How would it feel to put the most effort into your hobby to receive the support of many people and find an opportunity to work abroad?
Liyuu is a Chinese cosplayer, singer, and voice actress who works in Japan. She couldn’t speak Japanese a couple of years ago. She now, she shows her incredible talent, releasing Japanese solo albums and working as a voice actor for Tang Keke on Love Live! Superstar!!
We had a chance to speak with Liyuu to ask her about her life story, her new song “Ambition” released on December 24, and her new album “Fo(u)r YuU,” which will be released on February 9, 2022.
Could you introduce yourself and say hello to the readers and fans from all over the world?
Hello. I’m Liyuu, a singer and cosplayer from Shanghai, China. I am delighted to do this interview.
Why did you start cosplaying and what is the biggest appeal of cosplay?
I liked anime since I was young and found out about cosplay on social media. As I got deeper and deeper into the world of cosplay, I found the need to cosplay myself. I think the biggest draw of cosplay is that I can become a character that I like.
I heard that becoming a singer was your dream when you were young. Unlike other cosplayers, you did impersonations of character voices as voice actors and uploaded your covers of anime songs. Did you think about becoming a cosplayer and a singer from the beginning?
Becoming a singer was my dream since I was young, but I never thought I would do that dream. I still can’t believe I made it. I became a singer because a lot of people supported me when I was working as a cosplayer, which led to my career in Japan. It still feels like a dream that I’m working as a singer.
In terms of voice acting, I thought it was unreasonable to become a voice actor because I’m Chinese. I still think I wouldn’t be working as a voice actor if it wasn’t for Love Live! Superstar!!
I heard that you entered the university to study design. Now you work as a singer and cosplayer in China and Japan. What made you decide to work abroad?
A college degree was something that both my family and I felt necessary for. I posted my cosplay photos on social media while studying at university and the number of followers in Japan increased a lot. That led me to find opportunities to work in Japan, so I decided to work abroad.
Living in a foreign country is never easy, but you also sing and do dubbing in a foreign language. Tell me about your experience working in Japan.
It was very difficult. Language is only one of the difficulties. Living in Japan is very different compared to living in China, and even the smallest differences in living habits were stressful until I got used to it.
However, my efforts paid off as I have many fans who support me. They are my source of motivation that keeps me going and working harder.
Tell us about your new album “Fo(u)r YuU” as well as your latest single “Ambition”.
“Fo(u)r YuU” is an album that explores many different music genres and is very different from my previous music. I’ve explored with many different genres: I’ve never done a rock song before, and “Ambition” is the first time I’ve explored that genre. It was a new challenge, and I think it’s a great song. I also didn’t think of myself singing a rock genre song. When recording “Ambition”, I tried to express a Liyuu that even I hadn’t seen before.
You’re also rapping on your latest single, just like you did once on the song “Carpe Diem.” Isn’t it hard to rap in Japanese? I’m curious if you always liked rapping.
Just like “Ambition”, I never thought about rapping before “Carpe Diem”. Of course there is rap music in China, but I have never rapped before in my life. I’ve been rapping since “Carpe Diem” though. I learned to rap for the first time and it was even more difficult because I had to do it in Japanese. Even now, I ask myself, “Can I really pull this off?”
Because of that, I can’t actually rap in Chinese. [Laughter] I still like to rap!
I heard that you are going to hold your first concert called “Liyuu First Concert 2022「Fo(u)r YuU」” in February 2022. Please tell me more about it.
I received many messages from fans telling me that they are sad that they cannot visit Japan to attend. I keep wondering what I can do, but I’m disappointed that there’s nothing I can do for those fans who can’t make it.
Many people around the world found me through various platforms and became fans, and I am very upset that they cannot attend. I would like to have more concerts so everyone can come see the show one day.
Any last words for fans around the world?
I had never had the opportunity to visit a country outside of Asia before. Whether on Youtube or Instagram, there are many comments in various languages. I am always surprised to see so many international fans, and I would like to travel to other countries to interact with my fans!