In partnership with the Princess Grace Foundation-USA, Monaco Life is proud to present a monthly series spotlighting the lives and artistic work of the Foundation’s remarkable Award winners. This month, Kelli Acciardo speaks with 2023 Princess Grace Honoraria recipient Julia Riew, a visionary musical theater composer and lyricist redefining who gets to take center stage.
Best known for her breakout musical Dive—inspired by the Korean folktale of Shimcheong—Julia Riew first captured hearts on TikTok before her work evolved into a fully staged production now in development at the American Repertory Theater (ART) in Cambridge, MA. But behind the viral success is a much deeper story—one rooted in family, identity, and a lifelong search for belonging.
Reclaiming Identity Through Art
That sense of togetherness extends into Riew’s creative work. Dive, her breakout musical, began as a way to bridge the gap between her Korean heritage and her American upbringing. “I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and I didn’t have a strong connection to Korean culture as a kid,” she explains. “But after my grandfather passed away in 2020, my grandmother came to live with us, and I started hearing stories about life in Korea. That changed everything.”
Originally planning to write a different thesis, Riew pivoted. “I thought: If there’s no Korean Disney princess, then maybe I should create one.” Inspired by childhood memories of Disney musicals and a desire to tell stories rooted in her culture, she turned to Korean folklore—and discovered Shimcheong, a tale about a girl separated from her family who embarks on a journey home.
“It was perfect. The character’s arc mirrored my own feelings of searching for belonging,” she says. “I wrote the first song one night and couldn’t sleep. I even wrote a note in my phone that said, ‘TikTok idea: Hi, I’m Julia and there’s no Korean Disney princess, so I decided to create one.’ Then I deleted it the next morning because I thought it was silly!”
A year and a half later, after completing the first draft of the musical, Riew posted that very concept—and the internet responded. “It was kind of miraculous. People really resonated with it.”
A Dream Team of Women
Now Dive is being developed with her “dream team” at the American Repertory Theater, including Diane Borger and Diana Son. “To be fresh out of college and have these women take me seriously and champion my vision—it’s rare,” Riew reflects. “I’ve been in creative rooms where the youngest person’s ideas aren’t taken seriously. But Diane and Diana truly value what I bring. They’ve supported me before the virality and stuck with me because they believe in the project.”
She credits those relationships with giving her the confidence to push boundaries. “To be guided by women I admire—and who look like me—is incredibly powerful.”
Why She Writes for Young People
While Riew works across genres—from stage to screen to books—one common thread connects them all: she writes with young people in mind.
“I love writing for young people because that’s the age when I fell in love with storytelling,” she says. “I think young people are particularly impacted by stories in a way that’s often overlooked.”
Growing up in the Midwest as a Korean American, Riew recalls how media shaped her view of what was possible. “Representation is so important because it builds our understanding of what we can become. Whether that’s showing women doing things we haven’t traditionally seen them do, or featuring Asian American characters in roles that break the mold—it matters.”
For her, writing is a way to give voice to the characters she needed when she was younger. “It’s an honor and a responsibility. I think a lot about what we’re sharing with young audiences, and for me, it’s a way of sharing the ideas, the characters, the voices, and the potential I wish I had seen as a kid.”
On Contributing to a Changing Landscape
Representation is changing—fast. “We just saw Maybe Happy Ending win six Tony Awards! Things are moving in such an exciting direction,” Riew says. “We’re finally at a point where people are truly valuing stories of all kinds. And I’m honored to be a part of that.”
One of the spaces she’s especially passionate about is what she calls ‘Midwestern Asian representation’. “There are fewer of us, but there are so many of us. It’s scary to be the first, or the only one doing something, but this is the first time we’re really being given a platform to raise our voices.”
That’s why she loves theater: it’s about building community. “You start with nothing but a story, and then you build a whole world around it with artists who’ve been waiting for this moment. That’s the most exciting part—uplifting each other.”
Her Legacy, and What’s Next
Given Princess Grace’s remarkable legacy, what kind of impact does Riew hope to leave behind?
“I think it’s impossible to know what your legacy will be. You can’t control how people will respond or interpret your work. So I try not to focus on that. Instead, I think about very specific people in my life. Every time I write something, I write it with one person in mind. If that person sees it and is moved by it, then I’ve done my job.”
Her hope? “That people remember me as a kind collaborator. Someone who made great art, sure—but mostly, someone who supported the people around her.”
As for what’s next: “I’m working on my next draft of Dive and a couple of musicals in development with a company in Korea. We’re searching for theaters there to potentially workshop those later this year,” she says. “But the big thing is the book—The Last Tiger—which comes out July 29. Then Shim Cheong Takes a Dive releases the following year, and my brother and I are already writing our next book after that.”
The Last Tiger: A Cinematic Tale Rooted in Family Legacy
The upcoming novel, The Last Tiger, is Riew’s debut work of fiction, co-written with her brother Brad and published by Penguin. Inspired by their grandparents’ real-life forbidden love story during the Japanese occupation of Korea, the book began during the pandemic, shortly after Riew read Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.
“She talked about the power of fantasy rooted in real life—and it clicked for me,” Riew says. “Brad and I grew up hearing these incredible, cinematic stories from our grandparents. One night, we just said: what if we turned their story into a YA fantasy novel?”
They mapped out the plot and magic system that same night, writing the book over the next year and a half without agents or expectations—just a desire to honor their family. “To now be working with Penguin—it still feels surreal.”
Blending Korean history, folklore, and fantasy, the book tells a sweeping story of love, resistance, and magic. “There’s longing, action, heartbreak, joy,” she says. “And each section begins with a real quote from our grandparents’ stories. It’s our way of keeping their voices alive—and sharing the legacy they left behind.”
A Dream Afternoon in Monaco
Since this story appears in Monaco Life, it seemed only fair to ask: If she could spend a creative afternoon in Monaco with anyone, who would it be?
Riew doesn’t hesitate. “Honestly, any time I’m somewhere beautiful, I always think of my fiancé first. I just wish he were there to enjoy it too. So I’d bring him. He’s not an artist in the traditional sense, but he’s incredibly creative—and I’d love to share that with him.”
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