Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 982 Guo Sichu's Hoe

After the initial shock, Ivo channeled the energy given to him by his fans into the full emotion he felt during his performance.

Although it lacked the flashy live performance of Van Halen, it truly lived up to its reputation as a top-tier European venue. Whether it was the music itself or the performance process, both the music fans and the musicians present experienced something quite different.

Many singers from the pop music scene were also present, and they couldn't help but exclaim: "This thing is really awesome. I don't know where Bian Lang gets so much inspiration all day long. If I were him, I would probably have a mental breakdown by now."

The person who said this was Liu Chuang, who had just finished performing in Shanghai last night and flew directly over to see the music festival.

He brought a newcomer from the company with him this time. This girl's voice is unusually peculiar. The company's producers, including those hired from outside, are all at a loss with this female singer. When given ordinary songs, her performance is very mediocre; she's even worse than online singers with built-in sound cards.

However, they couldn't come up with a particularly suitable song. When her manager signed her, she admired her unique voice and didn't want to give up. So this time, she begged Liu Chuang to bring her along, hoping to give Bian Lang a chance to see if he could give her a song to start things off.

No matter how much further she is nurtured, she'll eventually get a starting point for writing songs herself.

This girl named Qian Mingming is a complete self-taught artist. She only took some basic vocal lessons after being signed by the company. Therefore, she relies heavily on her own intuition and has very little professional knowledge.

I came here today and listened to Liu Chuang, this half-baked rock enthusiast, explain things to me for a long time. Suddenly, I felt that the rock genre had become incredibly profound: "Brother Chuang, what style is the Panama band?"

If it were another band, Liu Chuang would probably just give him a general idea, like metal...

But he could clearly say it: "Gorgeous metal!" because Silva had told him.

"So what is the difference between rock and pop? I'd like to hear a professional explanation."

This question really stumped Liu Chuang. If it weren't for that last sentence, he could have given Qian Mingming a whole bunch of abstract, philosophical talk. But with that last sentence, he didn't dare to say anything reckless.

After all, he wanted to find someone who could explain the answer to this question clearly to him: "When I have some free time tonight, I'll see if Teacher Ziyang has time, and I'll have him explain it to us properly."

"Alright! By the way, Brother Chuang, I remember someone from the company said before that Panama wouldn't be coming, and if she really did, he'd do a handstand..."

"Come on, stop being so disgusting. He's just talking nonsense and trying to get attention. If the company really took him seriously, he'd be in for a long time to calm down. It's only because Bian Lang is too lazy to bother with this kind of thing right now, otherwise he would definitely be in deep trouble..."

Actually, there were quite a few people just talking nonsense back then, and most of them probably hadn't even heard many of Panama's songs. They saw that it was a hot topic, so they searched for information and started writing short essays. Anyway, they made 50 to 200 yuan a piece, so it wasn't shameful to earn money.

But just because Bian Lang doesn't hold grudges doesn't mean the Rolling Stones don't. This Rolling Stones Music Festival was, in a way, a show of force, giving a resounding slap in the face to those who have been constantly criticizing the Rolling Stones.

So after Panama took the stage, the large group of people organized by Rolling Stone to return to work started moving. This person from Liu Chuang's company is considered one of the more popular second-tier artists, so it wasn't some ordinary online account that would confront him; the one who directly attacked him was Liu Ziyang, one of the music directors.

"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. You're a public figure, after all. Now that Panama is on the scene, shouldn't you keep your word?"

After posting this Weibo message, Liu Ziyang received a call from Liu Chuang: "Teacher Ziyang, are you free to grab a late-night snack later?"

"Wait for me at Rolling Stone Camp. Olaf will handle the rehearsals tonight, so I can get some rest." After making the agreement, Liu Chuang took Qian Mingming to Rolling Stone Camp.

The two had only walked halfway when Liu Chuang's phone lit up with the name of a director who rarely contacted him, but whose messages were always important: "Brother Chuang, at the Rolling Stones Music Festival?"

"Um, what's up, Director He?"

"We need to have a good talk with Liu Ziyang no matter what. We've already deleted the Weibo posts here, but we're afraid Liu Ziyang will keep the screenshots and continue to criticize us."

