Lisang Pacidal Koyouan, (Chinese name: 黃麗玲; Huáng Lìlíng), who is better known by her stage name A-Lin, is a Taiwanese aboriginal singer-songwriter and actress of Amis descent who was born on September 20, 1983, in Lingya District, Taiwan.

A-Lin was born to a family of Roman Catholic music lovers, and is the youngest of her family with an older sister and an older brother; her older sister is Taiwanese model and singer Lea Huang.

She was first discovered by her former agent after singing “Amazing Grace” at just age 16, but lost contact with him; four years later, they met again at a bar where she sang regularly. She then signed a contract with him at Avex Taiwan at the age of 19.

A-Lin would make her debut near the end of 2006, with the album 失戀無罪 (Lovelorn, Not Guilty). Upon debuting, she was an instant success, being dubbed as the next generation A-Mei, and earned the nickname 天生歌姬, which translates to “a born diva” in English. On top of comparisons to A-Mei, A-Lin has often been quoted as saying that the singer has been a big influence on her and also performs covers of her songs often.

However, despite being a big success and earning popularity, A-Lin would leave Avex Taiwan in 2013 due to poor record sales, marking an end to a contract with the company that lasted nearly ten years. After leaving Avex Taiwan, she signed with Sony Music Taiwan, and released the album 罪惡感 (Guilt) in 2014. The album gained her a nomination for Best Mandarin Female Singer, for that year, though she didn’t win the title.

In the coming year, she appeared as a contestant on the program 我是歌手 (I Am A Singer) (now known as simply 歌手 (Singer)) – a program which her older sister Lea also appeared on. A-Lin ranked sixth overall on the program. The program gained her even more fans and solidified her talent as a singer and a performer, boosting her career.