Lin Yu Zhong, Chen Wei Quan Join Hands for Concert; Fang Jiong Bin Amused at Being Called 'Senior'

Malaysian singer-songwriters Fang Jiong Bin, Lin Yu Zhong, and Chen Wei Quan will team up for the first time to hold the "Equatorial Love Songs" concert at Genting World’s Arena of Stars on Malaysia Day, September 16. The three attended a press conference on Thursday to promote the event, exchanging playful banter and laughs as they prepared for their debut joint performance. As soon as Lin Yu Zhong spoke, he called Fang Jiong Bin and Chen Wei Quan “seniors”, to which Chen Wei Quan immediately protested, “We were all Best Newcomers at the 2006 AIM Chinese Music Awards!” He even teased that Fang Jiong Bin is a “time-traveling singer”: “Ah Bin sang all the way from the cassette era to the streaming platform as the ‘senior’!” Fang Jiong Bin then exclaimed with a laugh, “I’m only a year older than Yu Zhong!” and added, “We started out at the same time, and grew up listening to each other’s music.”

Chen Wei Quan was the driving force behind the "Equatorial Love Songs" concert. He revealed that his initial intention in launching the show was to promote Malaysian songwriting to a wider audience. This time, by bringing together himself from Sabah, Lin Yu Zhong from Sarawak and Fang Jiong Bin from Penang, it happens to stretch across both East and West Malaysia. “That’s why this concert is so meaningful.”

Lin Yu Zhong also laughed and said, “Both of them are seniors, and both are songwriters. I think this chance will be lots of fun, so I agreed.” Chen Wei Quan immediately added, “We were the same year’s Best New Artist winners at the 2006 AIM Chinese Music Awards — you got gold, I got bronze!” He didn’t forget to poke fun: “The real senior is Fang Jiong Bin, who literally sang from the cassette era to the streaming era!” He then joked that he was the “most productive songwriter” of the three, “because I have three sons. I think I’m the only Chinese songwriter with three kids!”

Lin Yu Zhong also shared that, in high school, he attended their autograph sessions. “At the time, I thought they were amazing; the songs were great to listen to, and especially Jiong Bin’s voice was unique — he was my idol growing up.” Fang Jiong Bin immediately laughed and said, “I’m only a year older than him!” Chen Wei Quan added, “I even shook Ah Bin’s hand when I was in primary school!” The two continued to joke that being able to perform with their “idol from childhood” and the “person I shook hands with” made them proud to team up onstage, saying, “Malaysia is a place full of love, and we always take good care of our ‘senior’.” Fang Jiong Bin once again responded, “We’re actually peers who grew up listening to each other’s music.” The host playfully “reassured” him that it’s just because he debuted a bit earlier and has seniority.

This concert will be themed around Malaysia’s weather, linking the three artists' musical journeys to display the emotions and vitality unique to the equatorial nation. Besides performing each of their signature songs, they will also offer joint performances and crossovers, and plan to open up a request segment to interact with the audience. Lin Yu Zhong joked, “If you have any requests, feel free to bring them up! We may or may not do them all!”

When asked if there was any special reason for Lin Yu Zhong taking center position in the poster, he straightforwardly said, “I don’t know — I was just arranged there. I didn’t design the poster.” Chen Wei Quan joked, “I arranged it. If he’s in the middle, Ah Bin and I can accompany him.” As for whether their on-stage appearance order would match the order on the poster, Fang Jiong Bin said it would be arranged based on the ‘equatorial weather’ theme. “The three of us will each symbolize a different weather condition.” Lin Yu Zhong said he didn’t mind who went first, and Fang Jiong Bin added, “This time, we are as one — more like a group.”