Kiyo: Loving life and cosplay in the Lion City

Thirteen years ago, Kiyo was introduced to the world of cosplay. Her life was never the same since.

"It was in 2010. I had a schoolmate who was a cosplayer who introduced me to the scene. I was attracted to just how dedicated and enthusiastic people were, like they would go all out and even roleplay as their favorite characters. All of this sparked an interest in me and I, being a young anime lover myself, was intrigued," Kiyo told Digital Life Asia.

A full-time professional cosplayer based in Singapore. Kiyo describes herself as "eccentric, quirky, and sometimes a workaholic".

Asked which is her favorite among the characters she has cosplayed, Kiyo replied: "I've been cosplaying for about 13 years now, so it's a little hard to narrow everything down. But my favorites so far would have to be Kson from Vshojo, Kiriko from Overwatch, Dehya from Genshin Impact and Wattson from Apex Legends."

What's Kiyo's most memorable cosplay experience?

"From meeting my cosplay idols and experiencing the love that people show me internationally, I think the best would be seeing how happy some people can get even when I'm just roaming the halls as their favorite character.

"Sometimes I dread being in costume for hours and even start questioning why I even go to a con, but seeing their faces light up really brings me a lot of joy and makes it all worthwhile," she said.

According to Kiyo, gaming has proven to be a real blessing.

"I actually was going through a rough patch in my life and I was trying to find something that would distract me from my thoughts, so I started gaming. The first game I played and got me hooked was World of Warcraft. I'd play it on my MacBook back then," she said.

What's her favorite game of all time?

"I don't have like a single favorite cause I do go through a couple of games at once, but my favorites to note would be Apex Legends and Overwatch," she said.

@kiyocosplay 🌱 — #greaterlordrukkhadevata #genshinimpact #lesserlordkusanali #nahida #archon #cosplay ♬ 原聲 - T@EY

Asked when she started streaming games, Kiyo replied: "Wow, actually I don't quite remember when I started. I did just gameplay without any facecam just so that I could clip memorable moments I had while playing with my friends. I think it might've been 2016-2018 when I started?"

Since then, streaming has become a big part of Kiyo's life.

"I grew to love the community that started growing as I started to stream more. A lot of them are friends of mine now and we talk most days on Discord. They're the reason why I keep streaming," she said.

@kiyocosplay if you're a cosplayer YOU KNOW 🥸 #cosplayer #cosplayerproblems ♬ original sound - INDIANA ✨💕💚

What message would Kiyo like to share with her fans?

"To all my Kiyojins, thank you for all your love and support thus far and I love you guys! I hope I can visit more international conventions and meet all of you some day!"

Kiyo is also inviting everyone to check out her content at @kiyocosplay on any social media platform and visit her Twitch channel for her weekly gaming streams.

Cosplaying full-time isn't easy, but Kiyo is definitely finding it fun and fulfilling!