Mui Zyu: Cantopop Nostalgia Meets Videogame Futurism

Description

Growing up in Kent, UK, Eva Liu assimilated into her British surroundings, largely disconnected from her parents’ Cantopop vinyl collection. Today, performing under her Cantonese stage name Mui Zyu (妹豬), the indie-electro artist is leaning hard into those childhood roots. 

Born out of pandemic-era experimentation with synths, toys, and traditional Chinese instruments like the guzheng, Mui Zyu has become Liu’s sonic therapy and a proud reclamation of her heritage. The result is a captivating mix of dreamy, ethereal futurism and deep cultural nostalgia. 

Most notable for a local audience, Nothing or Something to Die For (Cantonese Tasting Menu) reimagines songs from her second language in her parent’s mother tongue, translated with the help of friend Emma-Lee Moss (Emmy the Great). The package has recently been repressed by Tokyo’s Big Romantic Records with three extra tracks — including a faithful, modern cover of Teresa Teng’s iconic 1986 Japanese hit, “Give Yourself to the Flow of Time,” honoring the family karaoke soundtracks of her youth.

Following a successful debut at Clockenflap 2024, Liu’s upcoming performance alongside collabrotor/producer Luciano Rossi at local institution The Wanch marks a bittersweet homecoming, and the latest chapter in her search for identity in a hometown she never truly knew.