Last man standing

Last man standing

Local singer-songwriter JJ Lin is often dubbed one of Mandopop's "Four Gifted Talents", alongside fellow musicians Wang Leehom, David Tao and Jay Chou.

With Wang enjoying fatherhood, Tao blissfully hitched and Chou's impending marriage to girlfriend Hannah Quinlivan next month, the boyish-looking 33-year-old Singaporean pop star is the only eligible bachelor among the four.

In an interview with The New Paper yesterday, following the unveiling of his wax figure at Madame Tussauds Singapore, Lin laughed off suggestions that he was feeling the pressure to settle down.

"The three of them (referring to Wang, Tao and Chou) have urged me to get attached. They'd joke, 'You better act quick!'" he said in Mandarin.

"They haven't introduced me to girls though.

"As you can see, they've kept the good ones for themselves."

On a more serious note, he added that he is "in no rush" to find a girlfriend, let alone tie the knot.

In fact, after attending Tao's wedding banquet in September, Lin said he "has become more cautious" about finding the right one to share his life with.

"It's not that I've become pickier. I just need more time to figure out what type of girl is most suitable for me," he explained.

"Actually, my social circle is very small. I mainly hang out with my guy friends who enjoy gaming."

Five things about JJ Lin

1. He's excited to have his wax figure in the same room as Michael Jackson's

A huge Michael Jackson fan, Lin was super psyched at the thought of his wax semblance "standing beside" his all-time idol.

"I've always admired Michael Jackson as a performer, he was my inspiration," said Lin.

Getting Lin's wax figure done was no easy task. In April, he met the Madame Tussauds team for a four-hour sitting that involved collecting measurements, photos, a hand cast, hair samples, as well as checks for eye-colour matches. "I think they got my big smile right," he said as he posed with his doppelganger.

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2. He got Angelababy to guest-star in his music video

Lin's new music video, If Only, features Chinese actress Angelababy as Lin's crush.

In one scene, he stares longingly at her while she tinkers with the piano keys.

"She is very pretty. On set, there were times when I inevitably found myself mesmerised by her," said Lin.

"But she's a good friend and there was no awkwardness between us. Moreover, I know her boyfriend (Chinese actor Huang Xiaoming) too!"

3. He hopes to be part of the SG50 festivities

Lin is looking forward to cutting down on his jet-setting ways next year.

"It's Singapore's 50th birthday and we only get to celebrate it once in our lifetime," he said.

"I hope to be home during July and August, especially when it's closer to National Day."

He will be performing Dreams, which he co-penned with US-based local singer-songwriter Corrinne May at next year's Chingay.

4. He is starting on a clean slate with his new album

Genesis, his 11th studio album, marks a "restart" of sorts for Lin.

"10+1 = 11. So, I'm treating this album as my first, that is the concept," he said. "I've thrown away some of my old styles and processes of doing music. I don't want to pigeonhole myself.

"It's been a while since I did music in such a carefree, liberating manner."

5. 2014 was awesome

This was Lin's year. In June, he snagged his first Best Mandarin Male Singer accolade at Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards.

"It's been an extremely fruitful year for me," he said. "Besides doing music, I participated in World Vision Taiwan's charity programme, which was meaningful and rewarding."

Lin and Taiwanese actress Janine Chang served as World Vision Taiwan ambassadors and visited Haiti last month to help poor children.


This article was first published on December 23, 2014.
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