His song “Set Me Free” achieved international success, reaching No. 1 on the Canadian pop chart.
Long before his music reached listeners across continents, Yichao Liualso known as YI, was a young guitar student who grew up in Qinhuangdao, a coastal city in China. At the time, a career in music seemed far away. There were classes to attend, exams to prepare for, and expectations to meet. Like many children in China, he followed the path before him, without knowing exactly where it would lead.
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Today, YI is a singer-songwriter, music producer and guitarist based in Los Angeles. His songs have been played on radio stations in the United States, Canada and Argentina, among others. His recent release, Set Me Free, was featured on iTunes in both Canada and the United Kingdom, reaching No. 1 on the Canadian pop charts and also charting on the overall charts. He has collaborated with respected producers, songwriters and musicians whose work has shaped mainstream music for years.
The journey that got him there spanned three countries and took more than a decade of perseverance, learning and belief in a dream that many people around him could not yet see.
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Finding confidence through music
Growing up, YI often felt different from those around him.
He remembers being bullied at school because his skin color was darker than that of many of his classmates. While other students seemed to fit naturally into social groups and sports teams, he often felt left out. Those experiences stayed with him and shaped much of his early life.
At home, however, his parents made sure he had the opportunity to explore different interests. They enrolled him in various extracurricular activities, including English classes, dance lessons and music education. Of all these activities, one activity gradually started to stand out.
At the age of 7, YI began studying classical guitar, and what started as a children’s lesson slowly became a passion.
As the years passed, he expanded beyond classical music and became interested in Fingerstyle guitar and popular music. He spent countless hours practicing, learning songs and developing his skills.
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His efforts quickly yielded results.
Under the guidance of his teacher, Hao Tian, he began performing at local festivals and competitions. He won the championship at a local KAWAI music competition in his hometown and later won second prize in the Fingerstyle Acoustic Guitar category at the 2019 Qingdao International Guitar Festival.
For the first time, music gave him something he would have had difficulty finding elsewhere: confidence.
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A difficult conversation about the future
Success in competitions did not automatically make pursuing music an easy choice.
Like many parents, YI’s family valued education and stability. They wanted him to build a secure future and perform well academically. Although they supported his musical interests, they were not immediately convinced that music should become a profession. I understood their concerns, but he also knew that music had become much more than a hobby.
For more than three years he continued to discuss the possibility of attending a music school. It wasn’t a single conversation, but an ongoing attempt to show his parents how seriously he viewed his future.
Ultimately, his determination paid off. His parents agreed to support his decision to pursue music professionally, opening the door to a completely new chapter in his life.
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Building a new life in Thailand
That chapter started in Thailand.
YI enrolled at Mahidol University’s College of Music, where he studied both classical and jazz guitar. Leaving China was a big adjustment, but it also introduced him to new experiences, new cultures and a broader understanding of music.
His time in Thailand became an important period of growth.
He performed with bands such as Tea-quila and Haggai’s Boy and gained experience playing in professional settings. In 2023, he performed at the Thailand International Jazz Conference, one of Asia’s largest jazz festivals. He also performed with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra as part of a choir, adding another important experience to his growing musical background.
Outside the classroom and the stage, another interest quietly developed.
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For years, YI had been creating melodies in his head. During walks home from school, song ideas unexpectedly emerged. While studying in Thailand, he began to take songwriting more seriously and began working on original projects. Those early songs were far from perfect, but represented an important step toward discovering his own artistic identity.
Why Los Angeles Changed Everything
Although Thailand helped him grow as a musician, YI was drawn to a greater purpose.
He wanted to be closer to the center of the global music industry.
In 2023, he transferred to the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree. The move meant another leap into the unknown, but it would become one of the most important decisions of his career.
In Los Angeles, YI’s understanding of music expanded dramatically.
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As a guitarist he already knew how to perform. What now fascinated him was the process behind making records. Courses in arrangement and music production introduced him to the myriad decisions involved in transforming a simple melody into a fully realized song.
He became increasingly interested in production, studying everything from orchestration and arrangement to sound design and recording techniques. The deeper he went, the more he realized that producing music brought him the same excitement he once felt when he first picked up a guitar.
Stepping out behind the scenes
As his skills developed, so did the opportunities around him.
Working under his former stage name, Pivotor, YI began producing and writing music for other artists. One of his projects, “You are not the One,” recorded by American singer Leanna Baxter, reached the semifinals of the 2026 International Songwriting Competition and became part of his growing catalog.
At the same time, he began collaborating with highly respected professionals in the music industry.
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Over the years he has collaborated with Grammy-winning audio engineer Francis Buckley, producer John Ho, whose credits include Demi Lovato, Chlöe and Mark Ronson, songwriter and producer Leah Haywood, known for her work with Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, as well as producer Trey Vittetoe and touring singer Ameera Perkins.
These collaborations brought YI more than industry recognition. They allowed him to learn directly from professionals at the highest levels of music production. Ultimately, he decided it was time to introduce himself not only as a producer and songwriter, but also as an artist.
He adopted the name YI and released his debut single “Just Give Me Something to Believe”, the first time he publicly emerged as the voice behind his own music.
The next chapter
Since then, YI has continued to build momentum as both a producer and artist.
His recent release, “Set Me Free,” achieved international chart success, reaching No. 1 on the Canadian pop chart and appearing on the charts in both Canada and the United Kingdom. His music has been broadcast on radio in North and South America, introducing his work to new audiences around the world.
But despite the achievements, YI sees its current success as part of a much larger trajectory.
His long-term ambition isn’t just releasing songs or earning chart positions. He hopes to contribute to the future direction of popular music and become one of the producers who help shape the sound of the next generation.
Looking back, it is remarkable how far the journey has taken him. From a young guitarist in Qinhuangdao to a student in Thailand and now producer and artist in Los Angeles, every step required patience, dedication and a willingness to keep moving forward even when the outcome was uncertain.
For YI, the story was never about taking the easy way out. It was about following the path that felt right, no matter how far it led from home.
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