Imagine the scene: JJ Lin, a Singaporean superstar, graces the stage at the 2025 Asia Artist Awards, a prestigious Korean ceremony. He wins not one, but two awards! But what truly set the internet ablaze wasn't his talent, but rather... his English.
JJ, a man of many talents, took home the Asia Star (Singer) and Best Artist (Singer) awards. He was the only non-K-pop act among the nine singer category winners. Talk about making a statement!
As he stepped up to accept his awards, JJ, clearly taken by surprise and beaming with joy, started with a brief introduction in Korean, then launched into his acceptance speech, seamlessly switching between Mandarin and English. In English, he shared his dreams: "I dream of a day where I would be singing songs on a global stage, I would imagine that music could cross language, culture, and connect us universally."
He then expressed his gratitude to his fans, his team, and the Asia Artist Awards for helping him realize his dreams. A Taiwanese media outlet shared a clip of the speech online, with a caption that read: "[JJ] delivered his speech entirely in English, leaving the crowd stunned."
But here's where it gets controversial...
Um, did they not know he's from Singapore? The caption left many netizens amused and, frankly, a little baffled. The general consensus? How could anyone be surprised that JJ Lin is fluent in English?
For those who may not know, JJ is a proud alumnus of Anglo-Chinese School and Saint Andrew's Junior College. Like many Singaporeans, he's fluent in English, Mandarin, and Hokkien. It's practically a national pastime!
The comments section quickly became a lesson in geography and basic knowledge of Singaporean culture. One netizen perfectly summed it up: "He's Singaporean, so it's perfectly normal for him to speak English well? It's one of the country's official languages."
Another commenter quipped, "This caption is too funny, English is his first language," while another added, "He was born and raised in Singapore, what's so shocking about [him speaking English]?"
Perhaps the media outlet had simply heard JJ sing in Mandarin for so long that they forgot about his flawless English skills. As one witty netizen put it, "Singaporeans can usually speak English just fine… it’s just that JJ’s Mandarin is almost too good."
What do you think? Did the media outlet's caption surprise you? Do you think it's a common misconception that Singaporeans aren't fluent in English? Share your thoughts in the comments!
