Zhang Li Yin: Very Lonely When First Arrived in Korea

Zhang Li Yin: Very Lonely When First Arrived in Korea
Friday, March 20, 2009

Originating from Sichuan, 20-year-old Zhang Li Yin was discovered by Korea’s SM Entertainment at 15-years-old, and it was then when she started her training. Despite her young age, with her broad vocal range and powerful singing, her professional singing often leaves people stunned. SM named her as the “Second BoA,” their secret weapon, the one to shine on Asia’s stage forever.

Born in Sichuan, Liyin grew up in a musical family, inheriting both talents and music potential from both parents. She told (interviewers): Before she was selected for SM Entertainment, she participated in two different singing contests, when she was finally discovered by a SM staff member in the audience, who invited her to be a part of the Korean company. In Korea, she was trained in language, music and dance. In training, Liyin said she asked SM for a debut no less than a hundred times. But in China, there are still a lot of people who do not know who Zhang Li Yin is, still who do not know what her story is like. For a singer who signed onto a Korean company but plans to expand into China, it is a very curious story.

Liyin says, when she first arrived in Korea, she was very lonely. The daily schedule was full of training. Two months after arriving in Korea, the dorms were emptied as everybody left for home to celebrate the New Year, leaving only Liyin. She phoned her mother, and after hearing just “Hello?” in her mother’s voice, she started crying. Her mother followed with her own tears. They cried over the phone for over ten minutes, before the call ended when her mother needed to leave. It was then when Liyin realized the hardships that came with loneliness and education. She learned to become a stronger person, and to work harder in training.

It is rare to see a young person at Liyin’s age to be so calm and confident. It is because of her personality as she was a quiet child when she was growing up, using most of her time to learn about music. For this hard-working and fortunate young girl, she released her first album, “I Will” early last year; Super Junior’s Han Geng and Siwon Choi, as well as SM’s young actress, Yeonhee Lee, all star in her album’s MVs, “I Will” and “The Left Shore of Happiness”. Liyin says, from throughout SM, it is those two Super Junior members who she has the closest relationship with. But because the two artists (Super Junior and Zhang Li Yin) have very busy schedules, they don’t have much opportunity to chat with each other. Even when they were still trainees, Liyin and Han Geng were already good friends. “Back then, the daily training was very difficult, Han Geng took care of me well, often chatting with me, or giving me bottles of water when he saw I was tired.” Because of their training and debut overseas, they became united, gaining many fans from China. Han Geng, for example, became an Olympic torch bearer for Beijing, while Liyin frequently followed Han Geng at various Olympic activities.

Source: QQ, Zhang Li Yin Baidu Bar
Credit: Wendy @ Chocolyn.org +
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