With the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics on the horizon, world champion Alysa Liu announced on Instagram that she will remove the D4vd and Laufey collaboration “This Is How It Feels” (2023) from her short program. Liu said the decision follows recent developments tied to a police investigation into the death of a 15-year-old whose body was found in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to the artist.

In her Instagram message, Liu explained that although she had debuted a new short program for the 2025–26 season, she and her team have decided to pursue a different musical direction that better reflects her values and creative goals. She added that she does not want to rush the process and is excited to explore new ideas. See the post on Instagram.

Liu indicated that, while she reworks the short, audiences might still see familiar programs on ice as she transitions. The 20-year-old claimed the World Championship title in March after previously stepping back from competition in 2022.

Speaking to the Associated Press, Liu described the change as a difficult but necessary fresh start, saying she felt a sense of loss over shelving material that she had planned to develop further. The AP also noted she opened her season at the Lombardia Trophy in Italy, where she won the short program with the routine she’s now replaced.

Liu and her coaches are currently auditioning new soundtrack options for an entirely new short program; last season she skated to Laufey’s ballad “Promise.”

The timing of her decision coincides with an LAPD inquiry into the death of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Authorities discovered a decomposed body in the front trunk of a 2023 Tesla registered to 20-year-old David Anthony Burke (stage name D4vd) on Sept. 8 after an impound-lot employee reported a strong odor. Hernandez was last seen in April 2024 in Riverside County. NBC News has more on the investigation.

Since then, police have searched the singer’s Hollywood Hills residence and D4vd canceled the remaining dates on his 2025 Withered world tour. His representative said he is cooperating with investigators; the LAPD has not named a suspect or made arrests.

The fallout has affected other collaborators: Kali Uchis is reportedly seeking removal of her duet “Crashing” with D4vd from streaming services, and Rolling Stone reported that a planned deluxe edition of D4vd’s debut album, Withered: Marcescence, was not uploaded to streaming platforms as scheduled. Read the Rolling Stone report.

Source