AGT Season 3 winner’s magical journey

MANILA, Philippines — After a 10-week search in Asia that saw thousands of hopefuls from 17 countries looking for that one big break, Taiwanese magician Eric Chien was voted by the public as the winner of Asia’s Got Talent (AGT) Season 3. It’s the first time a talent from Taiwan won in the regional edition of the popular Got Talent franchise since its Season 1 in 2015.

Eric beat eight other grand finalists, including three from the Philippines namely hip-hop dance crew Junior Good Vibes, hand shadow-play artist Shadow Ace and acrobatic sweethearts Power Duo, who made it to the Top 3. “Human calculator” Yaashwin Sarawanan from Malaysia placed second in the Results Show episode Thursday night at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore, which featured performances from the show’s celebrity judges.

Multi-Grammy winner David Foster performed on the piano a mash-up of You Raise Me Up and All By Myself as rendered by American Idol’s Pia Toscano and classical-crossover singer Fernando Varela. Anggun did a virtual operatic duet of Caruso with the late Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Jay Park, on the other hand, premiered his new single K-Town, produced in collaboration with US record producer Hit Boy.

After the Results Show, The STAR and select ASEAN press had an interview with Eric, who also won the International Federation of Magic Societies (IFMS) Magic World Championships last year. The 26 year old talked about what he wants to do with his $100,000 prize money, praised Pinoy contender Power Duo, and profusely thanked everyone who voted for him. “I had a lot of doubts in myself. But winning this gave me a lot of confidence in myself now and I will continue to share my magic to the world and I know I would be even better next time.”

Here’s the rest of the interview:

How does it feel to win Asia’s Got Talent?

With judges (from left) David Foster, Anggun and Jay Park.

“It definitely feels amazing to win Asia’s Got Talent. You know, when I was on stage, it was nerve-wracking. It was really, really scary. They had a dramatic pause. So when the host said that he was about to announce the winner, I was getting ready, ‘OK, I’m calm’ then he said ‘After the commercial break,’ I was so disappointed but it was all good. I was really nervous, at the same time, regardless of the result, I’m still going to do what I love and that’s magic, I’m never gonna stop.

Do you have any person to thank for your AGT win?

“I really would like to thank my Dad because all throughout the competition in AGT, he supported me so much. He helped me with the voting and everything. He gave me so much moral support. But I think, in reality, AGT is not just about one person, it’s about (the public) because they voted for me, and so I have to thank everyone for that. Thank you everyone!”

What are your plans after AGT?

“I will try to create more magic. I want to have more platform to perform and to do that, I need to attend more TV shows maybe, or any other shows. My goal is to share magic. So, I want to accomplish that. I have a lot of stuff that I want to share but it’s not the right time yet but you guys will see it very soon.

“The prize money is gonna help. Being a magician, well not just being a magician, like every other performer, if you want to make a show or something, you will need a team. And right now, I’m by myself, I have one assistant. But it’s really hard. With the prize money, I’m putting everything back to magic, get more assistance or get a better rehearsal place. And hire consultants or a stage manager, and I will be creating more exciting shows for everyone.”

What was your biggest lesson from your AGT experience?

‘Human calculator’ Yaashwin Sarawanan of Malaysia, Eric and Power Duo in the Top 3, with hosts Alan Wong and Justin Bratton — Photos by AXN Asia

“When I first auditioned for this competition, it was my first month as a performer. And it was scary for me. As the months go by, I’ve learned to have a better presentation. I’m still working on my speech as you can see but I’ve been working on my stage presence and so many other things. And as I got through each round, I learned a lot more about performing. So, the biggest thing I’ve learned is how to perform, even though I’m nowhere near perfect. I’m still learning and I know I will be better in the future.”

I’m from the Philippines. What can you say about the Top 3 Power Duo?

“Personally, I love Power Duo. I love their performances. I love them loving each other. Does that make sense? But yeah, they really trust each other and every time they go on stage, I can see them just in a corner and praying and I can feel their love and I’m really touched by them. So, I love Power Duo.”

How did you become a magician?

“I’m the first magician in the family. I’m self-taught. At first, I started by watching online videos on magic, then I went to magic stores, buying props. Later on, I just created my own magic because I don’t want to be like anyone else doing the same tricks over and over again. I want to be myself. I want to be unique.

“I started magic 10 years ago in high school. When I first got into contact with magic, I fell in love with it right away. And within a year, I decided to become a professional magician. When I went to college, I studied Psychology because I thought it would help me but later on, I realized it wasn’t helping. I dropped out of school and decided to be a performer. At first, I was busking, doing street performances, I was doing OK but I wasn’t satisfied with what I was doing. Then I went back to Taiwan for military training and after military, I got a job as a consultant for a magician. And that’s how I started my magic career.”

Can you recall your first magic trick?

“My friend was in magic first and he taught me a simple card trick. In my opinion, this trick can’t fool anyone, but when I performed it to other friends, they were blown away, they were surprised. So in my mind, I’m like, something this simple could create a simple reaction. And that’s when I fell in love with magic because I want to make people happy.”

Who are the magicians you look up to?

“The first one that got me into magic, was Cyril Takayama from Japan. I just love his street magic. He can do magic whenever he wants. The second magician that inspires me more now is YIF. Every time he performs, he tells a story and I can see the audience getting emotional just by a magic trick. And I feel like that’s how magic should be, it shouldn’t be just showing off tricks, it should be connecting with people.”

What do you look forward to doing immediately after this?

“I’ve been sleep deprived for a while because I’ve been so nervous over this. But after this, I’m going to go celebrate with everyone, with all the contestants because we have all become friends, really. It’s such an amazing journey to know so many people from different countries. So, after this, I’m going to celebrate, have fun and sleep (laughs).”