The 42-year-old man who released Happily, Painfully After in 2023 has some key things in common with the fresh-faced youngster who had released his debut album, Music Voyager, 20 years earlier. Whether through Faustian pact, healthy living, or plain luck, JJ Lin has managed to maintain that heart-stopping, crystal-clear voice with nary a sign of wear. And when it comes to delivering a nakedly emotional Mandopop ballad, he’s just about unbeatable. To commemorate the two-decade mark in his recording career, Lin made sure there were plenty of examples of what he does better than just about anybody—i.e., those aforementioned heart-on-sleeve ballads. So, whether he’s unleashing a torrent of emotion on a larger-than-life orchestrated force of nature like the title track or dropping a sweet, hushed croon atop “One Last Thing” with little more than gentle piano chords for a framework, Lin plays to his strengths. But he’s never been one to deliver a monochromatic recording, so for this special moment in his discography, he dipped into other intriguing areas. For instance, Lin told Apple Music in 2023, “For this 20th anniversary, I wanted to create an ’80s sound palette. I envisioned a retro-inspired theme for everything from concert design to production and sound texture.” Accordingly, perky tunes like “Liv’ a Little” and “JJ20” deliver synth-forward ’80s vibes while maintaining a distinctly modern touch. And a couple of the tracks find Lin playing around with the language divide, discovering new thing s along the way. “Castle In The Air” is an English-language version of the album opener, “Dust and Ashes,” but it’s not a straight translation—Lin worked long and hard with co-writers to capture just the right feel. And the sunny, irresistibly danceable “Satisfaction” is a Mandarin adaptation of “In The Joy,” his English collaboration with Anderson .Paak. Whatever he does on Happily, Painfully After, Lin brings more emotional sophistication to the table than he could have 20 years earlier, but the ineffable spirit that has spoken to fans all along remains unchanged.