Shiga Lin


Shiga Taguchi, better known as Shiga Lin Sze-nga, is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress. As a singer, she is known for songs including "I'm Still Loving You" and "The End". As an actress, she is known for her performances in the film Lan Kwai Fong and television drama Life After Death.
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Life and career

1988–2010: Early life

Shiga Lin was born on 29 June 1988 in Hong Kong as the only child in her family. While her parents are from Hong Kong, her mother had acquired naturalised Japanese citizenship after studying and living in Japan. As a result, Lin became a Japanese citizen by birthright. Her family resided in Kowloon Tong where her father worked as a businessman, and her mother served as a translator at the Canadian Consulate General. During her childhood, Lin witnessed her parents' unhappy marriage, which left lasting scars. She later recalled that she often experienced solitude and longed for "the warmth feeling of a complete family". She attended King George V International School. Lin became interested in singing early and named Christina Aguilera and Sammi Cheng as her inspirations. As a child, Lin participated in ETV's English-spoken educational programmes.
At the age of 16, Lin moved to Hong Kong Island with her mother after her parents' divorce and eventually lost contact with her father. She then transferred to West Island International School. Initially feeling misplaced, she gradually adapted to her new living environment and took on various jobs to become financially independent and support her mother. However, struggling to cope with the changes in her life, Lin started sneaking into nightclubs despite being underage, using partying, drinking, and smoking as a way to cope with her grief. In later interviews, she regretted and referred to her action as "ignorant" and a "waste of time". In 2007, before her official debut, Lin took part in the ATV's youth drama Teen Waves.

2010–2016: Career beginnings and early works

In July 2010, Lin made her official debut as a singer with the release of her debut song "Earl Grey". She signed with the record label Warner Music Hong Kong. Initially projecting a bright image, Lin soon embraced a bolder and more sexually provocative persona through her first film role in Lan Kwai Fong. Set in the famous Hong Kong nightlife district, the theme explored the topic of sex, love, and temptation. Although hesitant at first due to the daring subject matter, she saw it as a good acting opportunity. The film received decent box office results, and Lin received a "Best New Actress" nomination at the 31st Hong Kong Film Awards. Lin also sang the film's theme song "I’m Still Loving You", for which she penned its English lyrics. The song became popular and was listed among "Top Ten Best-selling Digital Songs" at the 2012 IFPI Hong Kong Record Sales Awards.
Lin followed up with the second film installment, Lan Kwai Fong 2, which shared a similar theme. On the music front, she released her single "The End" which has arguably became her most well-known hit to date. Lin shared her personal story in the song, writing a love letter in English to an ex-boyfriend that was later translated into Cantonese by a lyricist as the official lyrics. Lin told in an interview it took singing the song about "a hundred times" before she could finally "let go of that relationship". It was honoured "Top Ten Chinese Golden Medley" at the 35th RTHK's Top Ten Chinese Songs Music Awards and "Best New Song" at 2012 Metro Radio Music Awards. Lin then released "Movin' On" as her next single, signaling a transition from the old love, and in her own words, to "get on with my life". That same year, however, she was embroiled in a photo scandal in which kissing images between a 16-year-old Lin and her then-boyfriend were exposed. Continued to be plagued with other negative press, Lin endured a "bad girl" image for some time in the public's eye.
In the following years, Lin appeared in several films but struggles to find success in her acting career. On the music front, her song "Once Said" was recognized as one of the "Top Ten Best Songs" at 2013 Ultimate Song Chart Awards. In 2014, "Gotta Be With You" won the award for "Top Ten Digital Best-selling songs" at 2014 IFPI Hong Kong Record Sales Awards. The following year, her song "Old Street Corner" was honoured as one of the "Best Songs" at 2016 Metro Radio Music Awards, among others. In 2016, Lin held her first ticketed solo concert titled "Shiga vs. Shiga Live". During the same year, she formed the female band Dear John with fellow Warner Music Hong Kong artists Janice Vidal, Jill Vidal, and JUDE as a spin-off of the male band Dear Jane. However, due to Lin's departure from Warner Music Hong Kong a year later, the group was short-lived and only released three singles.

