Global pop star, Amber Liu, has released her final EP of her trilogy ‘Z!’ on all digital streaming platforms via EMPIRE. Over the past few months, Liu has already released three hit singles from this new body of work as a little tease for what’s to come from one of her most playful but serious albums to date. The music video for her title song of the album, “Easier,” features the international phenomenon Jackson Wang, and will be released on February 28.
The EP “Z!” is the last in the recent series that began with “X” in 2019 and “y?” in early 2021. While “X” was about crossing over to something new, “y?” dove into Amber’s internal struggles. Finally, “Z!” marks a perfect ending to the trilogy; a declaration and commitment to herself that she’ll always be “Amber” even though she is just finally getting to know herself.
As a well-rounded icon, the singer-songwriter brilliantly showcases each single with different music styles and topics in “Z!”. In her ability to easily maneuver through various musical expressions, it ultimately made Amber the versatile and world-renowned artist she is today. Demonstrating her hypnotic vocal abilities through “Paradise,” she gives listeners an other-worldy beat and musical experience to tune into. Along with the first track, the musical star expresses her progression in life as being independent in the up-beat pop song “Don’t Dance”. In addition to Amber’s playful songs, the songstress also dives into more emotional tunes using heart-felt lyrics in the song “Love Somebody.” This emotional theme continues with “Easier” where she demonstrates her willingness to open up and be vulnerable on a global scale, reflecting her authenticity and devotion towards mental health advocacy. Multifaceted international talent, Jackson Wang, incorporates his own unique style to, which highlights the incredible dynamic between the two artists.“Lately” is a track that takes a more personal tone, as Amber wrote to one of her best friends, further reflecting on who she truly is and her desire to advocate for love and compassion. “Done Thinking” is a standout with soul-stringing lyrics, deep beats, and a voice that anyone who listens will never be done thinking about. With “Bad Decisions”, we are taken on a ride from the perspective of a hopeless romantic with fun repercussions.
“Z!” Tracklist
- Paradise
- Bad Decisions
- Easier
- Don’t Dance
- Love Somebody
- Done Thinking
- Lately
- Paradise (Mandarin Ver.)
- 别假装
- Done Thinking Feat. Gen Neo, 梁根荣, Psy.P (Mandarin Ver.)
After cementing her star power in South Korea as a member of the record-breaking electro-pop-based K-pop girl group f(x), Amber returned to her native California for much of 2018. The move signaled a crossover into new audiences and solo success with fans and critics alike raving about her solo body of work. She soon signed with US management company Steel Wool Entertainment and United Talent Agency for US bookings before leaving Korea-based SM Entertainment. Just two years ago, her EP “X” was released and she went on to perform on two back-to-back North American national tours; with the most recent being a 24-city tour in early 2020 with rising artists Justin Park, Meg & Dia and Justice Carradine. The megastar kept busy last year outside of music with visual language learning app, Drops, tapping her to teach Korean to K-pop fans and hosted her own show, “I’ll Ask The Stupid Questions” as an original program with international mobile streaming service, Ficto. Earlier this year, Liu was not slowing down on her global projects, joining the fourth season of popular national Chinese TV survival reality series, “CHUANG 2021.” As a mentor, she offered her knowledge of what it takes to be an internationally-acclaimed pop idol as the show forms their new Chinese 11-member boy group from 90 contestants competing to debut music in the global market. As a singer-songwriter, she has multiple credits on f(x) hits such as “Goodbye Summer” and her own solo hit “Shake That Brass,” which she performed on the “CHUANG 2021” to rave reviews.
Last year, she came out with her “y?” EP, which featured her hit song “neon” along with the artists Peniel of K-Pop boy group BtoB in the English version and Chinese-born rapper Blow Fever in the Mandarin version. Other featured artists from the album included Junoflo and MaSiWei of hip-hop group Higher Brothers.
Modern Mystery 