Otayonii was born in Haining, China.[6] Otayonii has said she was a naughty child, but certain life events silenced her as she was growing up, changing her into a shy, quiet person.[3] In 2010, at age 16, Otayonii moved to the United States from Guangzhou, China.[6]
Influences
Otayonii's music is influenced by Queenadreena. Otayonii credits Chinese and Mongolian singing with influencing her to sing without boundaries.[3]
Dent
In 2014, Dent was formed by drummer Jack Whelan, guitarist Harley Cullen, bassist Tristan Allen, and vocalist Otayonii, who all met while attending Berklee College of Music.[7][8][9]
The Boston Globe described Otayonii's stage presence at Dent shows as "creating a force field around as much of the room as she can reach".[3]Bandcamp Daily stated Dent's "local notoriety grew with each visceral, concrete-shaking basement performance".[10]
In 2015, the band played a 14-city tour of China that spanned 5,700 miles.[11]
On 12 May 2015, Dent released the album, Eyeballs. Boston Hassle reviewed the album, stating, "with all the low/quiet shifts and endless details it simply begs for repeated listening".[12] Phoebe Fico said Otayonii sounded like "a lead singer whose voice warbled and waned like Bjork and a Swedish death metal god had a baby".[13]
In 2017, Dent split up after the members graduated from Berklee.[10]
On 7 June 2019, Dent released the album, Bao Bei, which the band had recorded in 2016.[10]
Elizabeth Colour Wheel
In 2014, Elizabeth Colour Wheel was formed by guitarist Alice Jackson, bassist Bill Cunningham, drummer Connor DeVito, and vocalist Otayonii.[3][14]
In January 2019, Revolver Mag listed the band on 5 Artists You Need to Know, writing "their live show is something to behold and, impressively, the album manages to capture the same vital energy that exists in their onstage performances."[15]
On 15 March 2019, Elizabeth Colour Wheel released the album, Nocebo,[16] under the label The Flenser. Metal Injection described the album as, "a testament to all that is heavy, beautiful, and twisted."[17]Nine Circles wrote Nocebo, "has that timeless quality that marks a unique and vital voice in the music world."[18]BrooklynVegan called Otayonii's voice "soaring and unique".[4]
In 2022, the band played a 50-show tour of the United States. This was Elizabeth Colour Wheel's first time playing for an audience since 2019 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic). A reviewer at The Austin Chronicle commented on Otayonii's physicality during her performance, involving vibrating, exiting the room mid-song, eating the microphone, and making sounds with the microphone lodged in her mouth.[19]Ghost Cult Mag wrote about ECW’s New York show, “Otayonii disappeared into the crowd: the seemingly disembodied shrieking that begged for exorcism made one forget the vocalist had a corporeal form at all until they reemerged writhing in the center of the floor. This visual, as well as auditory experience, made a great opener for the night.”[20]
Otay:onii
In 2018, Otayonii released her solo debut, Nag, on ShadowTrash Tape Group, under the stagename, Otay:onii.[21]
In 2021, Otay:onii released the album, MíngMíng 冥冥, on WV Sorcerer Productions.[22][23]Sputnikmusic described the album as "a forward-thinking work that combined industrial, Chinese folk, glitch and just the bare minimum of pop sensibilities into a spellbinding fever dream of unease and liminal suspense."[24][25] The music video for MíngMíng 冥冥’s closing track, "Un deciphered", was an official selection by the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival.[6][26]
In 2023, Otay:onii released the album, 夢之駭客 Dream Hacker, on Bié Records.[27] The project came out after she returned from living in China for three years, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pitchfork gave 夢之駭客 Dream Hacker a 7.4 rating.[5]WBUR called the second track on the album, "W.C.", "crushingly eerie".[28]
^Pizzica, Silvio Don (18 March 2021). "otay:onii - 冥冥 (MíngMíng)". Rockambula (in Italian). Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.