For Berlin-based musician LIA LIA, music is an intimate dance with vulnerability and expression—an ecstatic escape from reality and a refuge within one’s own fantasies. Fusing her love of the wholesome life lessons from shonen manga to nostalgic costumes from her childhood, all distilled through a rebellious spirit, LIA LIA has crafted a sonic world of feisty punk beats laced with heartfelt ballads. Melancholic pop for the anime generation.

With her new single What if I jump from a Bridge being released this month, the GATA team had to catch up with this new and exciting artist to get to the depths of what she’s all about. Touching on the roots of her musical influences, fashion inspiration and battling with intrusive thoughts, what we found was an artist in the purest sense, just beginning to realise her creative potential.

GATA: Hi LIA LIA, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us here at GATA! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself—how did your musical journey begin?

LIA LIA: My mom and dad are both painters, so art has always been my way to communicate with the world. Music, especially singing and songwriting is the closest to my heart. It sounds cheesy af, but it’s true. Music has magic to it.

GATA: Artistically where do you think you draw your inspiration from?

LIA LIA: Life, Love & Anime. I love banality in art, I think life is about the little things. Conformity is my enemy, so fuck that, I’m just trying to have fun with what I do and ENJOY. The truth is, I’m a bit melancholic at heart, and that always shines through.

GATA: You’ve moved around quite in the past, spending time in Shanghai, Tokyo and LA; how do you think this experience has influenced you?

LIA LIA: I think it happened naturally, I never felt like I fit in anywhere, so I was never scared to leave. Tbh I felt empty and dead inside and just wanted to find the place I truly belong in. Spoiler: “this” place doesn’t exist, you have to find it within and in the people around you. Nowadays I have my life packed up in a suitcase and I’m rarely anywhere longer than six months.

GATA: You previously mentioned that you decided to play a character on stage; how do LIA LIA and Lia Wang differ?

LIA LIA: In the beginning, I used to play a character, because I didn’t have the courage to be me yet. I put on a blonde wig and pretended to be everything that I’m not.

I was hiding behind a made-up superhero because I was scared. Not that I hate that “super” Lia, but now I don’t need her anymore. I’m just me, Lia or LIA LIA both work. I’m me, always, every day, all the time. I wear the same outfit when going to the supermarket or performing on stage in front of 20 000 people.

GATA: You’ve talked in the past about your love for anime and manga, in particular, Hunter X Hunter and One Piece, as well as the anime NANA—what lessons did you take from these works?

LIA LIA: As a kid I loved anime, because I felt like the characters just looked like me, and I could relate.

Ghibli or a lot of good shonen shows, often teach you real values and life lessons; climate change, AI, war, friendship and death are often important topics. They also encourage you to focus on your goals, hone your skills and build friendships.

“I’m creating a full world, an all-round experience, everything is part of the storytelling.”

— LIA LIA

GATA: From the Moth outfit to the school uniforms and hanfu gowns from “Night Call”, fashion and the visual aspect of your style seem to be an integral part of your creative expression—has this always been an important aspect for you?

LIA LIA: 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.

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 costumes.

GATA: With “City of Tears” and “I’m a Moth" you both wrote and directed the music videos, how did you find the experience of diving into a different form of creative expression?

LIA LIA: I think I’m quite controlling…from my music videos to art work to styling, makeup, to a post on Instagram, everything is micro-managed by me. It’s rather hard for me to let go and let other people do their thing. Last week I shot my first music video which I didn’t direct or write, I only did styling, makeup and casting. Letting go was hard, but also beautiful because I really believe in the vision of the directors and as one person you only have so much capacity.

**GATA: Your new single What if I Jump from a Bridge is out now, I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit about the inspiration for this song.**

LIA LIA: In the last two years, I suffered from long covid and spent more than 11 months stuck to my bed, making existing unbearable. Each time I thought I was recovering, I relapsed and ended up bedridden again. I felt my body and brain were rotting away, causing my already unstable mental health to worsen drastically. In these hard times, my pet bunny, Bun Bun, came into my life as my snow-white, floppy-eared best friend. He brought me so much joy and comfort, erasing my anxiety and loneliness with his unconditional love and curious nature. He acted more like a puppy or kitten than a bunny and wasn't confined to a cage.

One day, while I was out, Bun Bun had a deadly accident. He died in my arms on the way to the doctor. I’ve never felt more empty and heartbroken. In an effort to cope with the anxiety, PMDD, ED, and depression, I started taking SSRIs the day after his passing. During the first weeks of treatment, my mind filled with intrusive thoughts, but after being sad for so long, I just wanted to have fun and use a more lighthearted approach to cope with those intrusive thoughts.

I want to give a big shout-out to my producer Roman Nikulin, who brought the song sonically to life. He really helped me to discover the full spectrum of my sonic identity on this track and my upcoming EP, by putting his whole heart into it. Truly a ride-or-die!

New Single: *What if I jump from a Bridge* Photo by Vitali Asimov

“I value storytelling more than I like fashion, so I like to stick with things which are “me” and create something timeless, instead of following trends. ”

— LIA LIA

GATA: You’ve already demonstrated that you're a multi-talented artist who is comfortable with creating visuals and narratives, if you weren’t making music what do you think you would be pursuing instead?

LIA LIA: I love music the most, because it has the most magic to it, you can’t do it only with your brain, you have to allow yourself to become vulnerable, let go and follow your subconsciousness, heart, emotions, memories and feelings. Creating visuals for me is the opposite, there I want all power and creative control, always following a strong vision.

Maybe one day, I also could see myself doing my own fashion or makeup brand, writing a book, acting in a movie or developing my own supervillain AI.

If I had lots and lots of money, I’d definitely put it into a science foundation for PMDD research and find a cure!

GATA: Could you tell us a little bit about the single, Am I Human? What was the inspiration behind this track?

LIA LIA: My new single Am I Human? is the answer to my last lead single I’m a Moth!! While “Moth” was about wanting to be a rockstar, self-love, self-acceptance and breaking free from the norm, Am I Human? is more about the important, philosophical and fundamental questions in life…like: “Why do we have to get out of bed?”, “Why can’t I be a cat?” “Am I human?”

GATA: Our love of cinema is a huge part of what motivates us here at GATA, could you share with us a few of your favourite films that have influenced you in the past?

LIA LIA: All About Lily Chou-Chou, 3-Iron, Perfect Blue, Paprika, Akira, Fallen Angels, Chungking Express, Nowhere (1997), Carrie (1976), Alien (1986), Dogtooth and Spirited Away.

LIA LIA’s new single Am I Human? is available to stream online now.

Edit by James Elliott
Photos: Hyesoo Chung
Assistant: Nils Thurn

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LIA LIA: Pop and Melancholy for the Anime Generation