JJ Lin
Singaporean singer-songwriter (born 1981) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wayne Lim Junjie (Chinese: 林俊傑; pinyin: Lín Jùnjié; born 27 March 1981), professionally known as JJ Lin, is a Singaporean singer, songwriter, record producer, and businessman.[1] One of the most successful artists in the Chinese-speaking world, Lin achieved recognition with his pop ballads, songwriting, and emotional vocal delivery.
JJ Lin | |
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.jpg) Lin in 2020 | |
| Born | 27 March 1981 |
| Alma mater | Saint Andrew's Junior College |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2003–present |
| Organizations |
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| Musical career | |
| Origin | Singapore |
| Genres | |
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| Labels |
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| Website | jjlin |
| Chinese name | |
| Simplified Chinese | 林俊杰 |
| Traditional Chinese | 林俊傑 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Lín Jùnjié |
| Jyutping | Lam4 Zeon3 Git6 |
| Hokkien POJ | Lîm Chùn-kia̍t |
Lin signed to Ocean Butterflies International in 2002, and subsequently launched his musical career with the release of his debut album, Music Voyager (2003). He saw early commercial success with the album, which went on to sell over 1.2 million copies across Asia. His sophomore album, Haven (2004), was also a top-seller and produced the hit single "River South", which went on to receive significant popularity in Greater China. Cao Cao (2006) sold over 2 million copies across Asia, including over 200,000 copies in Taiwan. In March 2007, Lin established his own production company JFJ Productions.
Lin continued to release successful albums including She Says (2010), Lost N Found (2011), Stories Untold (2013), and Genesis (2014). His next album From M.E. to Myself (2015) produced the hit single "Twilight", while Message in a Bottle (2017) produced the single "Little Big Us". Four of Lin's albums have been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association Singapore (RIAS) since certifications began in 2018. He has embarked on five concert tours since his debut, including the JJ20 World Tour (2022–present), which has attracted over 2.6 million people.
Lin's accolades include four Golden Melody Awards, including one for Best New Artist and two for Best Mandarin Male Singer,[2] and fourteen Singapore Hit Awards. In addition to music, Lin has pursued various business ventures, including the launch of the professional esports Team SMG and the app-based NFT community ARC. In 2017, Lin founded the coffee franchise Miracle Coffee, which has expanded into eleven locations in Taiwan, Singapore, and China.
Early life
Lin was born in Singapore to a Hokkien family[3] and studied at Jing Shan Primary School, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and Saint Andrew's Junior College before completing his National Service (NS). Lin's grandfather used to run a maritime transport business when Lin was young.[4] Lin's father has a telecommunications-related business while his mother owns a family karaoke chain and has a background in Chinese classical music, hence influencing Lin's music. His brother, a manager in a European bank, was a major influence in his career choice.[5][6]
Career
Summarize
Perspective
2003–2006: Debut and career beginnings
In addition to Mandarin, Lin also sings in English, Hokkien and Cantonese using a romanized pronunciation system, and has released his songs in Cantonese. In Taiwan, he was awarded the Best New Artist award at the Golden Melody Awards.[7] After completing his NS, Lin signed with Ocean Butterflies International, which launched the then 22-year-old Lin's debut album in 2003.[8] In 2011, Lin signed a new contract with the record label Warner Music Taiwan.
He is well known for his songwriting and singing skills. He wrote songs for various musical artists while he was still a trainee under Ocean Butterflies under his mentors, Billy Koh and Sunkist Ng. In total, he has written over a hundred songs for other artists. His notable compositions include "Remember" (记得) for Taiwanese singer A-Mei, A-Do's "Let Go" (放手), Harlem Yu's "What's Wrong With You?" (干嘛你看不爽我), Cyndi Wang's "When You" (当你), Vivian Hsu's "Smiling Eyes" (爱笑的眼睛), and Comic Boyz's "Heart of Superman" (超人心). In Singapore, he was selected to perform the remixed version of "Home", the theme song of the National Day Parade in 2004. Lin has sold 1 million copies in less than a week and is extremely successful throughout Asia.[9]
2007–2009: Commercial success and recognition
In July 2007, he broke a Guinness record by signing 3,052 CDs in 2 hours and 30 minutes. During the signing, he was not allowed to drink or eat. The average time for him to sign a CD was 2.7 seconds.[10] In May 2008, he performed at the CCTV charity event The Giving of Love, dedicated to helping victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Lin also donated a large sum of money to the rescue efforts and composed a song "Love and Hope" (Chinese: 愛與希望; pinyin: Ài Yǚ Xī Wàng) commemorating the tragedy. In February 2008, Lin released a compilation album entitled Waiting for Love (Chinese: 期待爱; pinyin: Qīdài Ài). It has selected tracks from several of his albums spanning from his debut album to 2007's West Side.[11] Later in October of that year, his sixth album, Sixology (Chinese: 陸; pinyin: Liù), was released, and it sold 280,000 copies in a week. His own fashion line, SMUDGE,[12] was opened in Singapore during 2008 Christmas with an unofficial launch. The store's official launch was on 13 March 2009.
