Born in Belfast to immigrant parents from Hong Kong, raised in the south of England, singer and producer Eva Liu first emerged in 2017, fronting London/Glasgow art-rock trio Dama Scout. Covid lockdowns put the band’s plans on hold, while rising racism against people of east and south-east Asian heritage during that period led to Liu writing songs to process it all. In 2021 she put out her first solo EP, A Wonderful Thing Vomits, under the moniker Mui Zyu, her childhood pet name (in Cantonese it means “little sister pig”).
Liu’s work has the surreal sweetness that such a name might suggest. Her 2023 debut album, Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century, features her enchanting vocals over lo-fi pop that occasionally descends into distortion, interspersed with the glowing textures of traditional Chinese instrumentation. The record explores her heritage and identity – in interviews, Liu has spoken about growing up isolated, feeling like she had to assimilate into white Britishness.
