Keene premieres on The CW Thursday, February 6, at 8 p.m. ET.

Hale also appears in Fantasy Island, in theaters on Friday, February 14.

For more from Hale, pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly.

With reporting by Kayley Stumpe

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