Alysa Liu drops short program over music tied to investigation

World champion figure skater Alysa Liu announced this week that she will scrap the short program she had been preparing for the 2025-26 season, including routines planned for the lead-up to the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics, after the music's performer became linked to an ongoing criminal investigation. Liu, 20, said in an Instagram post and in an interview with The Associated Press that she is dropping the song This Is How It Feels, a 2023 collaboration by Icelandic singer Laufey and American artist d4vd, as investigators probe the discovery of a teenage girl's body in a Tesla that was reportedly registered to d4vd earlier this month.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Liu wrote that she had recently debuted the short program but that in light of recent news her team was "confidently pursuing a different direction that aligns with my values" and that she did not want to rush the creative process. In the AP interview she said, "I have to change it, you know? Forced to change my hand, basically. But that's alright. I almost was grieving the process. Oh, I have my programs. They were going to grow and evolve... But there's nothing like a fresh start."