Mandopop star JJ Lin thrills local fans at concert

When home-grown singer JJ Lin said he had some surprises in store for his local fans at the Singapore leg of his Timeline World Tour concert series last Saturday night, he wasn't kidding.

Close to 8,000 fans, who ran the gamut from teenage girls to men in their 30s, turned up at the Singapore Indoor Stadium for the 32-year-old's three-hour gig.

The Timeline World Tour, which has toured Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taipei, celebrates his 10th year in showbiz. After Singapore, Lin will make his way to other places including Las Vegas, Atlantic City in the US, and Malaysia.

Singapore Surprise #1

Lin belted out his chart-topping hits over the past decade, including crowd favourites like The Mummy, Cao Cao and Soy Milk And Dough Sticks to loud cheers and screams from the fans.

But it was his touching ballad Fly Back In Time (inset, right) - complete with a surprise appearance on stage by his elder brother Lin Jun Feng, a 34-year-old who is in banking - that really stirred the full-house crowd.

Looking at his parents, who were watching him proudly from the front row seats, Lin, who is based in Taiwan,spoke of how he has left Singapore and his family for 10 years and he thanked them for their understanding.

The brothers sang the track from his new album Stories Untold mellifluously, with the deeper tones of Jun Feng's vocals complementing JJ's higher pitch perfectly.

It was a heartwarming moment for the fans, with Lin's dad giving his two thumbs up after the performance.

Fan Sandra Lim, a 27-year-old civil servant, said: "I didn't expect his brother to show up. From their interaction on stage, I could tell that they share a very close bond."

Programme coordinator Tan Pei Shan, 27, said: "It was unexpected, so I was pleasantly surprised."

Singapore Surprise #2

After the emotional ballads, it was time for Lin to bring out the hot tracks.

Following an impressive rendition of Micheal Jackson's Billie Jean, he removed his red military jacket to reveal a tight-fitting black singlet.

The atmosphere in the venue rose to a high as fans stood up and danced along to his catchy tune I'm The One from his 2003 debut album Music Voyager.

Lin teased fans with his sleek dance moves before ending the song by tearing off his singlet to show off his six-pack abs, which made fans scream their lungs out.

Engineer Rachel Tan, 32, said: "JJ's body is so good. I can tell that he has been training hard for this gig and I am so impressed with his concert tonight."

Singapore Surprise #3

As if all that wasn't enough, the talented singer-songwriter upped the ante by doing a beautiful duet with local Mandopop queen Stefanie Sun.

Looking radiant in a tight sexy tube dress, the 35-year-old mother of one showed that her popularity has not waned since giving birth last October as she drew the loudest screams of the night.

With Lin on the piano, the pair sang She Says, with music composed by Lin and lyrics written by Sun. The emotive performance transformed the venue into a live karaoke session, as the 8,000 fans sang along to the song.

Shereen Li, 28, a buyer for a manufacturing firm, said: "This is my favourite performance of the night.

"Seeing two talented local singers on stage giving such a good performance really touched my heart. I feel so happy and proud to be a Singaporean."

Get The New Paper for more stories.