A white shirt, tie, plaid schoolgirl skirt and two long braids. This is how Lia Lia stands on Alexanderplatz, her middle fingers up in the air.
With this short video, the young singer and songwriter promotes her new song “Am I Human?” on Instagram. Whether she is human we don’t know for sure, but what we do know is that her music moves thousands of people: melancholic yet powerful, surreal yet honest. After being raised between a small village in Germany and the Chinese megametropolis Chengdu, Lia Lia is now conquering Berlin.
We spoke to LIA LIA about her music, backstage stories and what it takes to be a pop star in the digital age.
SLEEK: Describe your music in two words.
LIA LIA: Punk & Melancholy! I call the genre “Baby Punk’ because my music is punk in spirit, but it’s unyielding to any genre! If we wanted to put it into a box, I think it’s a mixture between rock, punk, pop, indie, grunge & eurotrash. My mentality when going into a session is always to have the most fun, somehow I can’t help it and the melancholy keeps shining through though.
S: You had the chance to open for Doja Cat during one of her German tours. Any backstage stories you can share?
LL: Doja is a real one, I love her! She is fierce, funny and sweet like honey. We were hanging out in her green room, just talking and she showed me what was in her bag. What was in her bag? A collection of soda flavored chapsticks: Sprite, Fanta and Coca Cola, nothing else.
S: How has your identity, being both German and Chinese, shaped you as an artist?
LL: Being mixed always had a huge impact on my life. I really struggled to fit in and I felt alienated everywhere. Honestly, I was quite isolated and lonely growing up, so since childhood I have spent a lot of time in my imaginary world, reading books, and watching movies and anime. I spent most of my time daydreaming. Now I’m turning my dreams into reality, making the best friends along the journey.
S: What got you into performing, and how did you find your genre?
LL: I always loved to perform. I was in the church choir, did ballet, occasionally performed Chinese opera with my dad, and got casted in my parents’ friends’ theater plays. I wrote my own screen plays and songs at home, dressing up my sister and I, playing a different show every day. This was my childhood. As a 13 year old teen, after I dropped out of church choir, I went through a painful and rebellious phase. Music was the thing which always stuck with me, I think it saved me.
S: You’ve had the opportunity to live in many metropolises from Tokyo to Berlin. Which city that you’ve explored inspires you the most?
LL: I love Tokyo, Shanghai, Berlin, LA and NYC for various reasons. In Tokyo I felt the most inspired, because it feels magical and bipolar. Fairy tales are still ingrained in the culture, there are beautiful gardens with old temples next to the most futuristic buildings. There is a clash between conformist workaholic patriarchy & rebellious subculture. In Japan there are so many details in the little things and there is a great appreciation for beauty. Germany and China are both (self)-traumatized countries, each going through different kinds of revolutions and scary history. The people are pragmatic, work hard, are efficient and also a bit “cold”. Frivolous things are frowned upon. America, especially LA just feels like the Wild West honestly. But you’re allowed to dream, if you work for it.
S: What does it take to build yourself as a pop icon in this digital age?
LL: Have fun & keep it real, real cute. I think everything is so fake and AI-driven, so as soon as you are true to yourself people can feel it. The world is always changing, so you just gotta have fun with what comes your way.
S: How has performing as your alter-ego LIA LIA changed you as a person?
LL: Having a self-made superhero definitely made me more confident to go out there and just do it. The more you put yourself out there, the more vulnerable you make yourself. People won’t just stand there and clap, cheer you on and be happy for you. Most people are fighting their own insecurities and demons and don’t have enough space in their hearts. I don’t think I was ready and able to handle the hate and jealousy, I just wanted to be loved. Now, if you come at me I clap back. It’s better to be hated, than loved for what you’re not.
S: How integral is fashion to LIA LIA as a musician?
LL: I think fashion is another way to express yourself, without having to say anything. The way you look plays a big part in your identity. I think that’s why I like to design things and I’m quite lucky because my best friend Clara Colette Miramon is a fashion designer and she made or customized everything for me. Clara knows that whatever she makes for me I will wear forever until it falls apart. I like school uniforms because they are relatable, timeless and give a sense of conformity, which I personally like to break. They immediately give you a setting and world in which you can create. In “Night Call” when I played the demon, I wore a Chinese hanfu gown, and for the Moth look I was inspired by ballet costumes I wore as a kid and 1920s theater costume.
S: You have an upcoming single and ep release. Any info you can share regarding the projects?
LL: Yes! My second EP “Angst” is coming out in October!
Image Credits:
Photographer: Roman Nikulin
Art Direction, Edit & Make Up: LIA LIA
Hair: Atsushi Imai
Styling: Joana Zibat
Wearing: PANTS Sankuanz/PR Ritual Projects BOXERS Muji SLIPPERS ITCC
Photostudio: Studio dB