In May 2009, Lin won three awards at the 14th annual Composers and Authors Society of the UK (Compass) Awards Presentations,[13] a ceremony that honors performers in the music scene. It was held at the Royal Albert Hall, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace and Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore. He was honored with the Top Local Artiste of the Year award, which is given out to Singaporean artists who generated the highest royalty earnings for the year. In that same year, Lin won the Singapore Youth Award.[14] In 2009, his singing career was put on hold due to his voice being damaged by acid reflux and flu, as well as his hectic touring and recording schedules. His poor health forced him to return to Singapore to recover and receive treatments. On 18 December 2009, he released the seventh album, Hundred Days.
2010–2013: Continued success
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In May 2010, Lin performed in America for the first time at the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Concert Tour (APAHM).[15] In June 2010, Lin performed together with American singer Sean Kingston at the opening concert of the Marina Bay Sands to thousands of invited VIPs guests. But both were absent at the inaugural YOG Opening Ceremony. Lin's eighth album, She Says (她說), was released on 8 December 2010. Lin's ninth studio album, Lost N Found (学不会) was released on 31 December 2011. A preview of his 9th album was made available on 12 December 2011 on various Chinese internet radio channels.[16] Lin's tenth anniversary album, Stories Untold (因你而在) was released on 13 March 2013. A compilation of micro films were released in conjunction with the album, serving to expand the stories behind the songs. He worked with a few notable people on the album, including Ashin, Harry Chang (张怀秋), and his older brother Eugene Lim (林俊峰). He also started his world tour "Timeline" in July 2013 in Taipei, Taiwan.
2014–2019: Performances, songwriting and touring
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Lin co-wrote the song "Dreams" with Goh Kheng Long and Corrinne May and performed the song live during the grand finale at the Chingay Parade on 27 and 28 February 2015.[17] One of his recent ventures in the world of music was a duet with Ayumi Hamasaki, for the latter's music video, "The Gift" (and as of 27 April 2015, has about 1,882,459-page views).[18][19] In 2015, he was selected to perform the National Day Theme Song, "Our Singapore", which was composed by Dick Lee. His experimental album From M.E. to Myself was released on 25 December 2015. The track, "Twlight", is among the most-viewed Chinese music videos on YouTube at 162 million views. On 7 July 2016, Lin released "If Miracles had a Sound", a 96-minute music documentary created over the course of 455 days, taking place throughout studios in the U.S., Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The theme song of the documentary, "Infinity and Beyond" (超越无限) was released on 21 June 2016.
On 19 December 2017, JJ Lin posted on his Instagram page that the past two years "had not been easy" and that he had been "searching constantly for a clear direction", needing a "shelter for the soul, a 'SANCTUARY'". He wrote songs and finished his Message in a Bottle album, which was released on 29 December 2017. At the same time, he and his team and "shared a common vision, starting on project "SANCTUARY" and built the space from ground zero".[20] In early 2018, he announced his "Sanctuary" concert tour began in Shanghai on 17 March.[21] In 2019, he released The Story of Us (Chinese: 将故事写成我们), and actress Wu Jinyan starred in the music video.[22]
2020–present: Recent works
In January 2020, Lin released a song "I'll Stay With You" dedicated to the medical staff in Wuhan, China, who were working hard to save patients infected with COVID-19.[23] On 20 October 2021, Lin released his first album that contains songs in English, titled "Like You Do".[24] He also collaborated with English singer Anne-Marie in producing the song "Bedroom".[25]
In April 2025, NetEase Cloud Music named Lin as the artist with the second-highest number of songs surpassing 100 million streams in the platform's 12-year history at 65 songs.[26]
Other ventures
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Perspective
Ambassadorships and show appearances
Lin has appeared in various advertisements for brands such as Sprite, Dota 2, Beats and Cornetto Royale. He is also a tourist ambassador for Singapore,[27] and an IP Ambassador for the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore in 2012.[28] On 14 August 2015, Lin was selected to be the advisor for Team Harlem Yu on The Voice of China (season 4). On 4 November 2016, Lin joined the variety show "Dream Voice" as one of the mentors alongside A-Mei, Jam Hsiao, Hebe Tian, and Yu Quan.[29] He stayed on as a mentor for the second season of the show, which was released in October 2017,[30] and the third season, which was released in October 2018.
