Yoga Lin

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Yoga Lin

Yoga Lin singing at an autograph signing event.
Chinese name 林宥嘉
Pinyin Lín Yòu Jīa (Mandarin)
Born July 1, 1987 (1987-07-01) (age 20)
Pingtung, Taiwan.
Other name(s) James Lin
Occupation Singer, Student
Genre(s) Mandopop, Soft Rock, Jazz, Swing, Rock & Roll, R&B
Instrument(s) Guitar
Label(s) HIM International Music (2007-Present)
Years active 2007–present (singing)
Official site www.him.com.tw

Yoga Lin (also known as James Lin, Chinese: 林宥嘉) is the winner of One Million Star, Season 1 (第一季超級星光大道), a popular reality TV singing competition in Taiwan. During the competition, he once contemplated quitting due to the elimination of his good friend, Eddie Tsai (蔡政霖). However, upon persuasion by the show producers, he maintained his composure and regained his determination, attaining five rounds of perfect scores (20 & above) continuously after that — an unbeatable record up to present. After winning the first place in Season One, he was signed by the Taiwanese record label, HIM International Music along with three other fellow contestants, Judy Chou (周定緯), Peter Pan (潘裕文), Stanly Hsu (許仁杰), and they were dubbed as the "Four Princes of Superstar Avenue" (星光四少).

Lin was placed fourth on Yahoo! Taiwan 2007 Top Ten Newsworthy Personalities[1]. On a special episode of One Million Star during the end of Season two, he gave a diversified and theatrical performance of A Little Older (年紀大了一點) originally recorded and composed by Matilda Tao (陶晶瑩). This performance impressed one of the judges on the show, Yun-Ling Huang (黃韻玲) so much that she dubbed Lin as the Magician of Music[2]. At the same time, other fellow judges on the same episode heaped praises on him, exclaiming that he has improved tremendously since his winning of the Season 1 title.

To date, Lin has released two compilation albums, an Idol drama soundtrack and most recently, his debut album titled Mystery (神秘嘉賓) was released in Taiwan on June 3rd, 2008. During May-June 2008, Lin will be having his Yoga’s Trick Concert Tour[3]—another record set in Taiwan being the youngest singer, with a yet-to-be released debut album to hold a solo concert tour in three major cities of Taiwan.

Contents

[edit] Brief Biography

Yoga Lin (James Lin, 林宥嘉), nicknamed “Yoga” because of the similar pronunciation in Chinese, was born in Pingtung, Taiwan on July 1st, 1987. He is currently studying at National Tung Hwa University, majoring in Sports and Leisure Studies.

[edit] Music Career

[edit] High School and University (2003~2006.12)

During high school, Lin was the lead singer of a rock band, and was trained under a renowned Taiwanese rock singer, Pei-An Yang (楊培安). He then joined another rock band in his university and continued to perfect his singing techniques and, experimented various music genres. Having never participated in any formal singing contest before, Lin attended the Kaohsiung audition for the first season of a famous TV singing contest in Taiwan, One Million Star.

[edit] One Million Star (2007.1~2007.7)

In the competition, Lin impressed the judges with his vivid interpretation of Steel Rope Walker (走鋼索的人, originally by James Li or Quan Li, 李泉). His performance was then described as “enchanting”(迷幻) by the hostess of One Million Star, Matilda Tao (陶晶瑩), for both his distinctive, dreamy vocals and his facial expressions. He was also complimented for the consistently good performances. Lin earned "perfect scores" (scoring 20 and above) cumulatively for over five weeks and a grand total of nine "perfect scores" on different occasions. This record has been unbreakable thus far (Season 3, 2008). Lin also earned great recognition for his abilities to perform a wide range of music genres, being able to infuse his own touch into songs as well as his unique taste in song selections.

In the first season finale (broadcast live and nationwide) of One Million Star on July 6th, 2007, Lin performed a bold and challenging rendition of Radiohead's classic hit, Creep and he used the opportunity to declare his attitude towards music. A perfect score of 25 was unanimously given by all five professional judges to acknowledge his sincere and stylish interpretation of the song. Along with that, another perfect-scored performance of Eason Chan's Last Order determined him as the winner in the first season of One Million Star.

