Alysa Liu on Cats, Thrifting, and Being a Celebrity Now

Alysa Liu brings out a palpable benevolence in people. By now, it’s a well-known fact that the Olympic gold medalist figure skater from Oakland possesses her own innate radiance. The 20-year-old phenom has all but written the next-gen playbook on doing things her own way, having retired from the sport discouraged only to return to (and conquer) it exactly as she saw fit. Her winning Milan routine set to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park Suite” was the single happiest elite sporting performance I’ve ever seen. But it’s the warmth she seems to spark in others that I’m not sure I anticipated.

I meet Liu on a stopover during “Stars on Ice,” an exhibition tour she’s headlining that features fellow Olympic skaters, Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn, and more. Within fifteen seconds of walking into a place called The Kitty Beautiful, a for-adoption cat café in downtown Orlando, a woman with an Eastern European accent approaches us. She apologizes for intruding before profusely complimenting Liu. Not long after that, a staffer physically bows as Liu demurely acknowledges the display. I’ve interviewed known figures in public before, but I’ve never seen this sort of collective kindness reaction. What follows is a wide ranging conversation–from the trials of fame to meeting Nicolas Ghesquière to generational understandings of the term “crash out”—all of it punctuated with some hot, catty gossip.

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NICK REMSEN: Hi Alysa, it’s nice to meet you.

ALYSA LIU: Hi! It’s nice to meet you, too.

REMSEN: How long have you been in Orlando?

LIU: Two days.

REMSEN: And you performed yesterday?

LIU: Yes, we did. It was really fun. The crowd was really good. Honestly, this entire tour so far has been really loud and it’s been pretty full. Sometimes it’s filled to the top. It’s crazy.

REMSEN: What’s the audience? Is it families, or is it kind of a range?

LIU: It’s a range. The age range goes from baby to the elderly.

REMSEN: When do you leave?

LIU: Tonight. We actually travel via bus.

REMSEN: That’s kind of fun. Road trip style.

LIU: We have three. Two for the skaters because we have to be six and six, and then one for the crew.

REMSEN: OK. So, I checked out this cat café before. It’s a little bare bones, but it’s cute. There are a bunch of cats available for adoption. Are you a cat person?

LIU: God, I love cats.

REMSEN: OK, good. Did you grow up with them?

LIU: I did! I also grew up with dogs. Right now, I have two of my own cats. Sesame and Chia.

WOMAN AT CAT CAFE: Oh my gosh! I recognize you. You are so amazing. I love you. I was so happy for you, oh my gosh, your skating was amazing. You make it look so effortless when it’s so difficult.

LIU: Thank you!

REMSEN: This must happen a lot.

LIU: Yes. It’s crazy. People really do say the nicest things though.

REMSEN: Yes. That was sweet. Should we sit here?

LIU: Perfect.

REMSEN: So I heard that Taylor Swift requested you specifically to present her recent iHeartRadio award…

LIU: Allegedly.

REMSEN: That’s so fucking cool.

LIU: Allegedly! Maybe she didn’t. I don’t know for sure, but she was very nice.

REMSEN: That sort of ties into my first official question, which is about fame. We also just kind of witnessed it at the entrance. Deep down, what is all of this really like?

LIU: Oh, yeah. I mean, I feel normal now because I’m with the rest of the skaters. But when I was home, it was kind of like, “Whoa, everybody knows me” and I was like, “I can’t really go do the stuff I normally do anymore.” So that sucks, in a way. But I guess that’s the price I’ve got to pay. I’ve been really enjoying tour. It just feels so normal because this is what I always do. I get to skate every day. I get to be with skaters and they don’t treat me any differently because we’ve all known each other for so many years. Right now, it’s nice to have some normalcy.

REMSEN: I’m happy to hear that part. It must be overwhelming at times. I saw your post about people waiting for you at San Francisco airport.

LIU: Yeah, they showed up wanting autographs and they’re all resellers. I knew they weren’t fans. They’re all up in my personal space, so that’s really not fan-like. It’s more…

REMSEN: Predatory.

LIU: Yeah, exactly. In Japan recently, there were a few men, too, that were there with photos for me to sign. Sometimes people show up at the hotels I’m staying at. When I get asked for photos at hotels, I say no because I don’t want people to know where I’m staying! Which I think is valid! And so I am like, “I’m sorry, I just don’t want people to know where I’m at.” And then usually people are like, “Oh, I understand.” But sometimes, the resellers…no is not in their vocabulary.

