On Dec. 12, 2019, US-based YouTuber Matt Ramsey posted a video of himself reacting to Singaporean singer JJ Lin's singing.

Ramsey, who introduces himself as a "real singing teacher and vocal coach", apologises at the start for potentially butchering the Chinese language, as he will be reviewing the song "輸了你蠃了世界又如何" (which translates to "What is the Point of Winning the World if I Lose You?").

Lin performed it to a live audience on Chinese music show "梦想的声音2" (Sound of My Dream 2).

Although Ramsey does not understand Chinese, that did not stop him from appreciating Lin's vocal prowess.

First impression

As far as first impressions go, this was probably the best it could get.

Ramsey describes Lin as having a "beautiful, beautiful tenor voice", and adds that the weight in Lin's voice is "easy" and "light".

We're not sure what it means, but it sure sounds good.

Later on, the vocal coach adds that he could tell Lin has been "doing this for a long time".

Chorus

When Lin hits the chorus, Ramsey smiles and nods in delight and approval.

After he replays the part, Ramsey explains how Lin's enunciation of the vowels leads to a more relaxed yet strong sound — a technique that most non-singers wouldn't realise.

The coach also elaborates on how Lin's control of his jaw contributes to the technique.

In the second half of the song, Ramsey says that Lin has his vowels "perfect", and effortlessly hits the notes that are challenging.

Auto-tune?

At one specific point (10:44), though, Ramsey believes that auto-tuned was used, as there was apparently a tell-tale wobble in Lin's voice.

A while later, the YouTuber clarifies his auto-tune comment:

"I'm not saying that he has to use auto-tune because he can't sing, he obviously can sing super, super well. It's just in this particular case, like they've decided that it's really important that there is just like, no errors whatsoever. And that doesn't mean that using auto-tune eliminates your errors completely. You still have to be a very, very good singer in order to use auto-tune correctly, because the note has to be close in the first place. [...] And that was the only specific place that I could hear just a little bit of auto-tune."

At the end of the 17-minute video, Ramsey calls it a "phenomenal performance" from Lin and gives it five stars out of five.

Viewers react

Besides a swell of Singaporean pride, a couple of viewers argued that Lin does not actually use auto-tune.

If you're not familiar, Lin is also known as a "walking CD" in the industry, thanks to his live performances that sound exactly like the recorded version.

Another fan would rather Lin venture into something else, though.

You can watch the full review here:

The review video, however, is frequently interspersed Ramsey's own singing as he demonstrates Lin's technique.

Here is Lin's performance, if you want to watch it in its entirety:

Related article:

Top image via ZJSTV Music Channel and Ramsey Voice Studio on YouTube

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