Upon hearing the details, Liu Chuang felt that Director He could easily omit the word "I'm afraid." Since it was Liu Ziyang who posted it, how could he not have taken a screenshot? Even if Liu Ziyang didn't, there are definitely people at Rolling Stone who specialize in doing that.

Looking at the evidence Zhuang Xian has presented in his recent lawsuits, it feels like every single one of them is a trap set by Rolling Stones. Now it's not just about Liu Chuang's past actions, but also Qian Mingming's invitation to sing, which all required Bian Lang's help. Now that this has happened, I don't know how I'm going to broach the subject.

"Just make him apologize! Bian Lang might not care, but since Teacher Ziyang has spoken out, it means Rolling Stone cares... Anyway, I'll talk to Teacher Ziyang, but if he doesn't show any other sincerity, don't expect me to speak to Bian Lang..."

The favor Liu Chuang received from "Never Left" was earned through his own actions of supporting Rolling Stone Records, and his personal relationship with Bian Lang couldn't possibly be used to compensate the company.

After hanging up the phone, I was thinking about how to talk to Liu Ziyang when I looked up and saw Bian Lang and Guo Sichu sitting in the Rolling Stone camp.

Now Liu Chuang's heart started pounding: "Should I pretend I don't know, or should I tell Bian Lang about it?"

After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to inform Bian Lang and then told him about it. Before Bian Lang could even speak, Guo Sichu said, "Don't bother with all that effort maneuvering at the company level. What's the point? In the end, you just make people reluctantly issue a statement of apology, making it seem like Rolling Stone is some kind of untouchable criminal force."

"Your company didn't notice this before? I don't believe it... You are you, and the company is the company. There's still a personal connection, but forget about any company-level cooperation."

Upon hearing this, Liu Chuang felt relieved, but Qian Mingming was on the verge of tears: "Does that mean I have no chance?"

But before she could even finish the thought, Bian Lang spoke up: "Alright, Sister Chu has the final say on this... You didn't come here just to listen to the music festival, did you? And who is this?"

Since Bian Lang had already put forward the idea, Liu Chuang was determined to give it a try: "The company's newly signed artist has a very distinctive voice..." After the introduction, Guo Sichu seemed to have forgotten about the company-level non-cooperation issue and directly asked Qian Mingming to sing a few lines.

Given the opportunity, Qian Mingming had no reason to be shy. She grabbed a guitar and started strumming and singing "The Tramp"...

The moment the voice came out, Guo Sichu burst into laughter. Bian Lang, on the other hand, immediately became highly focused, because the voice, if not 100%, was at least 90% similar to a female singer he liked on Earth.

After Bian Lang grabbed a hand drum and sang with Qian Mingming, Guo Sichu commented: "A squeezed-out high-note singing style, the singing method is not systematic, but the personal style is full of flair. Girl, how much was your breach of contract penalty?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Chuang could only shake his head and smile bitterly, while Qian Mingming stood there dumbfounded, at a loss for what to do.

Honestly, she would definitely be willing to sign with Rolling Stone, but wouldn't saying it so bluntly leave a bad impression on Guo Sichu?

Seeing that she didn't know how to answer, Bian Lang changed the subject: "How wide is your vocal range?"

Before Qian Mingming could react, Liu Chuang answered for her: "E3-G4-C5..."

Bian Lang thought for a moment, then blurted out, "That's enough!"

Then he started looking down at his phone and searching. Guo Sichu knew what he was talking about as soon as she saw this: "It's Qian Mingming, right? I'm telling you, have you thought this through? Even if Bian Lang writes that song for you, if you're still hesitant like this, then I'll stop him no matter what."

Guo Sichu is so clever; she knew from Bian Lang's actions that there was definitely a suitable song for him. Bian Lang might not care about some things, but she wouldn't pretend nothing happened. Her goal was to make the company drastically reduce her contract termination fee.

It just so happens that Magic Rock is short of people right now. Such a special voice might be difficult for others to understand, but Bian Lang has sensed it, so it's a very good piece of rough jade.

Having said all that, Qian Mingming wasn't stupid: "Sister Chuchu, I remember it was..."

As for Bian Lang's thoughts at this moment, they had returned to the female singer on Earth whose voice was 90% similar to Qian Mingming's. This person was Su Yunying.