REMSEN: You have to set your guardrails.

LIU: Yeah, you kind of do. Not everyone should have access to you all the time. So, I try my best without being rude.

REMSEN: I think that’s a cool way to approach it. And being on tour with your people, I’m sure it’s truly, like, “Okay, I can breathe right now.”

LIU: Yeah. And they all protect me in a way, especially Amber. She’s been so protective. She saved me out of a sticky situation in Japan where me and Isabeau, we were arm-in-arm being followed by men and they kept stopping in front of us and Amber literally was like, “Get back.” She’s mama bear.

REMSEN: I have to say, I’ve watched your gold medal individual routine over a dozen times. Have you heard that, like, people saying, “I keep watching it”?

LIU: Sometimes, yeah. Some people keep watching. I’m like, “Oh, thanks.” I actually really like how I did, too, so I like to watch it as well.

REMSEN: You rewatch it?

LIU: Yeah! When I need to remember how the choreography is and stuff like that, I will rewatch it.

REMSEN: As things even out, are you finding that the fame component is changing your attitude towards social media? Is it changing your online presence?

LIU: Yeah, it is actually. I don’t post as much, I would say. My manager helps run some of the more sponsored posts, the brand deals and stuff like that. I’m not online as much, and I definitely don’t post as much personal stuff. It’s harder. I’m trying to break out of my shell and not be as scared to post, but there are so many more eyes now and it’s, like, I kind of am holding back.

REMSEN: I understand that. Do you read comments or DMs?

LIU: No, I don’t. There’s a setting where it just filters to the people that I follow that comment. Anyone can comment but, for me, I only see the people that I know commenting. So that’s nice.

REMSEN: In Italy, you had this moment of extraordinary, and really infectious, joy. In the time since, have you had any similarly euphoric moments?

LIU: Tour is really fun and I really love the shows we’re doing. I really enjoy the group number. There’s this song called “Too Darn Hot.” I think all of us look so cool in our outfits. The outfits are very cohesive. And, yeah, the ice is really my happy place. But I will say, I’ve also really enjoyed meeting so many new people.

A large gray cat approaches…

REMSEN: OK, this guy I met when I stopped by earlier today. I think they call him Wolf.

LIU: Wolf? That makes sense. Oh my god. Hi, Wolf!

THE KITTY BEAUTIFUL STAFFER: He’s three years young, and very social and friendly.

LIU: My cat Sesame is, like, super shy. Not social. Chia, she’s a very curious cat. Their personalities are so opposite.

THE KITTY BEAUTIFUL STAFFER: If you want to cheer him up, we can give you a treat for him.

REMSEN: Well, while Wolf eats, I want to ask you a bit more about your music interests. The world loved the Donna Summer song you picked for Milan. I’m curious about your current music taste. Did you follow along with Coachella at all?

LIU: Oh my god. I mean, I don’t really know how to keep up with Coachella. I know they have livestreams. I just don’t know where they livestream it.

REMSEN: Me neither.

LIU: I just know that Bieber performed and it was awesome from what I saw on TikTok. I know PinkPantheress performed, too.

REMSEN: Who would you say is the newest edition to your rotation on Spotify?

LIU: Oh, Amelia Moore. I’ve been listening to a lot of her songs. Also, this band named After.

REMSEN: How do you discover new music?

LIU: Sometimes through my friends and their playlists. Then, sometimes I’ll look up random playlists on Spotify. I’ll just put in a keyword and see what playlist pops up from it. Although, it gets kind of repetitive sometimes.

REMSEN: What’s the best vintage tee you’ve ever thrifted?

LIU: Ohhhhhh, my favorite thrifted vintage tee. There are so many. I like a lot of the old Abercrombie.

REMSEN: Do you have a favorite thrift store?

LIU: Second Street. I love Second Street. There’s one in San Francisco. There used to be one in Berkeley, but it shut down because people were stealing so much. So that was unfortunate.

REMSEN: Do you remember American Apparel? I knew someone who worked there and she said people were constantly stealing from it. I’m sure it happens everywhere.

