Who is Liya K beyond social media and content creation?

Liya K is a digital and performing artist based in Los Angeles. I would say that I combine music, visual storytelling and social media!

I also document my journey as an artist in the series “Becoming Liya K”And I think people are inspired by my vulnerability, confidence and self expression.

What inspired you to move to Los Angeles and pursue a career as an artist in the U. S. ?

I can’t say it was just one thingIt was everything combined. For the past few years, I felt like I had nothing to strive for anymore… Like the spark in my eyes was gone and there was nobody I truly wanted to look up to!

At the same time, moving to the US and living here had been my dream since childhood. I grew up watching American movies and cartoons and dreaming about coming here one day!

But because nobody in my family or among my friends had ever lived abroad, it felt almost impossible to believe that it could actually happen to me!

So honestly, I’m just happy that eventually I grew up, found confidence in myself and finally made this dream real ❤️‍🔥.

How did your experience with cancer change your perspective on life and creativity?

I think this was actually the experience that helped me build confidence in myself. Growing up, my relationship with my mom was very unstable emotionally. We weren’t truly close and our relationship often felt more like a formality than a real emotional connection.

But because of that experience, I learned how to communicate, how to talk about things that hurt me and how to express gratitude. Over time, my mom and I learned how to have honest conversations about everything and honestly, that became one of the greatest happinesses in my life.

When you feel love from your parents and when you’re able to give love back to them, it gives you an incredible strength and confidence that makes you feel like you can move mountains. That was the moment when I truly found confidence in myself and I honestly think that confidence is what brought me to the US.

So many things in my life changed because of it. I moved to Moscow, started studying with one of the best vocal coaches there, began writing my own music and sharing it with people, even released my first song, moved to the US, started learning English intensively and began writing music in English.

Everything changed because I finally found the confidence in myself that I had been searching for my entire life ❤️‍🔥.

Was it difficult to start building an audience while speaking English as a second language?

The hardest part was that I barely spoke English at all!

I understood grammar and could sometimes understand what people were saying, but speaking was incredibly difficult for me!

Expressing my thoughts was incredibly difficult and understanding spoken American English was also very hard. During my first six months, I used Google Translate for my posts and honestly, it translated things terribly sometimes!

So I received a huge amount of hate simply because people didn’t understand what I was trying to say…But over time, my English improved!

Later, I started using ChatGPT to help me correct and improve certain things!

Eventually, I found a system that helped me communicate my ideas and emotions to my audience in the way I actually wanted!

I’m honestly still learning English, but I can definitely say that my English has improved a lot!

And I’m really happy that I created a new English speaking account right after moving to the US and immediately started making content ❤️‍🔥.

In what ways has your journey as a digital artist shaped your identity as a performer and musician?

Social media helps artists tremendously today. An artist’s career is built around people listening to their music. If you don’t have fans or an audience on social media, usually the only people listening to your music are your friends. And honestly, that’s rarely enough to truly break through.

That’s why building social media and creating a fanbase is so important for artists. Right now, I’m actively building my platforms and growing my audience so that when I release my English albums in the future, there will already be people waiting for that moment.

I also feel like social media helps me create an image and energy that attracts people. Through my content, I open up as a person and show who I really am and eventually all of that will naturally flow into my music. And honestly, I also understand that the bigger my audience becomes, the easier it will be for me to invite people to my performances in Los Angeles and actually fill venues with people who already connect with me and my art ❤️‍🔥.

What message do you hope people feel through your music and performances?

I think the main message is about being yourself, staying true to your path, loving and accepting your body, being grateful for every single day of life and enjoying every moment. It’s also about being proud of your roots and choosing peace and kindness.

I’ve avoided conflict for most of my life because I genuinely don’t like negativity or drama!

So through my art and content, I also try to encourage people not to get involved in conflicts, gossip or unnecessary noise!

To stay focused on their own journey, their own dreams and their final goal without getting distracted by everything happening around them ❤️‍🔥.

What has been the biggest challenge of building a creative career in the U.S. ?

Probably the hardest part is realizing that I completely don’t understand how this industry works here. Everything I knew before suddenly feels like it doesn’t work in this country. So I’ve had to rebuild everything from zero and learn everything again.

For example, before moving to the US I had never even heard of showcases. None of my musician friends in Russia ever talked about them either, even though I was surrounded by people from the music industry. The system here works very differently, especially when it comes to labels and opportunities!

You can’t just email a label or go to a competition and expect something to happen!

Here, you almost have to become visible enough for people to find you themselves!

That’s very different from what I was used to and what I had heard before. But at the same time, it’s incredibly interesting because this feels like the highest level of the industry!

I would even say an international level of how the entertainment industry works ❤️‍🔥.

What are you currently working on as an artist?

Right now, I’m continuing to focus on growing my social media because that’s the foundation of everything. At the same time, I’m preparing for my first performances in the US with my own music. So right now I’m finishing my English songs, translating some of my Russian songs into English and overall refining my repertoire.

My first performances are scheduled for the end of June and the beginning of July ❤️‍🔥.

What is your biggest dream for the future of your career?

Honestly, probably the same as every artist. To have a large fanbase, to be able to consistently release my music, perform my own songs, create music videos and be more involved in the industry overall. To truly live through my art and music every single day. That’s what I’m working toward right now ❤️‍🔥.