Chi Liyu Shines Beyond Sound: Inside Her Defining Kitto Magazine Pictorial and the 2025 Creative Direction That Redefines K-pop Artistry

Photo Credits: Kitto Magazine FNC Entertainment

Chuei Liyu: Poise, Power, and a New K-pop Aesthetic

For the December 2025 cover of Kitto Magazine, Chuei Liyu transforms the concept of K-pop beauty into an art form. Known for her remarkable vocal range and visual artistry, Liyu enters the winter issue as a symbol of creative reinvention — poised between dreamlike elegance and fierce individuality.

“Every photoshoot becomes a mirror,” she says softly in our exclusive behind-the-scenes interview, “reflecting not what I was, but who I’m becoming.”

This line defines her new era. In an industry often obsessed with perfection, Chuei Liyu leans into evolution.

A Defining Year of Artistic Milestones

2025 has been a memorable year for Chuei Liyu — a year marked by new global endorsements, chart milestones, and her first co-producing credit on an album that redefined her musical identity. Kitto’s December issue captures that turning point: a time where confidence meets creative control.

The pictorial, shot by renowned photographer Han Jiyoon, unfolds across cinematic compositions — icy whites, mirrored textures, and fluid metallics that translate her music’s emotional spectrum into visual poetry. Every image speaks of transformation: soft gaze, sharp silhouettes, and a rhythm between restraint and release.

Kitto Magazine’s New-Decade Vision

Kitto’s editorial direction for 2025 celebrates hybrid storytelling — where fashion, sound, and vision collide. For Liyu, this partnership is more than cover art; it’s a declaration of how global K-pop stars now shape narratives of self-authorship.

The creative team envisioned her look not merely as fashion styling, but as a visual script. High-contrast lighting nods to her sonic experimentation, while progressive couture highlights her pioneering presence within a crowded global field. The resulting imagery blurs the distinction between idol and auteur.

“We wanted each frame to feel like a soundwave — kinetic, emotional, and impossible to freeze,” shares creative director Rina Sae

The Evolution of an Icon

As 2025 draws to a close, Chuei Liyu stands at the intersection of music, art, and self-mastery. Her narrative continues to inspire younger idols seeking authenticity within production-driven fame. The Kitto pictorial crystalizes her growth — not as a fleeting visual, but as an emotional statement.

In her words: “Success isn’t just about the stage anymore. It’s about learning how to write your own story — even when no one else can hear the melody yet.”

A fitting close to both her milestone year and Kitto’s boundary-breaking season.