[edit] HIM International Music (2007.7~Present)

After the show, One Million Star, Lin signed a six-year contract with HIM International Music, and released two compilation albums and the soundtrack of TV series Bull Fighting (鬥牛,要不要). In the meanwhile, he participated in many live performances as well as TV commercial shootings. Some of his many endorsements includes the SYM MIO Scooters[4] and a Science Fair held by National Science Council in Taiwan. Recently, he endorsed the Hi-Chew Candy[5] and the HeySong FIN Sports Drink[6] in Taiwan.

In September 2007, Lin went to Hong Kong with fellow record label singer, Tank for several live performances. Later that year, in November and December, he went again to Hong Kong and, Singapore and Malaysia for a promotional tour. In December 29th, 2007 Lin, together with other fellow contestants from One Million Star as Judy Chou (周定緯), Peter Pan (潘裕文), Stanly Hsu (許仁杰), and Aska Yang (楊宗緯) performed in their first concert “Superstar Avenue Reunion” in the Sports Center of National Taiwan University. This concert also sets the record in Taiwan for being the shortest amount of time newcomers in the local mandopop scene to hold a concert. This sold-out concert successfully attracted over 4000 audiences. On March 15th, 2008, Lin together with fellow record label singers held their first official overseas concert[7] in Genting, Malaysia.

Lin’s debut album titled Mystery (神秘嘉賓) was released on June 3, 2008 in Taiwan[8]. To coincide with his album release, he also held his three nationwide concert tour titled Yoga’s Trick Concert Tour (林宥嘉2008迷宮巡迴演唱會) in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung respectively. He now holds the record of being the youngest recording artist to tour in Taiwan[9].

[edit] Vocal Skills and Musical Talent

In addition to his highly distinctive vocals, wide vocal range and outstanding singing techniques, Lin possesses a strong stage charisma. His versatility, musical style and huge repertoire differentiate him from his contemporary counterparts. This is most evident in his various renditions of Mandarin, English, Japanese, Taiwanese songs, as well as other Alternative rock songs. His interpretations of initially less-recognized songs such as Steel Rope Walker (走鋼索的人 by Quan Li--李泉) and You Are My Guiding Eyes (你是我的眼 by Huan Chi Hsiao--蕭煌奇), became instant hits, giving these well-written songs their long overdue and well-deserved recognition. Additionally, his rendition of You Are My Guiding Eyes in the competition received more than 2 million hits on YouTube. Among Taiwanese viewers, that music video currently sits in the top 20 Most Viewed videos of all time.[10].

Lin attracts a huge legion of fans, ranging from high school and college students to white collar professionals. Most importantly, he received critically acclaimed from many professionals in the mandopop music industry. Veteran singer/composer Yun-Ling Huang (黃韻玲) thought highly of him and dubbed him as the Magician of Music due to the brilliant and splendid vibes Lin infuses in his music. Eason Chan (陳奕迅) and Cheer Chen (陳綺貞) are the two of the many Mandopop singers that Lin admires the most. His favorite genre of music is 70'-80's Western Rock. His unplugged radio performance of John Lennon's Love won him rave reviews among the listeners.

[edit] Writing

Often blending figurative speech with sprinkles of humor, Lin's blog entries have won praises from ordinary blog readers and entertainment industry professionals alike. Yo-Ning Chu (瞿友寧), director of several popular TV drama series in East Asia, expressed fondness for his writing style.[11] Like his varied taste in music, Lin is known to expose himself to a variety of literature and film genres. Apart from his adoration for Hong Kong lyricist, Albert Leung (林夕), he also expressed on several occasions, his admiration for novelist and essayist, Eileen Chang (張愛玲).[12]

[edit] Musical Styles

Despite being only in his early twenties, Lin has proven his ability to deliver a wide variety of musical performances, and he continues to experiment with new music genres and vocal styles. The below are representative songs performed by Lin:

[edit] Soft Rock

Cliff (懸崖), The One I Love (我愛的人), You Are My Guiding Eyes (你是我的眼), Honesty, If You're Not With Me (如果沒有你), Ten Years (十年), and Love

[edit] Jazz and Swing

Steel Rope Walker (走鋼索的人), Can't Take My Eyes Off You, If You're Happy, I'm Happy (你快樂所以我快樂), Those Days (那些日子), Last Order, I Want Us To Be Together (我要我們在一起), A Little Older (年紀大了一點).

[edit] Rock & Roll

You Make Me Drunk (你把我灌醉), Creep, Look What You've Done, Black Tangerine (黑色柳丁).