LIU: Wait, is there a difference between American Eagle and American Apparel?

REMSEN: Yes, and I’m realizing now how much I’ve aged myself by asking that question. Speaking of clothes, you attended Louis Vuitton’s most recent show. What was it like meeting Nicolas Ghesquière?

LIU: He’s so cool and so nice. He congratulated me, but I was like, “Congrats to you!” Hello? What? I remember people’s vibe a lot more than exactly what they say, and his vibe was, like, super open and really inclusive.

REMSEN: Do you feel that your confidence, your joy, and your personality are in part informed by growing up and living in Oakland? I think of that city as being very much itself. Do you think that’s true?

LIU: I think it’s so true. And yeah, back to talking about vibes, Oakland really does have one. It’s its own soul. I think it promotes creativity and self-expression. There are so many artists in Oakland. I think even just walking around the town, you feel like people are themselves. I feel super safe in Oakland, and safe to be myself.

A cat wearing a necktie approaches…

THE KITTY BEAUTIFUL STAFFER: This is Bongo. He’s the only one not up for adoption. He runs the place. He is very food motivated. When he crashes out, though, he likes to—

LIU: He crashes out?

THE KITTY BEAUTIFUL STAFFER: Yeah. If he crashes out, don’t worry about his face. We call it resting Bongo face.

ANOTHER KITTY BEAUTIFUL STAFFER: Let’s remember, we talked about this. “Crashing out” means something different to younger people now.

THE KITTY BEAUTIFUL STAFFER: Oh, that’s right. We’re old people. When we say crash out, we just mean going to sleep.

LIU: I thought he was having manic episodes and stuff.

THE KITTY BEAUTIFUL STAFFER: We’ve got to keep up with the kids!

REMSEN: So, you’re one of five. I want to ask a little about your sibling dynamic. I knew this before, but I’m blanking on the spot. What number are you in order?

LIU: The oldest! I love being the oldest. I like watching them grow up and I like getting to experience everything first so that I can warn them, or assist them if I can. I like to be in the know, so that I can kind of help them in a way.

REMSEN: Do any of them come to you for advice?

LIU: Yeah. I mean, my brother does a lot. Same with one of my sisters. The other two, they’re at a stage right now where they don’t really come to me for advice no more. I give them unprompted advice, though. The triplets are 16, and then my sister is 18. So, yeah…

REMSEN: So they’re getting to the age where they’re like, “We’re little adults now. We don’t have to ask you anymore.”

LIU: Exactly. Yeah.

REMSEN: Were you the troublemaker or was it someone else?

LIU: I think the triplets were more of the troublemakers. The craziest thing they ever did was dump a ton of water on the floor. Flood the place. They took flour out one time, put it all over the room. They put paint on the outside of our house.

REMSEN: It sounds they were being sort of… let’s call it creatively expressive?

LIU: In a way. Yeah, yeah. But my dad would have described it as “destructive.”

REMSEN: I want to ask about your coaches, Phillip DiGuglielmo and Massimo Scali. They were so fun to watch at the Olympics. The drama! Are you sticking with them?

LIU: Yes. Oh my god. Not even a question. I’m sticking with them. They’re great and they know me so well.

REMSEN: Are they funny? Do they joke around with you?

LIU: They are hilarious. Yeah, they are so funny. Sometimes I feel like I’m paying to have a good time.

REMSEN: Love that.

LIU: And great conversation. Yeah, it’s so great. I love them.

REMSEN: I love that answer because then it sort of takes the strict—

LIU: The work stuff away! Like, with them, it feels like I want to do this. I’m not scared of them at all. When I was younger, I was scared of my old coaches. I think one big factor, the thing that really changed the sport for me, was that I’m now not scared of my coaches, I’m not scared of my team, I’m not scared of my trainers or any of them. So yeah, no stress.

REMSEN: That sort of taps on what the future might look like, too. The next Olympics even…I know it’s far off.

LIU: Yeah. I know. So much can happen in four years.

REMSEN: Are you thinking about it?

LIU: I don’t know. I would love to do it because it’s truly the biggest stage. And what artist wouldn’t want to perform on the biggest stage? But it’s so far away. I genuinely don’t know. Also, I don’t get a say in it. I have to be selected for the team, so who knows if I can even keep up for four years.