Admiring buildings far from LA base
As part of the group f(x), Amber Liu has grown used to performing worldwide. But this winter marks her first ever solo tour, to promote her mixtape “Rogue Rouge.” Her Gone Rogue Tour kicks off Dec. 5 in Chicago. Born and raised in Los Angeles, the singersongwriter splits her time between LA and Seoul, South Korea. The Taiwanese-American artist recently signed deals to be an ambassador with both L’Oreal and Nike. Liu, 26, did this interview while on a break from shooting with Nike in New York City.
An edited version of our conversation follows.
People don’t know what it’s like being the foreigner until they are one.
Q: Why did you choose this point in your career to do your tour?
A: I wanted to tour the United States because I feel I owe it to the community that I grew up in. When I was growing up, the only people I saw on TV were Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu and Jet Li. Our representation as Asians wasn’t big, but I wanted to be like Lucy Liu and then Maggie Q. Now we have “Crazy Rich Asians” and other Asian-American artists and actors out there. (Rapper/actress) Awkwafina being out there doing the monologue and hosting “Saturday Night Live” was huge. I’m not trying to be the next big thing, but being part of this movement and showing that we exist and that we’re here is important to me.
Q: Has living abroad given you a taste of what
immigrants go through in the U.S.?
A: Yes. People don’t know what it’s like being the foreigner until they are one. The song was basically about my mom and this really long conversation we had a couple years ago when I was having a lot of trouble adjusting to living outside of the U.S. She talked to me about what it was like for her when she was new to the States. (She said) don’t be afraid and just keep going.
Q: Where have you been to where you thought, “Wow, why aren’t I living here?”
A: I recently went to Portland. I wouldn’t live there now, but if I wanted to run away, I would move there.
Q: How have your travels affected your sense of style?
A: I’m from Los Angeles and we have 24/7 sun pretty much all year round. At home, all I would do is walk out in basketball shorts and T-shirts. All my model friends are trying to teach me and tell me I need to dress better, and I’m like, “True.” But when I’m in countries or states that have four seasons, it’s a whole different game. In London and New York, people just naturally seem to dress really well and that makes me want to do the same. In Seoul, too; in LA, I’m just like, “Eh.”
Q: What do you look for in each new place that you visit?
A: What I like seeing these days when I’m in different countries is the architecture. I like seeing how the buildings were built and I think, “Oh, that’s pretty. How come we can’t build something like that in LA?” (Laughs) Like it’s so easy, right?
Q: Some artists say they can’t create on the road. Can you?
A: Yes, which is why I sometimes never sleep. I have learned to deal with my thoughts even when I want to work. For instance, I’m in the middle of this interview with you right now and can concentrate on this and wait to write music, whereas I couldn’t always do that well in the past. (Laughs)