Amber Liu

Taiwanese-American vocalist and rapper Amber Liu first gained notice as a member of the K-Pop act f(x) before issuing independent work, much of it performed in English. Born Liu Yi-Yun in Los Angeles in 1992, she entered the profession at sixteen by entering SM Entertainment’s worldwide tryouts held that year in her hometown. Selected from thousands of applicants, she relocated to South Korea for twelve months of preparation ahead of her 2009 debut as one of five members in f(x). During the seven years that followed, the ensemble issued four full-length albums, each reaching the top position on Korean charts; the unit later entered a break while its participants pursued individual music and screen projects. Liu took a role in the television series Entourage, a localized version of the American program, and put out multiple tracks plus the EP Beautiful prior to shifting her focus to English-language recordings. Originally positioned as the group’s “tomboy,” she maintained an androgynous presentation after going solo, an approach she has said suits her best. In 2019 she departed SM Entertainment and joined the U.S. management firm Steel Wool. The tracks “Ready for the Ride,” “Numb,” and “Hands Behind My Back” appeared on her first English-language EP, X, which surfaced in early 2020 and drew heavily on nineties pop and R&B. A follow-up EP, Rogue Rouge, arrived soon after.