2014 has been a big year for JJ Lin. Not only did the he pick up the coveted Best Mandarin Male Singer prize at Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards in June, he was honoured with his own wax statue at Madame Tussauds Singapore.
The 33-year-old, who unveiled his figure at the attraction today (Dec 22), was truly delighted coming face to face with his wax likeness and even hammed it up for the cameras.
“I finally know how it feels to have an identical twin!” said the singer, whose parents were present at the unveiling. “I think that it is great although the first reaction I had was like ‘Woah, doppelganger!’”
JJ met the team from Madame Tussauds in Taiwan, where he is based, in April to be measured and photographed for the creation of his figure. No detail in the figure was spared, from the singer’s signature dimpled-smile to his outfit, which he donated, and pose.
“I decided let’s do something that I would be doing on stage because I think the stage and the microphone represents what I have been doing for the past 11 years.
“I wanted my wax figure to present the JJ Lin that all my fans got to know on stage but also I wanted him to wear something that I would feel comfortable in in everyday life so when people come to take pictures, they would feel like it’s the real JJ Lin. This is what I wear in my own free time and the apparel is from my own label SMG. I wanted him to feel close to the people who come to see ‘me’,” he laughed.
However, that smile flashed across the singer’s face didn’t come easy. Recalling the “arduous” sitting, JJ said the most challenging part was not holding still in the pose for six hours, but keeping that smile.
"It is easy to smile but not to keep that same smile throughout and to be really smiling. I think the most challenging part would be to keep that real smile from your heart but as time goes by, you feel yourself tensing up!”
Though JJ declined to rate his own wax double, he said that it is a dream come true to have his own figure at Madame Tussauds and to be recognised and remembered in such a unique way.
“To know that such a significant place in Singapore is willing to give me this honour [of having my own wax figure], makes me feel very happy.
“It’s one thing to receive an award on stage but it’s another to know that you are given a wax figure and being recognised and remembered in a really unique way. It’s something that you can come back to every year, something that you can come back to when you are old to see. It represents my whole life as a performer, a musician and as a Singaporean. I feel really proud to be featured in Madame Tussauds,” adding “now I can be beside Michael Jackson!”
JJ’s figure, which costs around S$300,000 to make and four months to complete, will be displayed in the Music section alongside local songbird Stefanie Sun, Mando-pop star Jay Chou and JJ’s idol Michael Jackson.
The museum in Sentosa opened its doors in October and features about 60 wax figures including local personalities such as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, film-maker Jack Neo, late actor Huang Wenyong. They are displayed alongside international stars like Lady Gaga and David Beckham.