[edit] R&B

The Life Envied by Angels (天使忌妒的生活), and Desiring the Spring Breeze (望春風).

[edit] Debut Album

Lin's solo debut album titled Mystery (神秘嘉賓) was released on June 3, 2008 in Taiwan.[13]

[edit] Track Listing

  1. 眼色
  2. 神秘嘉賓
  3. 愛情是圓的
  4. 伯樂
  5. 請說
  6. 病態
  7. 殘酷月光
  8. 慢一點
  9. 心有林夕
  10. 再別康橋
  11. 傳說 (feat. Jade Liu Li Yang)

[edit] Singles

That Very Song (那首歌)

Listed in the album Love Star’s Reunion - Yesterday, Now and Tomorrow [14] (愛星光精選˙昨天今天明天). It is Lin’s first single. This single was one of the 2007 Top 13 Love Songs[15] co-organized by KISS Radio and Apple Daily.


Shadow of Your Back (背影)

Listed in the soundtrack of Taiwan drama’s Bull Fighting [16] (鬥牛˙要不要), it is one of the theme songs in the drama. This melodic and romantic song tells the story about a guy who secretly loved a girl for a long time, but eventually chose to stay in the shadows of the girl because she did not reciprocate his love.


Legend (傳說)

A duet between Lin and Li Yang Liu (劉力揚), the latter shot to fame in the first season (2006) of the singing contest Super Girls (超級女聲) in China. Legend is the sub-theme of a Korean drama First King Four Gods (太王四神記) broadcasted in Taiwan, starring the famous Korean TV and movie star, Bae Yong Joon (裴勇俊). This single has been digitally released[17].


The Gaze (眼色)

A musical-inspired song composed and written by Chinese singer-songwriter, Li Quan. This is also the opening song of Yoga's Trick Concert Tour and has been digitally released before the official release of Lin's "Mystery" album[18].

[edit] References

  1. ^ (Chinese) "2007年度十大新聞人物 第四名林宥嘉" (News article), 2007-11-22. 
  2. ^ (Chinese) "星光大道首屆冠軍，迷幻宥嘉 (又名音樂魔術師)，首度展開個人巡迴演唱會" (News article), 2008-03-05. 
  3. ^ (Chinese) "林宥嘉2008迷宮巡迴演唱會" (Website), 2008-03-05. 
  4. ^ (Chinese) SYM Taiwan (Website) (2007).
  5. ^ (Chinese) HI-CHEW開心堂 (Website) (2008-04-01).
  6. ^ (Chinese) 暢飲FIN-送林宥嘉演唱會雙人套票 (Website) (2008-04-11).
  7. ^ (Chinese) "林宥嘉大馬動心 情牽鴨子手" (News article), 2008-03-18. 
  8. ^ (Chinese) "林宥嘉專輯預購 2小時賣3千張" (News article), 2008-05-10. 
  9. ^ (Chinese) "開售票演唱會 林宥嘉挑戰星光一哥寶座！" (News article), 2008-02-20. 
  10. ^ (Chinese) All - Most Viewed (All Time) (Youtube video) (2008-03-24).
  11. ^ (Chinese) "導演瞿友寧相中 星光幫便宜有人氣 偶像劇挖角林宥嘉" (News article), 2008-02-22. 
  12. ^ (Chinese) "決賽強碰轉學考 林宥嘉兩頭燒 看書沉澱心情 報考8校勢在必上" (News article), 2007-07-04. 
  13. ^ (Chinese) 華研國際音樂 (Website) (2008-06-03).
  14. ^ (Chinese) 愛星光精選˙昨天今天明天 (Web article) (2007-10-05).
  15. ^ (Chinese) ::第一屆KISS APPLE 親蘋果情歌榜:: (Web article) (2008).
  16. ^ (Chinese) 鬥牛要不要 電視原聲帶 (Web article) (2007-12-07).
  17. ^ (Chinese) 傳說 - 數位影音單曲 (Web article).
  18. ^ (Chinese) 眼色 - 數位影音單曲 (Web article).

[edit] External links

  • (Chinese) 林宥嘉－導引頁: a collective website with detailed materials about Yoga Lin, including a brief biography, repertoire, tv and radio performances, and links to his fan clubs.
  • (Chinese) Lin's official blog
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