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Ex-Wanna One member Lai Kuan-lin changes career path

Entertainment | Movies and TV

Ex-Wanna One member Lai Kuan-lin changes career path

By Jonathan Hicap

Lai Kuan-lin, a Taiwanese singer and actor who was a member of K-pop boy band Wanna One, surprised fans with a sudden announcement on a changer in his career path.

On June 14, Lai Kuan-lin made an announcement to his 8.78 million Weibo followers.

Lai Kuan-lin (Weibo)

The short film “Em Chu Em Nie Zi Bo (Winter & Spring are Fighting)” was directed by Edward Lai aka Lai Kuan-lin (Weibo)

“After careful consideration, I will change my career path. Based on the change in career planning, this account [Weibo] will be managed by the staff from now on,” he posted.

This led speculations that he is retiring from his career as a singer and pop idol and focusing on being a film director.

In 2019, he had a legal dispute with Korean agency Cube Entertainment and won the case. His contract was terminated and he moved to China.

In 2021, Lai Kuan-lin debuted as film director under the name Edward Lai in the short film “Em Chu Em Nie Zi Bo (Winter & Spring are Fighting).”

This won for the month of June 2021 in the Rome Prisma Independent Film Awards. Edward Lai won best director while the short film won Best of Fest, Best Cinematography, Best Leading Actress and Best Costume Design.

Last month, Lai Kuan-lin issued his position on the China-Taiwan issue, posting on Weibo, “#China will eventually achieve complete reunification #Taiwan will surely return to the embrace of the motherland.”

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Lai Kuan-lin

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