In the week since figure skater Alysa Liu has returned home to California from the Milan Cortina Games, the gold medalist has found that it's pretty tough to walk around without being recognized.
She spent last week mostly spent decompressing with friends in Oakland, with a couple of skates mixed in for fun, Liu told NBC News on Monday. She's been stopped on the street quite a few times, joking she needs a hat or a hoodie to keep a low profile.
And while some Olympians dread the public speculation on whether they plan to compete in the next Games, Liu doesn't mind being asked about the 2030 French Alps Olympics.
"I mean, I like France... yeah, I would like to," Liu said, smiling.
Before arriving in Italy, Liu had about 210,000 followers on Instagram, according to Yahoo! Sports. She had nearly 7 million by Monday morning.
Liu is only the eighth female figure skater to win gold at the Winter Olympics, breaking a drought for Team USA since 2002, when Sarah Hughes won in Salt Lake City. But that's not what has drawn so many to be enamored with Liu — it's her story.
Alysa Liu describes returning and winning 'her way'
The 20-year-old hung up her blades and chose to retire from the sport in 2022 after returning from the Beijing Winter Games. She said she craved the everyday experiences of normal life, which had taken a backseat to a childhood of training.
In returning to the sport two years ago, Liu set down conditions that she would have more ownership over her clothes, her choreography, and even her music choices. The freedom to take more control in her program brought a joy to her skates that feels palpable to audiences who watch her.
People on TikTok have used "Promise" by Laufey, the song Liu used in her short program, to share themselves going back to something they once loved. Former figure skaters, swimmers, dancers, and more have shared videos of themselves, featuring the song and referencing Liu, since her Olympic win.
One skater shared that she was inspired to return to the ice for the first time in years, writing that "Alysa Liu is for all the girls who are finding their way back to a childhood passion they grew to resent and left behind."
"I'm glad people can, I guess, see themselves in me," Liu said. "That's why I do what I do, I guess, to share stories. It's storytelling and sharing emotions and if people resonate with that, that's what I want."
All three songs Liu used in her Olympic program have recently jumped in streaming numbers. Billboard reported last week that "Promise" had a 67% jump in streaming after Liu's gold medal win and "Stateside" by PinkPantheress ft. Zara Larsson, her gala skate program song, saw an 88% gain in streams.
But no song saw a more astronomical impact than Donna Summer's disco cover of "MacArthur Park," which Billboard said saw a 976% increase in streams and another 4,787% in sales.
The original songwriter, Jim Webb, posted a video thanking Liu for choosing his song, saying he probably enjoyed her performance more than anyone else.
"I felt her energy, her youth, her optimism, really breath a new life into 'MacArther Park.' ... I'm just glad I got to be a part of it," Webb said. "I guess I'll see you at the next Olympics."
When Liu spoke to NBC News, she didn't know yet about the increase in streams, or Webb's video, but she said, "art inspires art."
When Liu chooses a song for her program, she considers a number of factors. She says it comes from not only liking a song but being able to make it her own, with a "huge say" in the choreography and costume design.
Her "MacArthur Park" routine had been two years in the making.
"I really like the program, so I was like, 'Well, I want to do it,'" Liu said. "I didn't know if it was the one or not, but it didn't matter. It was the one for me."
