Taiwanese singing sensation Lin Yu-chun (林育群) sang I Will Always Love You on the NBC talent scout show America’s Got Talent on Wednesday, winning a standing ovation from the audience and judges, who said he sounded better than the original singer, Whitney Houston.
Nick Cannon, host of the show, described Lin’s live performance as astonishing, while Sharon Osbourne, one of the judges, said Lin put a lot of emotion into his singing, so much so that it moved the audience to tears.
Lin, who arrived in Los Angeles on Monday for the show’s appearance, said he was nervous about singing in English in front of foreigners, comparing the situation to a foreigner singing a Taiwanese song in Taiwan.
On Tuesday, Lin met with Grammy Award-winning record producer-songwriter Walter Afanasieff, who has worked with some of the biggest pop music names in the past decades, most notably Mariah Carey. Afanasieff said Lin had successfully learned his vocal skills from an older generation of outstanding pop singers, a feat that distinguishes him from many younger singers who have to rely on computerized acoustic technologies when recording.
According to Afanasieff, Lin should more confidently convey to his fans “this is me” through his captivating singing.
Lin vaulted to fame in April with his rendition of the Whitney Houston version of I Will Always Love You on a Taiwanese talent show.
Lin signed a record deal with Sony Music in mid-May and his first album is scheduled to be released this fall.
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