JJ I Am World Tour

Singapore Indoor Stadium

Last Saturday

This is a good time for fans of home-grown Mandopop.

Kit Chan had her comeback concert at the Huayi Chinese Festival of Arts last month, Stefanie Sun is releasing her new album tomorrow after a four-year hiatus and next month, Tanya Chua will be holding her first major solo gig here.

And of course, another top local act making waves is JJ Lin, who returned home for his latest concert after touring eight cities in China, including Beijing and Shanghai, last year.

Over three hours, the singer-songwriter entertained the capacity crowd of 8,000 with a mix of stirring ballads and catchy tracks.

He emerged on stage in a white and red coat, with white headgear that looked like it belonged in a B-grade sci-fi flick. After the opener Cao Cao, the coat was removed to reveal a silver blazer and pants get-up which showed off Lin’s toned body.

While he performed hits from across his career, 100 Days (2009) was probably the most heavily featured album and the fans were treated to songs such as the moving title track, the bluesy, jazzy Obsession and the popular number, Back To Back.

Ballads are a clear strength for Lin and while he said that he was not in tip-top physical condition, his emotive voice came through and he could still shoot for the high notes and falsetto range.

In a stripped-down segment, he showed his musicianship by playing the keyboard and singing a cover of Killing Me Softly, as well as the national song, Home, and She Says, the title track of his latest release.

A key asset for Lin as a songwriter is his versatility and apart from the slower numbers, he also crafts winning electro-pop. Songs such as X, Go! and High Fashion livened things up onstage and also gave him the chance to show off some dance moves.

The biggest jolt of the evening, though, was when guest star Taiwanese singer Jam Hsiao joined Lin onstage for Michael Jackson’s Black Or White. The tribute to the late King of Pop seemed a little jarring at first, but it was certainly fun and the two were definitely having a blast.

Hsiao then gave a loose-limbed and raucous rendition of his song Princess, ignoring Lin’s jokey exhortation to not sing too well.

The other guest star was newcomer Zhang Jing, who hails from China, and the effect was a study in contrasts.

While Lin and Hsiao had a bromance brewing, Lin and Zhang were like a mismatched couple when they duetted on Only Told You. It did not help that he was wearing a lightsuit that seemed to be inspired by the movie Tron, while she was dressed like the girl next door.

After a very long list of thank-you’s, the evening ended with some of Lin’s best-known hits such as River South and A Thousand Years Later.

He said that while it felt good to sing here, it also made him feel the most nervous as he wanted his family and friends to see the best of him.

But his nervousness hardly showed and he was confident enough to ask his fans to sing along even in the absence of karaoke-style lyrics to prompt them. And they did. It was their way of telling him: Welcome back, homeboy.

(ST)