Su Yunying, the female singer who rose to fame with her phenomenal hit song "Wild Child," actually approaches her music with the mindset of a playful girl. This attitude is quite rare, especially in the increasingly homogenized landscape of Chinese pop music, where Su Yunying's completely free-spirited personality can sustain her for a long time.

Because at least one thing is certain: Su Yunying genuinely loves music and is passionate about enjoying it, which means she won't be too influenced by commercial interests. Music itself is an art form, and Su Yunying approaches it as an art form, not as a business.

However, Su Yunying's music and singing style are not suitable for the commercial pop music market. Her personal songwriting ability is stronger than her vocal ability, especially in the high notes, where Su Yunying's shortcomings are more obvious.

This point must be mentioned, as it is Su Yunying's obvious weakness. In her singing style, the high notes are all achieved by squeezing out a high register using her thyroarytenoid muscle, and she can easily reach the fifth octave. However, this is a non-quality high register, which will gradually disappear with age.

However, Su Yunying's mixed voice ability and vocal range are not particularly outstanding.

Regarding songwriting, Bian Lang personally believes that Su Yunying has more ideas and a greater desire to express herself in songwriting than in singing. Su Yunying's music is full of various minor keys and flashes of inspiration, completely different from mainstream music. Of course, this complete difference also leads to a certain musical disconnect, resulting in a smaller fan base for Su Yunying.

However, non-mainstream singers like Su Yunying represent the future direction of music. The mainstream music scene has already been divided up by Jay Chou and a few others. Even the best mainstream pop music you can create can't surpass the influence of Jay Chou and his group.

Especially given the shrinking record market, Su Yunying's creative abilities—whether in composing, writing lyrics, or basic arrangement and harmony—have the potential to propel Chinese music forward. Of course, Bian Lang's time travel was just a possibility, but it still deserves high recognition.

Su Yunying's vocal techniques are relatively focused, basically showcasing two fundamental techniques: vocal cord marginalization and high-pitched, soft mixing with a squeezed high larynx position. Vocal cord marginalization is actually a fairly normal vocal technique, not fundamentally different from other singers in pop music.

It's a softened singing technique that involves a half-octave above or below the vocal break point. However, Su Yunying's high notes are problematic. In all her songs, the high notes in the chorus and climax are expressed with a weak, strained tone. The sound is sharp, thin, with heavy articulation of the velar consonants and a pronounced disconnect in tone.

This is actually a dangerous or overly casual approach, lacking a proper vocal system. Take Su Yunying's "Wild Child" live performance as an example: the notes B4 and C5 are all strained, high-pitched sounds. On the notes G4 and A4, Su Yunying's enunciation is extremely unclear.

Su Yunying's pronunciation is normal in the low and mid-range without major problems, but when transitioning to the high and mid-range, her nasal sounds become more pronounced, her velar sounds increase rapidly, and her abdominal support decreases.

This is clearly a problem caused by a high larynx position resulting in insufficient participation of the true voice, and the timbre is extremely fragmented, as if it were two unrelated timbres.

This problem actually stems from Su Yunying's lack of basic vocal knowledge. This girl may be too free-spirited, and she only has one ability to exceed the corresponding pitch.

Singing like this too much can lead to a fixed mindset, and she might also think that this is her personal style without spending time learning and changing it.

This kind of rigidity actually has a great drawback to musical expression, because it results in all her music being just different combinations of these few abilities.

Although music is an art form that relies on composition from the grassroots level, vocal performance is also an art form within popular music. Therefore, Su Yunying's vocal technique is still relatively amateurish.

This is how Su Yunying is judged using the singing skills system of a professional pop singer!
However, Su Yunying's creative perspective is in a state of rapid progress, and her direction is towards art forms rather than mainstream trends, which is why Bian Lang liked her so much back then.

Therefore, replicating "Wild Child" on Earth truly requires a great deal of luck. Since we've stumbled upon it, we should give it a try. As for business matters, with Guo Sichu handling things, Bian Lang really doesn't need to worry about anything.

Guo Sichu was determined to undermine the other company, but it seemed that the other company didn't have many options left!

(End of this chapter)