Saturday, August 14, 2010

OMG Contender : David Lin

King David of Riga (that's the capital of Latvia)
Toldja one of the contestants lived in Latvia - meet 25-year old David Lin, he's lived and busked there. In fact, he's the singer-songwriter who's from all over the place, who's now come home to work in a funeral parlour - wth?














Featured heavily in the trailers leading up to the premiere, many already spotted David's boyish appeal. But can he deliver? The judges seem to think so and even before he left the stage, seemed to have put him through to Episode 2, demanding to hear an original composition the next time he comes on stage.

David is originally from Taiwan. He moved to Singapore when he was 12, with his parents and younger brother. After high school (at an international school here), he went to college in Dallas, Texas. After that, he moved to Paris for 2 years, and then Sweden and then Latvia, and then a quick stopover in London and back to Singapore. How's that for well-travelled?

You were in Dallas, why didn't you try out for American Idol?
I wasn't really confident about my singing back then. I was writing songs in high school, but it was a way of expressing myself. I'm an emotional person and in an international school, every year people would leave, it was difficult for me, so I wrote about it. When I got to college, I continued to write and do music.

So why'd you move to Paris?
*he smiles sheepishly at me*
I fell in love with a girl and followed her there, ....and then she dumped me....
But it was in Paris that I watched this Indie Irish movie called 'Once'. It was about a street musician. His girlfriend had just dumped him so he's busking on the streets and a girl asks him to try out music professionally. I realised then that I was always afraid to commit to music, because I guess I was afraid I'd fail. So I decided to just do it, to make music, and so in 2007, I went to Sweden to record an EP.

Sweden? Why Sweden?
A friend of mine had a recording studio there. That's what happens when you go to international school, you get friends all over the place!

So where's that EP?
I didn't release it. I started a myspace page and put it there. Last summer, I moved to Latvia and started busking there, I made so much $$$ and people started to ask me to perform at bars and events.

Wait, Latvia? Why Latvia? And who are these people asking you to perform? (this interview totally has taken a life of its own!)
Oh, my old room mate from college was from Latvia, and he asked me to go visit him, so I did. The people who asked me to perform were like local musicians, so I just joined in their gigs with them. They really liked me, they even crowned me 'King David' in Riga. (Again, Riga is the capital of Latvia.)

I was even invited to sing at a wedding, two weddings actually. I didn't even know them, they heard me sing and just asked me to sing at their wedding. I don't even speak Latvian/Russian!

So if things were goin' so good, why'd you leave Latvia?
My visa ran out. So I flew to London. And when I got there, I was denied entry, because I was on a one-way ticket. That was a stupid move. I got hauled into a room and they started interrogating me, 'what do you do?', 'how long do you plan to stay?', 'who will you be staying with?'. I was like, 'um, I'm a busker, and I'll be staying with friends...'
In the end they sent me back to Latvia. By then I had run out of money, and as I mentioned before, my visa had expired, so I had to call my parents to buy me a ticket back to Singapore. They're PRs here.

What were you heading to London for?
I had planned on going to London to record the full album. I had some friends there who had a studio, and I was trying to find musicians and put a band together. I had a great time out there for 5 years, and when I was forced to come back at the end of last year, I totally crashed and just didn't want to do anything.

What do you do for money now?
I've been playing at bars, but over here it doesn't earn much. By day I work at a funeral home. I'm a Funeral Director's Assistant. Basically I talk to the family, show them what we have and arrange for the funeral.

So why'd you join OMG!? (gosh, took us ages to get to this question!)
I really want to win the prize money so that I can record my own album. And of course it would be financial freedom. Plus the show would be good exposure for me.

So if you get challenged, what will you sing on Episode 2?
The judges said they want an original, so I'll be singing an original song titled "To The Woods". The story behind the song is this; in Latvia my friends and I went to the forest to pick mushrooms, and it was like, once you're in the forest, its just you and nature and your friends. Its a great place to be to enjoy each other's company. Its like you're in paradise with the people you care about and this song tries to bring everyone into that place.

OMG! airs every Wednesday, 8pm, only on Channel 5!
Think YOU've got talent that can blow us away? Producers want you! Email omg@mediacorp.com.sg today and YOU could be the one walking away with $50,000 at the end of the season!

