Shin Lim facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shin Lim
Lim in 2016 performing his "Dream Act"
Born	(1991-09-25) September 25, 1991 (age 33) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Nationality	American Canadian
Occupation	Close-up magician
Years active	2009–present
Known for	Penn & Teller: Fool Us America's Got Talent season 13 winner America's Got Talent: The Champions winner 2015 "FISM" winner
Spouse(s)	Casey Thomas ​ (m. 2019)​

Shin Lim is a famous Canadian-American magician. His full name is Liang-Shun Lim, and he was born on September 25, 1991. He is well-known for his amazing card manipulation and sleight of hand tricks.

Shin Lim performs close-up card routines. He often does these tricks silently, with music playing in the background. He taught himself most of his magic skills by watching videos on YouTube. He has also shared some of his own magic techniques online.

Shin Lim originally studied to be a pianist. However, he chose magic as his career after getting carpal tunnel syndrome. This condition affects the wrist and hand. He became famous around 2012 and started touring worldwide. In 2015, he won the championship for Close-up Card Magic at the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques (FISM) competition. His appearances on Penn & Teller: Fool Us and his wins on America's Got Talent in 2018 and America's Got Talent: The Champions made him even more famous around the world.

Early Life and Interests

Shin Lim is the middle child of three. His parents were born in Singapore. He was born in Vancouver, Canada, while his father was studying there. When Shin was two, his family moved back to Singapore. They later moved to Acton, Massachusetts, in the United States when he was 11. He went to Acton-Boxborough Regional High School.

From a young age, Shin Lim loved music. His grandmother gave him a violin when he was nine. But he found it frustrating and later switched to playing the piano. After high school, he studied piano and telecommunications at Lee University in Tennessee. He was also part of the Choral Union music group.

Shin Lim's Magic Career

Starting with Magic

Shin Lim was interested in magic even when he was young. His older brother, Yi, showed him a simple card trick. When Shin asked how it was done, his brother told him to look it up on YouTube. Shin watched many videos and taught himself different tricks. As he got better, he created his own tricks. He used YouTube to share his performances and show how he did some things. Shin Lim says that David Blaine's TV specials inspired him. Blaine's magic focused on simple but strong tricks, like card magic, instead of big stage shows.

In 2011, when Shin Lim was 20, he was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. This meant he could not practice piano for 20 hours a week, as his music school required. He had to choose between music and magic. He decided to follow his passion for magic. He took a year off from school to focus on it. During this time, he kept creating new tricks and making YouTube videos. He also developed tricks to sell to other magicians.

Becoming a World Champion

During his break from school, Shin Lim competed in the 2012 Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques (FISM) World Championship. He finished in sixth place. At this point, he was still thinking about his career path. But in 2013, an agent saw his performance and offered him a tour in China. Shin Lim agreed. He made some changes to his show for the tour. He made his show longer, about 20 minutes of tricks. He also stopped talking during his routines because he did not speak Chinese. This silent style became a special part of his future acts. By the end of the tour, he was the final performer in the show. Because of this success, he decided to leave Lee University to focus on magic. He still hoped to return to music someday.

In 2015, he won the FISM World Championship for Close-up Card Magic. This competition did not have a million-dollar prize. However, it was a great way for him to be seen by TV producers looking for new talent.

Fooling Penn & Teller

After winning the World Championship in 2015, Shin Lim was asked to be on Penn & Teller: Fool Us. This TV show features magicians who try to trick the famous magicians Penn & Teller. The show's producers saw his YouTube videos and invited him to try to fool them. His trick worked! Penn Jillette praised Shin Lim's act. He said that doing card tricks, which can seem silly, in such a serious and important way was wonderful. Jillette also said Shin Lim was a new type of magician. He connects the big stage shows of magicians like David Copperfield with the close-up, interactive magic of David Blaine.

Shin Lim's 2015 performance on Fool Us became very popular online. It got over 50 million views on YouTube. This led to him being invited back to the show in 2017. Shin Lim realized after his 2015 Fool Us appearance that his magic was "pretty special." He then decided to fully commit to magic instead of music. His performance also led to many other invitations to perform, including at the House of Magic in Macau, China. He called this "the best gig in magic." He also made a special YouTube video called "Pray for Paris." In it, he performed his "52 Shades of Red" trick to honor the victims of the November 2015 Paris attacks. This brought even more attention to his skills.

In March 2016, Shin Lim hurt two tendons in his left thumb while practicing a new card trick. He thought this might end his magic career. But he had surgery to fix the tendons and fully recovered after a lot of therapy. He thanked his surgeon and physical therapist for saving his career. Later, on his 2017 appearance on Fool Us, he again successfully fooled Penn & Teller.

Winning America's Got Talent

Producers from America's Got Talent contacted Shin Lim after his 2015 Fool Us appearance. They wanted him to perform on their show. But he first said no because he only had one main act ready. By 2017, after his second Fool Us appearance, Shin Lim felt ready for America's Got Talent. His fiancée, Casey Thomas, also encouraged him. She is a dancer and helped another magician. She gave Shin Lim advice from her own experience to make his routines better.

Shin Lim was chosen for the 13th season of the show. On September 19, 2018, he was announced as the winner! He won a prize of US$1 million. He also became a headline performer at the Paris Theater at Paris Las Vegas. During the competition, he used different versions of his tricks. He also added more talking and other elements to his acts. For example, he showed a bit of his piano skills in his final show. One of the show's judges, Simon Cowell, told him he needed to show more of his personality. Cowell also said he needed to move away from just the card table and add bigger parts to his show if he wanted to win.

After winning, Shin Lim was invited back to compete in the first season of America's Got Talent: The Champions. This show started filming right after his 2018 win. He won again, beating American ventriloquist Darci Lynne, who was the season 12 champion.

Life After America's Got Talent

After his success on America's Got Talent, Shin Lim started a long-term show in Las Vegas. He performs at the Terry Fator Theatre at the Mirage Casino Hotel. He also joined The Illusionists, a group of theatrical magicians, on tour. He also planned his own tour across the United States in 2020. Shin Lim has appeared on many talk shows since winning America's Got Talent. These include The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Ellen DeGeneren Show, and The Today Show. In 2020, he made special guest appearances on the second season of America's Got Talent: The Champions. He appeared in a magic trick by Marc Spelmann (Magician X) and also in a trick by AGT semi-finalist Colin Cloud.

Shin Lim's Magic Style

Shin Lim says his magic is more like an artistic show than just trying to trick people. He wants to change how people see card magic. He wants to make it more artistic and visual. He uses his music background in his acts. Almost all his tricks are set to music, and he stays silent while performing them. Shin Lim compares his act to the movie Inception. He says it is artistic but still easy for everyone to enjoy. He also thinks his magic is like playing the piano. Many of his tricks need good timing and coordination, just like music.

Shin Lim says most of his tricks involve switching cards. He does this so viewers cannot see when or how the switch happens. To get this right, he records himself practicing his tricks. Then he watches them in slow motion to find any mistakes that might give away the trick. He knows that his fans on YouTube will also watch his videos in slow motion to try and catch him. Shin Lim also uses special decks of cards sometimes. These might include blank cards or cards with a special finish that makes them easier to handle. But he says these decks are not "rigged" in a way that makes the trick unfair.

Personal Life

Shin Lim lives near Boston, Massachusetts. He is a citizen of both Canada and the United States. He got engaged to Casey Thomas, a dancer, whom he met in 2015 during his Macau tour. She was performing at a theater next to his. They got to know each other at events that brought their theater groups together. They got married on August 19, 2019.

Awards and Achievements

Television Appearances