Born and raised in Yunlin County, Taiwan, Lin Zhirong (林志融) comes from a family of entertainers and is a man of many talents himself. He is the son of Taiwanese comedian, host, and actor Andy Lin (安迪), and the brother of Taiwanese singer and actress Zowie Lin (林吟蔚). As Marz23, he is an artist who brings a fusion of emo rock and hip hop to the Taiwanese music scene, but he also performs as his first musical alias, Aye (阿夜), and the lead singer and guitarist of TRASH Band.
Marz23 started his career by releasing a series of singles, including popular song “Not A Rapper (我不是饒舌歌手),” and released his first album, 23, in August 2020. “It took almost three years to gradually finish the album, 23, which was released right amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the making process, I meticulously refined my ideas step by step and established my own style. Initially, the plan was just to release singles, [but] as time went on, the concept became more comprehensive, and it eventually led to the idea of a complete album.”
After 23, the singer’s next release was in April 2023, when he dropped his second album, not so far away (不遠處), with the title track of the same name. “The first album is about the journey of becoming the character 23, while the second album encapsulates the challenges from ego death to self-salvation I faced after becoming 23.” This sophomore album boasts 12 tracks, with a variety of sub-genres including his signature pop-punk style, and collaboration songs with artists such as Mo Zaiyang (莫宰羊), smrtdeath, and ØZI. “Every collaboration comes with its own story. For example, smrtdeath initially inspired me a lot when I first created the character, Marz23. He is someone I greatly admire as a singer-songwriter. Later, I found out through our mutual friend that he knew smrtdeath, and he created a group chat for us, which led to the opportunity for collaboration,” he shared. “While shooting the music video for “Waste My Time” with Jutes in L.A., we squeezed some time to visit smrtdeath’s studio, and I randomly played a few unfinished tracks for him. When he heard ‘Overrated,’ he immediately said he had some ideas! We went into the recording room and freestyled, and within about 10 minutes, the song was finished. For me, it was a truly magical experience.”
In spite of how smooth it was to make “Overrated,” not so far away (不遠處) was an album that was not so easy to make. “The most challenging part of completing the album was lack of time. Due to various scheduling conflicts, I was under immense pressure to finish within tight deadlines, which made it difficult to attend to every detail methodically,” he revealed. “However, despite the obstacles, I eventually managed to complete it. The song ‘Not So Far Away’ was particularly arduous to finish, as it took extensive time to find the perfect structure for its arrangement. I was fortunate to have the assistance of several exceptional professional arrangers, whose guidance ultimately helped me bring the song to fruition.”
Marz23 cited a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche that encapsulates the core concept of the album, which is also included at the beginning of the album: “But it is the same with man as with the tree. The more he seeketh to rise into the height and light, the more vigorously do his roots struggle earthward, downward, into the dark and deep—into the evil.” He explained, “The more one aspires for greatness, the more one must endure pain. It aligns with my personal experiences, and is also a message I hope to share with all dream pursuers.”
Coming from a family of successful entertainers didn’t mean that pursuing music would come without challenges for the singer. He explained, “Since childhood, I’ve been labeled as “so-and-so’s son,” and constantly compared to other second-generation celebrities in the entertainment industry. Consequently, I’ve always carried immense pressure while I was growing up. This pressure led to my rebellion—listening to rock music, getting tattoos, and piercing my body— all in an attempt to prove my uniqueness.” This type of melancholic emotion is expressed within one of the songs on Marz23’s second album, “Self Hatred (不愛自己了).” “As my music career began to flourish, my mental state plummeted to unprecedented lows. Unable to articulate the depth of my feelings like anyone else, I fell ill. It wasn’t until that certain moment when I uttered to myself, ‘drown, hopeless, everything feels far away and now I noticed, break my bones can’t even face how bad it is, when did it become like this?’ he shared. “The entire song poured out of me in that moment. Drawing inspiration from My Chemical Romance, the arrangement transitions from a profound silence in the beginning to explosive punk in the middle, culminating in a grandiose finale. It took approximately six months to complete the song.”
Up until then, the singer has been living to match others and others’ expectations of him, but his identity as Marz23 has really allowed for him to explore his true self: “I have to shout out Lil Peep and XXXTentacion for paving the way for me and giving me the courage to do what I want without regrets. I might [also] explore various music genres without limitations in the future, but just like my consistent style, [I am] undefined.” Of his currently released songs, he encourages those who may not know who he is to listen to “Fail with You.” He shared, “[This song] carries a lot of my brokenness, while it’s also the most precious life fragment that brought me to where I am today.”
Marz23 is embarking on his first U.S. tour at the end of this month, and will be performing in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, and New York.
