Alysa Liu appears in star-studded retro music video, drawing millions of views
Alysa Liu trades the ice for a poolside dreamscape in Laufey's new "Madwoman" music video, a stylized clip that quickly drew a large online audience after the singer performed the song live for the first time over the weekend at Coachella.
The video, released Monday, April 13, casts the Richmond-raised figure skater in a retro tableau alongside "Heated Rivalry" actor Hudson Williams, "The Summer I Turned Pretty" star Lola Tung and Katseye member Megan Skiendiel.
Directed by Warren Fu, the clip leans heavily on 1960s and '70s visual references, staging its action in a manicured, sun-soaked poolside setting that feels both glamorous and slightly surreal. It drew more than 2 million views in less than 12 hours after its release.
For Liu, the appearance extends a public connection with Laufey that has grown over the past year. The 20-year-old used the Icelandic jazz-pop singer's music in competition programs during her Olympic run this year, which culminated in a gold medal in Milan.
In the video, Liu appears as part of Laufey's inner circle, dressed in period-inspired fashion and framed in scenes that blend synchronized glamour with hints of unease.
"Growing up, I felt a general lack of representation for people who looked like me in music and media. With the ‘Madwoman' video, I wanted to be that representation," Laufey said in a statement. "The result is what honestly feels like my absolute dream video and exactly what younger Laufey would have loved to see."
The video includes references to mid-century glamour photographer Slim Aarons and the acclaimed period drama "Mad Men," along with brief cameos from actresses Havana Rose Liu ("Bottoms") and Chase Sui Wonders ("I Know What You Did Last Summer").
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Liu's expanding cultural presence has also drawn praise from within the skating world. Kristi Yamaguchi, who also won her Olympic gold medal in women's singles figure skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France at 20 years old, recently reflected on Liu's gold-medal performance at the Winter Olympics in an interview with The Chronicle, noting "the quality of skating and the depth was amazing."
She also acknowleged the local figure skating talent. With Yamaguchi a Fremont native, they grew up in towns less than 40 miles apart.
"It's crazy," Yamaguchi told Chronicle sports columnist Ann Killion. "And even more so when you throw Brian Boitano (a Mountain View native) in - that makes four gold medalists out of 16 (American singles champions) from the Bay Area. I'm amazingly proud of Alysa and the culture of skating we have."
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This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 7:23 PM.