Hello and welcome back to HallyuTones – always focused on sound, stage, and substance.
K-Pop is always evolving, always changing and broadening in scope. Over the past 20 or so years, we have increasingly seen the genre incorporate new musical elements, more experimental styles, and welcome artists hailing from many different countries and backgrounds.
Today we bring you an interview with Vancouver-based singer-songwriter LIYVZ (Lindiwe Senzeni Sibongo) who is an independent K-Pop artist. She was born in London, but was raised and lived most of her life in Vancouver, Canada. She is of Zambian, Zimbabwean and South African heritage, and aims to encourage artists from all around the world to pursue their dreams.
LIYVZ has a background in performing arts. She lived and trained in Korea as an independent trainee, and has also worked as K-Pop dance teacher and choreographer. She has competed in and won numerous K-Pop dance competitions. Her music incorporates both Korean and English lyrics alongside her own choreography.
She has also made some notable television appearances in South Korea, including an audition during ‘My Teenage Girl’ Episode 2 (a survival show competition). In addition, she was a virtual chorus singer for Isaac Hong during Episode 521 of ‘Immortal Songs 2‘.
As a soloist, she has released 3 singles so far. The first, ‘Venus‘, released in 2023 and emphasises her wish to be a star, using constellation themed lyrics to express her feelings.
In 2024, she released her second single, ‘Bloom‘. The lyrics of this song reflect her personal journey of self-reflection and finding her inner peace.
Her most recent release, ‘NASTY BOY‘ was released on August 22nd, 2025. This song is catchy and smooth, with an easy-listening vibe. With smooth synths and light percussion, and a repeated chorus hook, the song instantly sticks in your head. However, behind the soft vocals and rap sections is a deeply personal story, discussing how an older guy manipulated her emotions and utilised his age gap to treat her ‘like a toy’. This is an important message that unfortunately many young women may relate to, and I feel that this is reflected well within the lyrics of this track.
We had the opportunity to discuss ‘NASTY BOY’ further with LIYVZ, as well as asking her some more about her stage name, her experiences in Korea, and her advice for other aspiring trainees!
Interview:
Q1. Please introduce yourself and your music!
Hi, my name is LIYVZ and I’m an independent K-Pop artist from Vancouver, Canada! I write original songs that blend Korean and English to share my life experiences and perspectives in various genres such as R&B and dreampop, with more to come.
Q2 Could you explain the inspiration behind your stage name?
My stage name LIYVZ blends my real name, Lindiwe, with the airport codes for Vancouver (YVR) and Toronto (YYZ). Growing up, I lived about an hour outside of Vancouver and used to travel there on the weekends to do K-Pop dance with my friends, and in college I studied performing arts in Toronto. Both of these cities have been so integral to my development as an artist, and I wanted to honour that in my stage name.
Q3. Could you tell us all about your new single, ‘NASTY BOY’?
On the surface, NASTY BOY is a chill and groovy song about realizing a guy who played with your feelings while you were young and naive was actually just trash. But the deeper message is a warning to young people who are just starting to date, and potentially being pursued by older people for relationships. I wanted to encourage people to question the intentions of people like this, to keep themselves safe. It’s also a very clear “f— you” to the guy who did this to me when I was 18 years old- this is a true story!
Q3. How did you first discover K-Pop and what made you want to debut as a
K-Pop artist?
I first discovered K-Pop when I went to a Jonas Brothers concert in 2009, and saw the Wonder Girls as their opening act. I was immediately so into them, and when I went home from the concert and looked them up my cousin and I spent hours watching K-Pop music videos, falling down the rabbit hole like many others do.
As I got into K-Pop, I felt that K-Pop idols were limitless. I’ve done performing arts since I was super young, but I felt that the stars I saw on TV were always kept in a box. Singers who tried their hand at comedy got mocked, dancers never truly got the spotlight they deserve, actors who started singing were never taken seriously. But in K-Pop, it was not only encouraged, but pretty much expected that idols are versatile. They bounce from high fashion modelling gigs to being down to earth and relatable on variety shows like it’s no problem. I loved that, felt that it was how I wanted my career to look, and pretty much immediately started trying to enter the industry.
Q4. You have entered and won numerous K-Pop dance competitions – what do you love the most about dancing and performance?
I have a very special relationship with dance, as it’s always been a safe haven for me to express myself and release my emotions. What I love about dancing and performing the most will always be connecting with others. From working with my dancers to prepare for a show to finally getting to be in front of a crowd and interact with them, it all brings me so much joy. I get so much energy from it and I love seeing people’s reactions to my hard work and self-expression!
Q5. What challenges have you faced in the K-Pop industry as a Black artist,
and as an artist from a non-Korean background?
I’d say the biggest challenges have come from social media. When I perform or show up at an event in person, I feel so much love and support and I’m so grateful. Online though, people are very quick to leave harsh and discriminatory comments without a second thought.
