The opening of China Entertainment Group gave Jay Chou a head-on confrontation

Chapter 915 Is He Going to Bring His Talent to Folk Music?

Wednesday, November 2006, 3.

A major transfer event has occurred in the Western music scene—

Sony's Latin pop diva Shakira has officially ended her collaboration with American record label Epic Records. After the latter released two English albums for her and the contract expired, she chose not to renew and switched to Warner Music, signing a three-album contract.

The fact that a top star under Sony Music handed over the global distribution rights to her next three English albums to Warner Music may seem abstract, but it is actually true.

After all, Sony Music is a global giant, and after completing its acquisition of BMG Music, it is now Warner Music's biggest competitor in the global market.

Shakira's actions at this critical juncture make it hard not to speculate about her future at Sony.

However, considering that she was not Sony's first choice, or even in the top three, it is not incomprehensible that she would hand over her English album to Warner Music, which was short of talent.

Utada Hikaru, who came from EMI, even entrusted Universal to release her English albums.

A triumphant Edgar Jr., brimming with confidence at the signing ceremony, stated: "Shakira is a world-renowned superstar, and it is an honor for Warner Music to represent her in the global distribution of her English albums. In the future, both parties will uphold..."

Due to well-known reasons within the industry, Warner Music (USA) only had Rihanna, who was discovered by Zhou Yi, left as a female singer, which can be described as a serious waste of resources.

Even so, Edgar Jr. still hadn't forgiven those people from the past, preferring to leave the place empty and wasteful rather than give it up, once again cementing his reputation as a spendthrift. If it weren't for YouTube's stroke of genius that saved his reputation, he'd probably be universally despised by now.

Now, the newly formed Warner Music (USA) has finally welcomed its first true Western superstar – Shakira Isabelle Mebarak Ripley.

Zhou Yi himself did not attend, because with his current influence, if he attended the press conference, the focus of the news would immediately shift from Shakira to him, which would be disrespectful to both Warner and Shakira.

Therefore, he simply recorded a congratulatory video in his hotel room to welcome his old friend.

Yes, Shakira recorded it for him herself.

"Shakira, why did you choose Warner Music over Epic Records? Was it because of Spike?"

"of course."

Facing questions from the media, Shakira, dressed in a sequined gown and high heels, smiled smugly: "Spike and I are good friends who left our comfort zones to venture into the European and American music scene back then. We've known each other for a long time, and we've fought side by side and defeated many opponents."

"Therefore, when Warner Music extended an invitation to me, I accepted without hesitation. I think there is no singer in the world who could refuse Warner's invitation."

"especially……"

Shakira paused at this point, her smile growing even brighter: "You know, Spike is incredibly strong. I think the two of us can create a great chemistry in our future music careers."

“Sometimes, making decisions can be difficult. But after many days and nights of thought, I’ve decided to bring my talent to Warner Music, and I can’t wait to collaborate with them on an English album…”

In short, it boils down to one word—I'm running away!
Although her Spanish albums are currently still under Sony's global contract, if her English albums go well with Warner, Shakira will definitely transfer her Spanish album contracts to Warner when her contract with Sony expires.

If the road is bumpy, you can't blame the person for being incompetent. Since Sony is unwilling to push her, she naturally has the right to find her own way out.

After all, Shakira wasn't one of those small fry who weren't qualified to negotiate with record companies. The Latin American circle, led by Spanish speakers, was second only to the English-speaking world in Europe and America.

As a diva in the Latin American world, her success in the English-speaking world is not very great, which is the fault of Sony and Epic Records. It's normal for her to feel resentful.

If it weren't for Zhou Yi, she would have reached a settlement with Sony in 09, received a commitment, and renewed her contract, but now...

She chose Warner Music!

Zhou Yi was absent from the press conference announcing his joining the company, thus giving Shakira, who gained maximum exposure, a huge boost in media attention. She quickly made headlines across major economic and entertainment news outlets due to her decision to switch companies, especially given her high praise for Zhou Yi, which inevitably sparked speculation.

Is it really Zhou Yi who went undercover at Sony with a hoe?

"This speech doesn't sound like something Shakira would say at a press conference in the past; it sounds more like Spike's speaking style."

"Indeed, Spike must have written this for her?"

"The hotel background in Spike's congratulatory video looks like the same hotel where Shakira stayed..."

"????"

"Could it be that?!"

"No! I can't accept that!"

"That makes sense. Spike is the embodiment of the phoenix, so it's perfectly normal for Shakira to be infatuated with him..."

Leeuwenhoek's party is everywhere.

