Eric Chien astounds audience on America’s Got Talent

Eric Chien always knew he wanted to be a magician. He knew it as a kid watching magic shows on TV, he knew it as a teenager trying to make friends at SMIC after moving to Shanghai, and he knew it more than ever after serving in the Taiwanese military. While everything around him was changing, magic remained a constant.

Although he loved magic and had natural talent, even working to create acts for other magicians for a while, Eric’s career really took off with his first victory at the FISM (International Federation of Magic Societies) Close Up Grand Prix competition in July of 2018. After this big win, Eric went on to win the third season of Asia’s Got Talent in April of 2019. Most recently, Eric made his debut on Season 14 of America’s Got Talent with several mind-boggling acts until he was unfortunately eliminated in the semifinals.

On his experience being on America’s Got Talent, Eric expressed that a significant challenge for him was his need to match up to Shin Lim, a fellow magician and winner of the previous season. “I know last year’s winner of America’s Got Talent was Shin Lim, and that really puts the pressure on me,” Eric expressed before his first America’s Got Talent audition. “I’m following in the footsteps of one of the best in the world. And it’s a whole other level of nervousness. I can’t stop shaking my hands.”

It didn’t help his nervousness knowing that his skills were rusty after serving in the Taiwanese military. “After college, I was called back to Taiwan for military service and my whole world was flipped upside down. I couldn’t bring any personal stuff. No cards, no coins, nothing. I could no longer do magic or anything else other than military duties. It felt like I just lost my identity,” Eric expressed before his first America’s Got Talent audition. “When I came back out I didn’t have my confidence, and I kind of lost who I was and I tried to find myself again. So I’ve actually only started performing recently, and I’m still trying to learn how to deal with a big audience.”

Despite his lack of practice, Eric’s first audition blew the judges away. He performed an original act, changing the colors of cards and producing coins out of nowhere. At one point, he even changed the color of his vest in a flash before the audience’s very eyes. Best of all, Eric’s performance included an element of drama because he acted just as surprised as the audience with each trick he did, as if he hadn’t seen them coming either.

After this first audition, judge Julianne Hough said, “The fact is, you don’t have to compare yourself to anybody…I’m really glad you showed up as you.”

Although Eric’s later performances struggled to outshine his first audition, he gave each act his all and gained experience from being exposed to perhaps his largest audience yet. As he continues to make a name for himself as a magician, let Eric’s story translate into your own life. In one of his interviews, Eric expressed, “…A lot of people doubted me, but that (magic) was all I wanted to do. So I just focused on my dream.” If he had not decided to pursue what he knew he wanted, he would never have been on this path, winning two major international competitions and being a semifinalist for America’s Got Talent. We hope to hear much more from Eric as he continues to perfect his craft.

Featured Image–Eric Chien performs onstage at America’s Got Talent courtesy of D.L. Thompson

By Jessie Wu