Taiwanese singer A-Lin surprised by her popularity in Singapore

SINGAPORE – It was a night of surprises at Taiwanese singer A-Lin’s Sonar Singapore Echo Limited concert at The Star Theatre on Saturday evening.

The 33-year-old vocal powerhouse made sure that she a few special things in store for her sold-out audience of 5,000, mainly because she has been surprised by her own popularity here. It was the second time she was presenting her Sonar tour in Singapore. The first was in 2015, when she played at the same venue.

“When I knew I was going to do an encore show, I was shocked, I was in disbelief. I didn’t think Singaporean audiences knew who I was," she told reporters in an interview after her three-hour concert on Saturday.

The singer made her debut in 2006, but shot to fame after appearing on the third season of Chinese reality singing competition, I Am A Singer, in 2015.

"I am really thankful to I Am A Singer for introducing me to so many people,” she said.

A-Lin, who has toured in cities like Hong Kong, Manila, Los Angeles, Macau and Melbourne in the last year alone, also said she would be happy to perform again on I Am A Singer, if invited.

“I think a lot of people got to know me through the show, which gave me many opportunities to perform, and brought me to cities I didn’t expect would have people who would know who I was,” she said. “Every time I go to a new city, I think of the opportunity as a gift, as a new surprise."

Fans on Saturday were surprised when A-Lin invited Taiwanese singer-songwriter Maggie Chiang to sing with her, bringing the 36-year-old veteran onstage with her for a duet.

She also celebrated her tribal heritage by bringing her parents onstage. A-Lin's parents were clad in the colourful costumes and head dresses of the Amis people. The Amis are the largest ethnic group among the Taiwanese aboriginal people, and A-Lin - who is married to Taiwanese baseball player Huang Kan Lin - has always been proud of her tribal history.

The trio sang When I Think Of You, the catchy tune by Taiwanese singer A-Mei, whom A-Lin was often compared with in the early stages of her career.

The singer also took the show offstage. She surprised her audience when she appeared near the sound stage after a costume change, saying she had made a spur-of-the-moment decision to get closer to her fans.

To their delight, A-Lin then walked back to stage – albeit surrounded by bodyguards – singing and shaking hands with her elated fans, many of whom tried to take photos with and of her.

“I got a lot of messages and letters from my fans here saying they wanted to meet me in person, so I decided to go closer to them,” A-Lin, whose full name is Huang Li-Ling, told reporters later.

The bubbly singer added that she used to, as a student, attend the fan meets and concerts of pop singers like A-Mei, Alex To, Jordan Chan and Coco Lee. Earlier this year, A-Lin also flew to Las Vegas to watch Celine Dion in concert, and even shouted her own name in hopes of getting the Canadian singer’s attention.

As such, she said she understands what it is like to be a fan.

“I know members of the audience want to be noticed, but it’s not possible for performers to see everyone. That is why, when I am on stage, I try my very best to wave to every single person who waves at me, because I know it might make their day,” A-Lin said.