In 2019, he took part in the Chinese food travelogue show Chef Nic. On 24 February 2021, Lin performed a medley of songs ("A Whole New World", "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", "Let It Go" and "Embark") to commemorate the official launch of the digital streaming service Disney+ in Singapore, which launched a day earlier on the 23rd.[31]
Business career
In 2017, Lin launched his business career. He established Team Still Moving under Gunfire (Team SMG), a professional esports team.[32] Initially focused on Arena of Valor,[32] Team SMG has expanded itself into other games such as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds in 2018, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in 2020[33] and Dota 2 in 2021.[34]
In July 2022, Lin said he is collaborating with Kiat Lim, son of Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim, and Elroy Cheo, a scion of the Cheo family that owns edible oils firm Mewah International, to co-found ARC, an app-based digital community that authenticates member profiles with non-fungible tokens (NFTs).[35] Beginning 30 September 2022, Lin ran his pop-up café Miracle Coffee at the outdoor rain oculus of ArtScience Museum. It was also announced that a flagship outlet of Miracle Coffee was expected to be opened at the museum's lobby in 2023.[36]
Discography
- Music Voyager (2003)
- Haven (2004)
- No. 89757 (2005)
- Cao Cao (2006)
- Westside (2007)
- Sixology (2008)
- Hundred Days (2009)
- She Says (2010)
- Lost N Found (2011)
- Stories Untold (2013)
- Genesis (2014)
- From M.E. to Myself (2015)
- Message in a Bottle (2017)
- Drifter / Like You Do (2020)
- Happily, Painfully After (2023)
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Legend of the Sea (东海战) | Little Dragon Price | Voiceover; also composed and performed theme song "自由不变" | [37] |
| 2015 | The Wonderful Wedding | Himself | Cameo | |
| 2016 | The Secret | Jimmy | Also composed and performed theme song "只要有你的地方" |
Television series
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Hanazakarino Kimitachihe | Lu Jingxi |
| 2008 | Pretty Ugly (原來我不帥) | Zhuang Junwei |
Reality and variety shows
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Sound of My Dream | Judge |
| 2017 | Sound of My Dream 2 | Judge |
| 2018 | Sound of My Dream 3 | Judge |
Tours
- Just JJ World Tour (2006–2007)
- I Am World Tour (2010–2011)
- Timeline World Tour (2013–2015)
- Sanctuary World Tour (2018–2019)
- JJ20 World Tour (2022–present)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Singapore Hit Awards | Best New Artist (Gold) | — | Won | [38] |
| 2004 | 15th Golden Melody Awards | Best New Artist | Music Voyager | Won | [38][2] |
| 2005 | Singapore Hit Awards | Best Local Male Singer | — | Won | [38] |
| Best Singer-Songwriter | Won | ||||
| Best Performing Male Singer | Won | ||||
| Best Local Composition | "A Thousand Years Later" from No. 89757 | Won | |||
| "No. 89757" from No. 89757 | Won | ||||
| 2006 | Compass Awards | Best Local Youth Songwriter | — | Won | |
| 2007 | Best Local Singer | Won | |||
| Best Local Film Song | "Summer Breeze" (feat. Kym) from No. 89757 | Won | |||
| Beijing Pop Music Ceremony | Best Stage Performance | Won | [39] | ||
| Singapore Hit Awards | Best Local Singer | Westside | Won | ||
| 2008 | Compass Awards | Best Local Songwriter | — | Won | |
| 2009 | Won | ||||
| Best Local Singer | Won | ||||
| Best Local Film Song | "Freedom" from Westside | Won | |||
| Singapore Hit Awards | Best Local Singer | — | Won | ||
| 2010 | 21st Golden Melody Awards | Best Mandarin Male Singer | Hundred Days | Nominated | |
| Compass Awards | Best Local Singer | — | Won | ||
| Best Local Songwriter | Won | ||||
| 2011 | 22nd Golden Melody Awards | Best Mandarin Male Singer | She Says | Nominated | [40][38] |
| 2014 | 2014 Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best Asian Artist | — | Won | [41] |
| 25th Golden Melody Awards | Best Mandarin Male Singer | Stories Untold | Won | ||
| Compass Awards | Best Local Singer | — | Won | ||
| Best Local Songwriter | Won | ||||
| 2015 | 26th Golden Melody Awards | Best Composer | "Listen Up" from Rice & Shine by Eason Chan | Nominated | |
| Best Single Producer | "Listen Up" from Rice & Shine by Eason Chan | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | 27th Golden Melody Awards | Song of the Year | "Twilight" from From M.E. to Myself | Nominated | |
| Best Music Video | "I Am Alive" (feat. Jason Mraz) from Genesis | Nominated | |||
| Best Album Producer | From M.E. to Myself | Nominated | |||
| Best Composer | "Twilight" from From M.E. to Myself | Won | |||
| Best Mandarin Male Singer | From M.E. to Myself | Won | |||
| 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best Asian Artist | — | Won | ||
| 2018 | 29th Golden Melody Awards | Album of the Year | Message in a Bottle | Nominated | |
| Best Album Producer | Nominated | ||||
| Best Male Vocalist – Mandarin | Nominated | ||||
| Best Album in Mandarin | Nominated | ||||
| Song of the Year | "Little Big Us" (from Message in a Bottle) | Nominated | |||
| Best Composer | Nominated | ||||
| 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best Asian Artist | — | Won | ||
| 2021 | 32nd Golden Melody Awards | Best Male Vocalist – Mandarin | Drifter / Like You Do | Nominated |
References
External links
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