Taiwanese singer and Internet sensation Lin Yu-chun (林育群) wowed US audiences on Wednesday with his impeccable rendition of I Will Always Love You on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The talk show host used the word “unbelievable” several times as she expressed her admiration for Lin’s rendition of the song that was written by Dolly Parton and made famous by Whitney Houston.
At the end of his performance, during which he also sang Amazing Grace, the studio audience gave Lin a standing ovation.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Wearing his trademark shirt, vest and bow tie, Lin also performed a short dance piece at the start of his appearance on the show.
The 24-year-old told DeGeneres that he was inspired by the success story of Susan Boyle, a Scottish singer who came to international attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV show Britain’s Got Talent in April last year and sang I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables.
Lin vaulted to fame after a video showing him singing I Will Always Love You was posted on YouTube on April 6. The clip, from his performance on talent show One Million Stars (超級星光大道), immediately went viral, propelling him to worldwide stardom.
Lin, who weighs 110kg and is nicknamed “little fatty,” admitted on the talk show that he had been bullied during his childhood because of his weight.
Prompted to offer some advice to other children who may be facing the same problem, Lin said: “There is a reason for everyone’s existence. Be confident. The best way to get back at them [the bullies] is to be more successful than they are.”
DeGeneres endorsed Lin’s advice, putting her arm around his shoulders and saying: “That’s the best revenge.”
TMZ, a popular celebrity news Web site, posted an article on Wednesday introducing Lin as “the Taiwanese male Whitney Houston.”
Lin was also interviewed for Wednesday’s edition of the Lopez Tonight talk show.
On the show, he sang Saving All My Love For You, another of Houston’s hits, and he performed Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart in a duet with Canadian actor William Shatner.
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