2017–present: ''Life after Death''

In 2017, a contractual infringement dispute arose between Warner Music Hong Kong and her management agency StarzPeople. Consequently, Lin briefly switched to HMV Music before ultimately signing with The Voice Entertainment in December 2018. In 2019, her single "Walk Alone" was among the "Top Ten Most Streamed Songs" of the year on the Joox music streaming platform. At The Voice, Lin's public image began to take a positive turn as she participated in television programmes at its parents company, television network TVB, showing a previously unseen side of her personality. In 2020, she landed her first major television drama role in Life After Death, portraying an obstetrician with an estranged relationship with her older sister, played by Priscilla Wong. Her performance was warmly received. Lin also lent her voice to the drama's opening theme song “Little Lies”, which was recognized among Top 3 best television theme songs of the year at the 53rd TVB Anniversary Awards.
In 2021, Lin's starring role in the musical micro-film A Hundred Miles Song, where she portrayed a murderer, earned her a Bronze Acting Award from the Hong Kong MicroFilm Association. The film also received a nomination at the 2021 Rising Sun International Film Festival. Lin continued having several other supporting roles in TV dramas including Line Walker: Bull Fight, Murder Diary, Barrack O'Karma 1968, In the Storm, and Forensic Heroes V.

Personal life

Lin and fellow singer-actor Pakho Chau formed a lasting friendship and collaborated on multiple music and film projects. Additionally, she developed a close bond with Priscilla Wong and Yoyo Chen after working together on the TV series Life After Death. Lin met actor Carlos Chan on the set of TVB's variety show 12 Summers ; they married in April 2023 and had a daughter, Camila, in July 2024.

Discography

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResults
201033rd RTHK's Top Ten Chinese Songs Music AwardsPromising NewcomersHerselfWon
20102010 Metro Radio Music AwardsBest New Female ArtistsHerselfWon
20112011 Metro Radio Music AwardsMost Popular Female SingersHerselfWon
201131st Hong Kong Film AwardsBest New ActressLan Kwai FongNomitated
20122012 Metro Radio Music AwardsBest New Media Song '"The End"Won
201235th RTHK's Top Ten Chinese Songs Music AwardsTop Ten Chinese Golden Melody"The End"Won
20122012 IFPI Hong Kong Record Sales AwardsTop Ten Digital Best-selling songs"The End"Won
20122012 IFPI Hong Kong Record Sales AwardsTop Ten Digital Best-selling songs"I'm Still Loving You"Won
20132013 Metro Radio Music AwardsBreakthrough ArtistsHerselfWon
20132013 Metro Radio Music AwardsBest New Media Songs"Once Said"Won
201336th RTHK's Top Ten Chinese Songs Music AwardsTop Ten Chinese Golden Melody"Once Said"Won
20132013 Ultimate Song Chart AwardsBest Top Ten Songs"Once Said"Won
20132013 IFPI Hong Kong Record Sales AwardsTop Ten Digital Best-selling songs"The End"Won
20142014 TVB8 Music AwardsMost Popular Female SingerHerselfWon
20142014 TVB8 Music AwardsGolden Melody Awards"Time Joke"Won
20142014 Metro Radio Mandarin Music AwardsMandarin Original Songs"Time Joke"Won
20142014 Metro Radio Mandarin Music AwardsPopular Idol 'HerselfWon
20142014 Metro Radio Music AwardsBreakthrough Singer 'HerselfWon
20142014 Metro Radio Music AwardsBest New Media Song '"Gotta Be With You"Won
201437th RTHK's Top Ten Chinese Songs Music AwardsTop Ten Chinese Golden Melody"Gotta Be With You"Won
20142014 IFPI Hong Kong Record Sales AwardsTop Ten Digital Best-selling songs"Gotta Be With You"Won
20152015 Metro Radio Mandarin Music AwardsNew Media Song"Be Good"Won
20152015 Metro Radio Mandarin Music AwardsNew Media SingerHerselfWon
20152015 Metro Radio Music AwardsBest Female SingersHerselfWon
20162016 Metro Radio Music AwardsBest Songs"Old Street Corner"Won
20192019 Jade Solid Gold Music AwardsGold Song Awards "Walk Alone"Won
20202020 Jade Solid Gold Music AwardsGold Song Awards"Little Lies"Won
20202020 Jade Solid Gold Music AwardsGold Song Awards"The Things We Do For Love"Won
202053rd TVB Anniversary AwardsBest Television Themesong"Little Lies" Nomitated
2020Yahoo! Asia Buzz AwardsPopular Stars HerselfWon
2021Hong Kong Micro-Film AwardsBest Actress A Hundred Miles SongWon
2021Rising Sun International Film FestivalBest Short FilmA Hundred Miles SongNomitated

Concerts

  • Love Out Loud
  • Shiga Love & Hope Unplugged Live
  • Shiga vs. Shiga Live
  • SS 2017 Live Concert