Drawing inspiration from ancient artifacts

During her studies, Liu also trained as a curator, which makes her visits to museums different to those of others.

"I always imagine myself working in the museum. How would I display the exhibits? How would I arrange these silent objects to let them tell their stories and communicate with visitors?" she says. "My passion for museums remains even though I am a singer now."

She suggests that on their next museum visit, people should think of it not just as a journey through time, but as an encounter with artifacts waiting to tell their stories.

Born and raised in Chengdu, Sichuan province, Liu learned to play the bamboo flute as a child. She took classes for fun, but this gradually inculcated a love of music. She has been starting bands since she was in senior middle school and in 2008, after coming to Beijing to study at Peking University, she joined its guitar association, and began to perform and write her own songs.

During a singing competition at university, she met Du Kai, one of the competition judges, who also graduated from the university. In 2009, the duo began to perform as Mr Miss, producing pop and jazz songs with lyrics that told stories, and conjured up movie-like images.

After graduation, Liu worked at a public relations company in Beijing and continued with her music career.

"Du and I lived far apart, and we met when we had new ideas for a piece of music or to rehearse. The beginning years were tough but unforgettable. We performed as much as possible, and though we didn't know where we were heading, we loved what we were doing. It's still the same feeling for us today," Liu says.

One of their biggest breaks came in June 2017, when the duo won the Best Vocal Collaboration Award at the 28th Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan. They became the first performers from the Chinese mainland to win the award, and their debut album, Mr Miss, also set a record among singers from the Chinese mainland by being nominated in two other categories; Best Album Producer and Best Newcomer.

Liu vividly remembers that the day before they flew to Taipei to attend the awards ceremony, they performed in Nanchang in Jiangxi province, and due to heavy rain, their flight was canceled and they had to drive 10 hours to Shenzhen, Guangdong province, to catch another plane. Fortunately, they made it to the ceremony at the last minute. Although they missed the chance to walk the red carpet, they still managed to hug and scream in joy, and give an impromptu speech.

Thanks to their rising reputation, the duo had more opportunities to perform at events such as outdoor music festivals and reality shows. In 2019, they performed on the hit reality show, The Big Band, which helped expand their fan base.

Liu experienced real change after she appeared in the third season of the popular reality show, Sisters Riding the Winds and Breaking the Waves, which is about female celebrities over 30.

She quit her job at the public relations company and began to run her music career as a full-time role.

"It was a decision I had to make because I have more and more things to do as a singer. It's quite challenging to be my own boss, but it's also full of new possibilities," she says.

In December, Liu released a solo EP, Don't Speak, Just Kiss, which features three of her songs and demonstrates her journey into the world of self-expression as a solo musician.

For her birthday this year on April 26, she released a new song, Jiali (Beauty), which was inspired by the 2012 movie, Cloud Atlas, particularly by the characters of the cloned women, each with almost identical bobbed hairstyles and white dresses.

"I often feel anxious before my birthday arrives. Writing songs helps me relax," Liu says, adding that she has been releasing new songs on her birthday since 2017. "My creative process is not just about reflecting on myself, it also involves exploring imagination and fiction to express my thoughts and observations at the time."