“With digital and virtual content, there’s so much potential, so much more that we can do to interact with the audience and with the fans”
“I have a lot on my plate,” he admits. “But it’s hard for me to stop. If something appeals to me on a lifestyle basis, either in the form of something I’ve always believed in or am passionate about, I’ll then ask myself – can that be part of the ecosystem of my career or brand? Is it something that would make sense for me to pursue or explore? If it is, then I usually go all in.
“With every brand, it all boils down to embodying the brainchild of, I guess, the storytelling aspect of my creativity. I’m always eager to take creativity to the next level, trying to make something that’s not bound by industry or genre. On a wider scale, I’d love to be able to share and contribute to different industries in terms of creative works. It could be the auto industry, or make-up, or even the environment. Right now, I feel like anything that the world throws at me, I’d be able to think about ideas for it and try to develop it if it sparks my interest – especially since everything is so interconnected right now.”
Lin’s dream of connection in the midst of the pandemic brought about what he deems one of the “proudest moments” in his career, successfully conceiving, putting together and executing a virtual live-streamed concert, Sanctuary Finale, watched by fans around the world.
“It’s something I’m really proud of, both from a larger vision perspective in general and as an artist, because we were trying something that was never done before – launching a paid live-streamed virtual experience on this massive scale. Pandemic or not, we’d probably still have tried doing it, but at that time, it was literally the best reason and time to go ahead with that vision. The team and I definitely took that leap of faith to just move forward and put all our effort into it. It was executed and performed in Taiwan and live-streamed globally.
“It was a full-on virtual experience, customised and curated just for an online audience. So, what that means is that we were trying to redefine the stage and redefine what performance could be in front of a live-streaming audience instead of, say, just putting on a show to simply be streamed. With digital and virtual content, there’s so much potential, so much more that we can do to interact with the audience and with the fans. It’s really up to the performer to redefine it.
“Doing it the way we did elevated the show more than we expected. It was no longer a one-way event, because my performance was actively affected by the online engagement. There was no physical audience, but I was able to interact quite personally with fans on a different level. Sure, we can’t bring them up on stage and I can’t see them in person, but when I was online, I was able to have one-on-one sessions with fans just chatting or even playing real-time interactive games.”
Viewership numbers for Sanctuary Finale were estimated to be 200,000 globally, with fans banding together to stream the show at home, in hotel rooms and even movie theatres. Every ticket holder was sent an interactive wristband that lit up at intervals during the show. You’d imagine one person buying a viewing link that would serve for an entire party, but social-media posts showed the opposite scenario, with everyone
– even those in groups – wearing a wristband.
“I’m so grateful for their support,” says Lin about such dedication. “They were watching from different places in different environments, but all at the same time. It really gave me – and, I hope, my fans too – a sense of community. A lot of them grew up with me. They’ve seen me through my ups and downs and changing phases in life since my debut when I was 22, so I really want to just help us connect more through technology and, of course, music.
“I know I said before that I was singing less about love, but I do feel it’s coming back,” he says. “It’s coming back to love, simplicity and just bare emotions. I feel that maybe with my next album, or my next few songs, we’re moving into a more minimalistic approach again with my songwriting. Similar to the English EP I just released; that’s actually a series of love-inspired songs. Sure, with a touch of dance and a more urban tone, but ultimately still with threads of love.”