22 comments:

  1. i wonder why no one is challenging david. He may be able to play the guitar but is a terrible terrible singer. not to mention his lack of showmanship - instead of aiming to step up his performance, he hopes that his competitor fares badly. well done david, well done. please do yourself a favor - stop trying to suck up to everyone with your looks and charm which are quite honestly - just average.

    if the "char siew baos" had challenged you tonight instead of jon (WHO IS WAY ABOVE YOUR LEAGUE AND YOU KNOW IT), we finally could have some peace to our ears from your mediocre performances and your cheezy hogging-the-camera comments behind the scenes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ong Kar Fai, Ang Mo KioSeptember 2, 2010 at 6:53 PM

    To GO HOME DAVID,
    Thanks for bringing the first spate of negativity to this blog. I saw it all happen during Idol days and now thanks to you, I'm sure the negativity will come in again.
    If you think he's that bad, why don't YOU come on the show and show him how it should be done. Obviously the judges see something you don't - or perhaps you're just jealous. I think its the latter.
    And btw, the char siew baos are quite similar - they are pretty decent musicians, but I'm sorry, vocals are not up to scratch. But they get an A for effort and camaraderie.
    So go home and stop hitting below the belt.
    Kar Fai
    (and at least I dare to print my name - you wanna hate on someone at least have the guts to put your name down - otherwise it ain't valid - David, IGNORE dem haters with no names!)

    ReplyDelete
  3. ~~jj luvs peace out~~September 2, 2010 at 6:56 PM

    Well said Kar Fai! Was juz abt to write somethin back at that guy when I saw ur msg. Plz juz go hate elsewhere, not on d poor guy's profile page!
    Peace!
    JJ

    ReplyDelete
  4. yup..agree..if you are that good..go on the show.and not doing it here..he may be no idol material but he has something that the judges see in him

    ReplyDelete
  5. To GO HOME DAVID,
    you are jealous if him.. just admit it

    OMG.. he is awesome..his smile is cute..
    his is good in guitar and awesome in singing
    hope he has a facebook page!! wanna be a fan of him :D or maybe add him in facebook :P

    Peace,
    Mirza

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi!I'm a girl of age 13.I think that you're GREAT!
    =D Just that your voice is a bit scratchy but no offence.You're cute and if,I said IF,you don't win,you can make it as a model,an actor or a host coz your looks and your accent is quite pleasing.Hope you like muffins!=D

    By:Isabel(Not real name)=D

    ReplyDelete
  7. David Lin, just wanna tell you that you're like an angel to me, you're just so adorableeeeee! Your singing makes me feel as if I'm on clouds ♥ Despite you being Taiwanese, your English sounds so nice. Because you've been to Paris?
    David Fighting! I love you and I hope you love me too! I wanna bring you home and make you sing to me :O

    & visit my blog, don't forget to taggggg! :D

    I'm aged 13, and my name is yeah, Hiromi Osawa. Have a good day :) Love David da Adorable always~ Your smile is so radiant.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I won't say that he is a great singer, but neither does he suck. He definitely has something and he can improve with time. Plus, 'just average' ? Sure whatever that's your opinion. Though i personally find him extremely charming. 'Sucking up with his looks and charm' ? Honestly, this is the media industry and you have to admit that with looks, it's a definite plus. The first thing people would always notice, is your outward appearance and how you potray yourself. David has that charm, so YOU gotta suck it up. Yes, he may not deserve to win, but i think he should keep moving forward !

    ReplyDelete
  9. David, you've got it made, whatever life's challenges, past, now, and future. Humility, self-respect, composure, and unstincting effort are glorious attributes. rom 8:28

    ReplyDelete
  10. see my opinion on main (preceeding) page with regards to judges' say on any talent show, including american idols.

    ReplyDelete
  11. david is handsome!!1

    ReplyDelete
  12. No Offence! David is cute and handsome. But sometimes it takes more than just being good looking. He has his limitations which he needs to break through. Besides he is on his own, compared to Jill and Char Siew Baos, he needs to be more stable, more creative and more skillful to stay on. Hope to see that soon if he continues.

    ReplyDelete
  13. David is not and never will be considered as 'handsome' for he is too short and yet misses out from having the ideal countenances. His features arent that sharp and strong so i guess what works for you guys could only be his charm.

    ReplyDelete
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