Invitations for Lin Yu-chun (林育群), a local talent show winner who has been described by international media as “Taiwan’s Susan Boyle,” have been flooding in from Japan, the US and South Korea, the staff at a local talent training school said yesterday.
A-List Entertainment, a company that represents top singers, stars, models and entertainers, said it had been inundated with calls from people looking for Lin.
The invitations included offers from three major US TV groups, asking for interviews and performances from Lin.
Lin became an Internet hit after his performance of I Will Always Love You on local talent show One Million Star (超級星光大道) was posted on YouTube on April 6.
However, before his overnight celebrity, 24-year-old Lin had endured slights for four years, said his mentor Hsu Nai-chung (許乃中), better known by his nickname “Blue.”
In 2006, both Lin and Blue’s daughter took part in a music competition, winning in the creative and singing categories respectively.
They later signed a six-year contract with an agency, which is how Blue, who is also president of the Pure Music company, got to know Lin.
Blue said he saw Lin’s potential and thought his ability to sing in a girlish falsetto, as well as his baby-faced appearance, made him stand out, so he coached Lin.
Under Blue’s encouragement, Lin took part in several local TV talent shows, but failed to gain much notice. In addition, his agency failed to support him and poured cold water on his desire to take part in TV talent shows.
Lin finally terminated his contract with the agency last year and enrolled with A-List Entertainment last October.
His rendition of I Will Always Love You, made famous by Whitney Houston, has spread fast across the Internet, allowing him a taste of success for the first time.
Listening to Lin sing another of Houston’s signature songs, Saving All My Love for You, people may start to see why he is called the “male Whitney Houston,” with his “near exact” rendition of Houston’s version, said Blue, adding that Lin might sound like a sissy, but this is perfect for his singing style.
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