Everyone knows that Zhou Yi owns a mansion in Los Angeles. But the fact that the background of the hotel room where he filmed the congratulatory video was discovered to be identical to the background of the hotel suite Shakira stayed in inevitably leads to speculation.

It's a bit better in the English-speaking world, since everyone knows what kind of person Spike is now.

However, the news caused quite a stir in Latin America, with some media outlets even going so far as to interview Antonio de la Rúa, the son of the former Argentine president and Shakira's fiancé.

While most people in China don't know who Shakira is, they do know about Argentina—"It's 100% Zhou Yi's doing. Look at Shakira's beaming face. If she's not involved with Zhou Yi, I'll change my name!"

"Zhou Yi is amazing! Is this the first superstar he poached from a rival company?"

"Stealing the fiancée of a former president's son? The I Ching is getting more and more amazing..."

"What do you mean by digging with a hoe? This is like an emperor selecting concubines to fill his harem. Argentina is the small country that provides those concubines!"

"Isn't there a marriage agreement? Doesn't this count as cheating?"

"It's said that the relationship is only in name, and the other party is unwilling to let go. Look at Shakira, she hasn't had any contact with the man since 02..."

"Won't that former president's son be green with envy...?"

"To be honest, Zhou Yi is just too shameless. There's no way around it; he's just too attractive to singers."

"When will Zhou Yi poach all of Zhang Shaohan and Xiao Yaxuan's group to Warner Music?"

Viking: ? Formo: ?

"Holy crap, beware of fire, theft, and the I Ching..."

"Judging from Shakira's interview, she seems to know the genre of Zhou Yi's new album, saying that it is an album that will excite singers in the fields of folk, reggae, rock, pop, and country."

"ballad????"

As reposted news articles were scrutinized under a magnifying glass, Shakira's trailer significantly swayed online discourse in China.

"real or fake?"

"Is the Book of Changes going to forgive folk songs?"

"I've already forgiven him, haven't I? I can hear He Jiong's 'Gardenia Blossoms' every day after school now."

"Bullshit, what's so special about just one song?"

"Not only that, Zhang Shaohan also released a folk song a little over a month ago called 'Invisible Wings,' which was also written by Zhou Yi. It feels like he's really going to start singing folk songs..."

"What?! 'Invisible Wings' is a folk song?!"

On January 31, 2006, Fu Mao, choosing to avoid Zhou Yi's sharp edge, released Zhang Shaohan's new album "Pandora" on this day. The first single on this album was naturally a song with lyrics, music and arrangement by Zhou Yi: "Invisible Wings".

Now, more than a month has passed, and the song has gradually built up its influence, spreading throughout the country.

"Each time, I find strength amidst hesitation and loneliness."

"Each time, even when I'm deeply hurt, I never shed a tear."
I know I've always had a pair of invisible wings.
"Take me flying, flying over despair~~~"

The melody and lyrics evoke a sense of warmth, stability, and positivity. The gentle and graceful vocals, combined with Zhang Shaohan's highly distinctive timbre, create a powerful and uplifting sound.

Upon its release, the song became a favorite on the radio charts and achieved impressive initial sales figures across Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

What followed was nothing short of miraculous for Foremost –

In just one month and ten days, Zhang Shaohan's "Invisible Wings" ended Zhou Yi's strong dominance on the charts since the end of last year, and topped the charts on various music platforms. Its inspirational lyrics have gradually made it the new school song for countless students.

Zhang Shaohan has truly become a sensation across Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

Yu Zhixuan became a fan of Zhang Shaohan after the release of the song "Invisible Wings". This year, he felt that his family and his new job were not going well, so he felt deeply about the song. This made Zhang Shaohan's album the first female singer's official album that he paid for.

But he never imagined that this song would actually be a folk song.

It's a folk song written by Zhou Yi.

Aren't people online saying that Zhou Yi looks down on folk songs? He wrote "Gardenia Blossoms" because He Jiong was a friend he met when he was starting out, so he tailored a folk song for him that didn't require much singing skill...

Even if Zhang Shaohan's singing skills aren't that great, at least they're not as good as He Jiong's, right?

So this song is also a folk song?
"Wait a minute, first it was Zhang Shaohan's 'Invisible Wings' this year, and then Shakira revealed that Zhou Yi's new English album contains folk songs. Does this mean Zhou Yi is going to forgive folk songs?!"

"Does this mean that Zhou Yi's Chinese album at the end of this year will also include folk music?!"

Good news has come from the folk music scene, and countless folk musicians and fans have raised their heads in surprise and delight.

Some people even apply what they've learned in a practical way—

"Is Zhou Yi going to bring his talent to folk music?"

(End of this chapter)