People see my skin colour and immediately discredit me, thinking that I’m “delusional” or have some ulterior motives in pursuing a career in K-Pop, such as getting close to other idols. It does weigh on me mentally sometimes, because I know how passionate and driven I am about music and performance. I have dedicated so much of my life to becoming an artist, even before I discovered K-Pop so it can definitely be frustrating to be reduced to a “Koreaboo” just because I’m not Korean, when I know my heart is truly in the right place.
Q6. What was your experience like as an independent trainee, and what did the training regime involve?
My experience as a trainee was truly life changing. Going to Korea to train at an academy was the pivotal step to me deciding to pursue K-Pop as an independent artist. It was a dream come true to be able to focus on artistic development all day, every day, and I felt that even though the pressure was heavy sometimes, it was helping me grow. My teachers were incredibly supportive and some of them even went out of their way to give me extra help and opportunities because they believed in me. I’m so incredibly grateful to them.
The training regimen was very well structured, with vocal lessons once a week, weekly assessments for our Performance & Open Mic class that would culminate in a graded and ranked performance at the end of the month, and monthly mock auditions that would rank all the students in the academy and give us feedback so we knew what to work on for the month. Outside of these things, practice was individually decided. We arranged when to rehearse with our teammates, when to practice individually, and in my case, when to take extra classes (I took dance classes at 1MILLION Dance Studio instead of at the academy like some students did). I think that while it was intense, it was an environment I thrived in and I actually miss having such structured days.
Q7. Do you have any advice for someone who might want to audition in the
K-Pop industry?
The advice I want to give is to not only hold onto your individuality, but lean into what makes you different. The K-Pop industry is fiercely competitive, and as idol hopefuls or trainees, you feel a lot of pressure to “conform” to things that you feel might give you a better chance of passing an audition. But when you stay true to yourself and believe in your uniqueness, you’ll know that any opportunities that come your way are truly meant for you and you don’t have to change or water yourself down to achieve them.
Q8. Who are your artistic inspirations both within and outside of the K-Pop
industry?
Within K-Pop, I am always so inspired by SHINee. They’re my favourite K-Pop group and I feel like as a group and as soloists, they teach me so much about what it means to be an artist. I’m also very inspired by the girl groups of 2nd generation K-Pop, my original divas! They had me dancing in sky-high heels in middle school, trying to embody their attitude and presence. I didn’t realize it until recently, but so much of how I perform really reflects them. I’d name them all but we’d be here all day!
Outside of the K-Pop industry, Nao is my biggest inspiration as an artist. She gave me so much confidence in my voice as a black artist who has a more nasal, high pitched tone (which people think isn’t typical due to stereotypes) and her lyricism is something I study intently. Her music has gotten me through so much and I always aim for my music to do the same for others.
Q9. What are your goals for the future as an artist?
My immediate goal is to meet more fans in different places! I want to perform
everywhere- I’ve received so much love from people all over the world, whether it’s the United States, Korea, or South Africa. I’d also love to spend time working between Korea and Canada, doing guest appearances on variety shows, music shows, and even award shows while also supporting the growth of the Canadian music industry and paving the way as a K-Pop artist here.
Q10. What is your favourite memory so far (favourite performance,
achievement, or song)?
My favourite memory so far was my recent performance at the K-POP & Food
Festival in Surrey, BC. I was received so, so warmly, the crowd was super
enthusiastic and honestly, it healed something in me. Even thinking about it now, it makes my heart feel so full!
Q11. What is your typical song production and writing process, and what
inspires the lyrics of your songs?
My song writing process typically includes writing to beats I find on YouTube. I come across beats often, and save the ones I like and write to them either on the spot or when I have a writing session. I used to write my melody and lyrics at the same time, but lately I’ve been leaning into focusing on the melody and filling in the lyrics later to really get that unfiltered, intuitive kind of melody line. I’ve also started working with different producers to create music in a more collaborative way, which is very cool and teaches me a lot.
As far as what inspires my lyrics, they’re almost all based on my past experiences. I tend to process things I go through or emotions I feel a bit after the event has happened. Sometimes it can feel like a lot to realize how deeply something hit me when it’s already passed, so the best way for me to work through that is with my music.
Q12. Lastly, do you have a message for your fans and any new listeners?
To my sweet and lovely MYVz, I am so incredibly grateful to you all for waiting for me. You’ve stood beside me as I grow, change, and figure out my direction as an artist and I am so thankful. I do what I do to make you proud, and I hope we stay together for a long time! For my new listeners, thank you so much for taking the time to check me out! I have so much more to share, and I would love to have you along for the ride, so please keep up with me!
Thank you so much to LIYVZ for taking the time to answer our questions. We always love talking with independent artists about their experiences, journeys and unique insights into their production process!
If you’d like to support LIYVZ, please check out the streaming link for her new song ‘NASTY BOY’, below!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liyvz
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LIYVZ
b.stage: https://liyvz.bstage.in/home
HallyuTones 
Leave a comment