Twenty years into his singing career, Mandopop voyager JJ Lin returns to the simple pleasures of making music with Happily, Painfully After. The album marks that milestone, and the joys and cares along the way, with songs that find the artist exploring the possibilities of Mandopop. In the retro hued synth-pop of “Liv’ a Little”, Lin invites listeners to accompany him on his quest, while “Braindance” drops a surprising trap beat and applies layered guitars and autotune magic to Vincent Fang’s lyrics. In “Satisfaction”, he delivers a Mandarin version of “In The Joy”, his 2023 collab with Anderson .Paak—and he turns a similar linguistic somersault with the Mandarin-language opener “Dust and Ashes” and its poignant English version “Castle In The Air”. Interspersed throughout are the tender, emotive ballads that are Lin’s stock in trade. Below, Lin shares with Apple Music some stories behind the making of the album. Can you elaborate on the title Happily, Painfully After? “I realised that the meaning of happiness continues to change and evolve as we grow. The language I used tries to stress that the pursuit of happiness is always ongoing and linear. Twenty years into my career, I’ve accomplished plenty but also opened a new chapter for my next adventures. As for which direction I’ll take, that’s still an unknown. Happiness coexists with pain for everyone. Most of the time we don’t even realise the two go hand in hand. I believe the more we’re able to face ourselves truthfully, the closer we are to happiness. “In the studio, my happiness comes from letting my imagination wander as I put down emotions and stories into song.” What are influences behind the textures you’ve introduced into this album? “I’ve been listening heavily to urban, funk and old school music lately. For this twentieth 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. The Weeknd, Post Malone and Harry Styles are a few of the artists who I feel have mastered those styles in recent years. I truly appreciate their craft and draw musical inspiration from them.” Have you made any special considerations for your fans’ special love of your ballads? “I've always felt that ballads are my forte. On the vocal side of things, they’re best at bringing out my emotions. It’s less a matter of fan expectations and more that ballads are a staple of Mandopop. Of course, I try to mix in new elements organically and use truthful emotions to give the listener a feast for the ears.” Can you call out one track that is particularly meaningful to you? “‘Castle In The Air’. On the surface, it might just sound like the English version of ‘Dust and Ashes’ but ‘Castle In The Air’ is closest to my heart out of all the tracks on the album. In fact, I wrote this version first and spent time and effort developing alternate versions with different lyricists before deciding on Xiao Han’s Mandarin lyrics. “There’s also a hidden formula in the track order—I designed the order to echo the circular band shown on the album cover. My own ‘secret order’ starts from track 11 [‘Castle In The Air’] and proceeds in reverse.” What are your thoughts on reaching the 20-year milestone in Mandopop? “This album is a sincere letter to fans new and old. It’s also a commemoration for having come this far. When I used to finish an album, I’d immediately think about how to continue it on the next one. But this time, during the whole process I went back to the basics, to the notion that making music is my happiness. Stories don’t always have to be continued or have a big pay-off. I treated this album as if it was the last in my career. No regrets. I made sure that everything I wanted to say made it unfiltered into my songs.”