Shin Lim

Lim is the second of three children of Singapore-born parents. Lim was born in Vancouver, where his father was completing postgraduate studies. Lim's family returned to Singapore when he was 2 and moved to Acton, Massachusetts, when he was 11. Lim attended the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School. As early as 9 years old, Lim showed an interest in music. His grandmother had originally given him a violin, but he became frustrated with that and smashed it after a practice session and switched over to piano. After graduating from high school, Lim attended the School of Music at Lee University in Tennessee, where he double majored in piano and telecommunications and was a member of the Choral Union ensemble. ==Career==

Early years Alongside music, Lim was interested in magic during his younger years. His older brother, Yi, had shown him a simple card trick, and when Lim asked him how it was done, his brother told him to look it up on YouTube. As he started to improve his skills, he developed his own tricks, and used YouTube as a platform to show his performances and technique. ''Penn & Teller's Fool Us'' Shortly after his World Championship win in 2015, Lim was contacted by the producers of Penn & Teller: Fool Us, a show where magicians attempt to fool hosts and magicians Penn & Teller with their tricks. They had seen his YouTube videos and offered him a spot on the show to try to fool the hosts. His routine successfully fooled the hosts. Penn Jillette described Lim's routine: "The idea of doing card tricks —which are silly at their very core — really seriously and really, really importantly is wonderful." Subsequently, on his 2017 appearance on Fool Us, he again successfully fooled Penn & Teller. ''America's Got Talent'' Lim had been contacted by the producers of ''America's Got Talent after his 2015 appearance on Fool Us'' to see his interest in performing, but he initially turned it down as he had only one major act he could perform. Lim was selected for the 13th season of the show, and on September 19, 2018, he was announced as the winner. In addition to a prize, Lim would be a headline act at the Paris Theater at Paris Las Vegas. His performances during the competition, while using variations of his tricks, included more dialogue and other aspects, for example demonstrating a bit of his pianist background for his final show. Lim said that one of the show's judges, Simon Cowell, advised him after his quarterfinal act that he needed to show more of his personality, and he needed to step back from the card table and add larger elements to his show if he wanted a chance to win. He was subsequently invited back to participate in the first season of ''America's Got Talent: The Champions'', which started filming immediately after his 2018 13th-season win, and he edged out American ventriloquist and season 12 champion Darci Lynne. Subsequent stardom From his success on ''America's Got Talent'', Lim began headlining a long–term Las Vegas residency in the Terry Fator Theatre at the Mirage Casino Hotel in October 2019. Lim also began participating on tour with The Illusionists, a theatrical magician troupe show, as well as his own United States tour in 2020. and second as part of a trick by AGT semi-finalist Colin Cloud. He is currently headlining a new long-term residency at Venetian Las Vegas which- like his Mirage show- has been exceptionally well-received, winning both the 2024 and 2025 Tripadvisor Traveler's Choice Awards as well as other honors. ==Technique==

Lim describes his approach to magic as more of an artistic show, rather than an attempt to trick people. "I'm trying to change the outlook on card magic—to make it more artistic, more visual." He has incorporated his past musical aspirations into his acts, putting nearly all his tricks to music, while staying silent during the tricks. Lim compares his act to the movie Inception, in that it is artistic, yet accessible to the masses. He also considered his magic approach similar to playing the piano, as much of his magic involves similar concepts of timing and synchronization. Lim said that most of his tricks involve card-switching, but doing the switch either in a way that viewers cannot see where the switch occurred or in a manner that completely hides the switch. To achieve this, he records himself practicing his tricks and then plays them back in slow motion to look for any moments that give away the trick, aware that his fans on YouTube will also play back videos in slow motion to catch him. Lim also stated that he may use special decks of cards, including blank cards and decks with special finishing that make it easier for him to manipulate the cards, but does not consider these decks to be otherwise rigged. ==Personal life==

Lim lives near Las Vegas, Nevada, and holds both Canadian and American citizenship. ==Awards==