Apr 09
Taiwan’s Version of Whitney Houston
Lin Yu Chun is a contestant on Taiwan’s version of American Idol called Super Star Avenue. He’s quite young, a bit chubby with a bowl haircut, not the most likely candidate for stardom. But he does a dead on impersonation of Whitney Houston and has gone viral on You Tube with over 2 million… 5 million hits.
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April 9th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Wow Wow! I couldn’t help applauding in the end. 加油！
April 9th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Ah hahaha. Oh, hohoho.
Fool’s Mountain – you made my night. I love the chubby Taiwanese guy Whitney impersonator!
April 9th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
He could be the best act besides Whitney. Whitney’s range is so unique that not too many past or present we can find. Most American idol contestants could end the contest by singing her songs – as it cannot be done better. This fat guy is close to an exception.
April 9th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
If you put Lin Chun’s beginning part and add to the part when Whitney pauses and reach the climatic “I Will Always Love You,” you get the perfect performance of this original Dolly Parton’s song.
I still think Lin Chun’s climatic part was a bit inferior to Whitney’s but I did find Lin Chun’s beginning part was exceptional and much better than Whitney’s version.
April 9th, 2010 at 10:09 pm
Steve, you’ve got it wrong – he’s Taiwan’s version of Susan Boyle!
April 9th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
World Journal today has an article about him. His father cut out the relationship as he wants to sing – our silly old Chinese custom/value. When I saw Steve’s post, I thought it is tough to be famous with his look in HK. Taiwan… The journal agrees with me to some extend. I hope our culture/value changes this time. I love American Idols that you can be famous by your talent, no need to sleep with anyone (except Simon, haha), or having connections…
April 10th, 2010 at 1:14 am
I wish people stop making the comparison to Susan Boyle. We need to stop being cynical of the ugly duckling that can sing and comparing Susan Boyle to that. If we really need to compare someone to Susan Boyle, we need to compare the massive attention (interviews, the original singers being WOWed, headlines in newspapers, radios, TV, etc.) the singer is getting.
Susan Boyle in 2009, saved the American music industry from downfall. If we need to compare someone to Susan, it better be that the singer had similar effects to that.
April 10th, 2010 at 1:15 am
Tony, would you mind posting a link to that article so it’s available for everyone?
April 10th, 2010 at 2:56 am
Amazing! Someone needs to repost on Youtube but black out the screen for the first 30 seconds of the performance, allow people to form their own impression of the singer then Bam! hit them with the real thing.
April 10th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Steve, I read it from the paper version (from my ma). Here is the link but it is not readable.
http://74.208.7.85/wjepaperlogin/showpaper.aspx?20100410
April 10th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
To everyone: Music posts aren’t treated like the others in that it’s a time for all of us to chill out and not criticize or argue with anyone else. It’s our way of taking a break. Please keep the comments positive towards each other. If you know of a related video you’d like to share, post the link and I’ll embed the video for you.
April 10th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
@Steve
I’m actually not criticizing Raj. I know Raj got this idea from various other sources that states Lin Yu Chun is another slew of Susan Boyles. Here’s another one that some perceived as a Susan Boyles-type: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqhbAZXB6JM .
I just find it odd that people to compare someone to Susan Boyle has to do with looks rather than the success and the accomplishments (worldwide tour and promotion of album).
April 10th, 2010 at 8:19 pm
@ Jason: I agree with you on the Susan Boyle comparisons and noticed the new video I posted of the lady in Shanghai has the same comparison, this time coming from China. I guess comparing any singer who doesn’t look like a singer to Susan Boyle is the latest fashion craze. Because Raj had mentioned her, it did seem that you were criticizing him so I’m glad you clarified.
This was in the Toronto Star:
Lin Yu Chun is pudgy. Lin Yu Chun looks androgynous. Lin Yu Chun sang beautifully on a television talent show. And, therefore, Lin Yu Chun is “the new Susan Boyle,” an Internet sensation who, according to the New York Times, has taught us yet again that “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” It is unclear why anyone remains surprised that not-traditionally-beautiful people can be talented; that much of the world still believes, as does Britain’s Daily Mail, that Lin is an “unlikely music star” is embarrassing. And yet, as with Boyle, the strength of Lin’s performance precludes cynicism. The 24-year-old who carries the unfortunate nickname “Little Fatty” sounded almost exactly like Whitney Houston during his rendition of “I Will Always Love You” on Taiwan’s Super Star Avenue. The YouTube video has been viewed more than 700,000 times.
I googled “Lin Yu Chun Susan Boyle” and found numerous articles comparing the two. Media reporters certainly aren’t very original, are they?
April 10th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
Lin Yu Chun’s revealing interview of his rise to fame and what “I Dreamed a Dream” sang by Susan Boyle meant to him:
Another song by him:
April 11th, 2010 at 12:55 am
Thanks for those great links, Jason. Rather than using the links, I just embedded the videos; hope you don’t mind.
April 11th, 2010 at 2:00 am
Steve, here are some videos from YouTube I found today and feel free to embed them if they’re good.
Beautiful ladies from 55 minorities and 1 majority.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkyPl_ZKiEk&NR=1
Cantonese joke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZtlo50mo6E
April 12th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
嚇死我了
April 23rd, 2010 at 10:55 pm
@Steve
Can you embed these?
Lin Yu Chun Goes Hollywood!
On George Lopez:
On Ellen:
April 25th, 2010 at 4:23 am
Hi Jason~ Great vids (now embedded) and his English is far better than I had expected! George Lopez mentioned that Yu Chun would be singing a duet with William Shatner later in the show so if anyone is curious… 😉
April 25th, 2010 at 4:43 am
Wow, amazing voice. But besides the talent, can’t imagine the work/practice put forth for a non-English speaker to learn all the vocal inflections in following in the footsteps of a Whitney Houston, who did her share of vocal acrobatics in her time. And I hadn’t heard Bonnie Tyler for a while.
I’d actually compare him more to Paul Potts than Susan Boyle, not for any physical characteristics, but simply for the fact that they were amateurs who learned to belt it out in a foreign language.
Thanks for the videos.