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

Chapter 948 Suffocating for Dreams

"This time, the female host is a well-known Chinese woman in San Francisco named Ding Weiping. She won the Sing Tao Chinese Radio DJ Competition in 2003 and also won the 11th Northern California Chinese Media Association's Best Radio Program Production Award last year."

On the way to the program venue, Qian Jiang briefly introduced the relevant information about the program: "In San Francisco, she has hosted more than 60 large-scale events and concerts to date, and has personally produced hundreds of television and radio programs..."

Simply put, he is a character who perfectly fits the stereotype of Chinese people living abroad.

Relying on his high efficiency that outpaced his peers, Ding Weiping naturally won the position of host for this public welfare lecture and interview event on the I Ching, thanks to his unique advantage of being proficient in Chinese.

Zhou Yi still had some impression of this woman—a woman who later started her own business in California, creating the internet television program brand "Tintin TV," and had a decent influence, especially in San Francisco. She even managed to get to the point of interviewing the San Francisco Consulate General for a New Year's special.

Of course, that's all that's left of my impression.

She hasn't started her own business yet. When we met, she was wearing a padded-shoulder women's suit, which made her look quite capable.

"Hello Zhou Yi, nice to meet you. My name is Ding Weiping. Of course, as Spike, you can also call me by my English name..."

With fluent Chinese, it's no wonder he stood out from the competition; the language barrier is indeed a huge advantage.

A quick glance at the audience revealed a noticeable increase in the number of Chinese faces compared to other cities.

After all, there is a large Chinese community in San Francisco, so large that many local officials will give themselves Chinese names. Even Harris gave himself a Chinese name a couple of years ago to win votes and gain the support of the Chinese community.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Ding."

After shaking hands with a smile, Zhou Yi was led backstage by her.

The theme of this public speaking event is "Dreams and Reality," a topic that is very appealing in any country in the world, especially dreams.

He came not only as a singer, but also as the head of a music company at this speech and promotional event.

In a sense, if Zhou Yi were willing to voluntarily pledge his allegiance and personally label himself as a spiritual advocate and actual beneficiary of the "American Dream," his public opinion pressure in both the United States and China would likely be significantly less.

Especially in China, the group of public intellectuals and lackeys who praise the American Dream are the most vocal critics of him. They're just missing Vance to come out and criticize him for "making money off Americans but not knowing how to be grateful and not saying thank you."

Unfortunately, he has never done that before.

On the contrary, his public appearances in the United States can never be separated from one word: confrontation.

Whether it was confronting American public opinion or American singers, Zhou Yi's personal image in the United States has never been the American Dream standard that the US government wanted to see in foreigners coming to the United States.

But his actions resonated with a large segment of the American society, which values ​​extreme individual heroism—he single-handedly challenged the global music scene, the heart of the world, and defeated them one by one. How could his fan base not be large?

And this time, as a public welfare themed speech, the title of the I Ching was also very inspiring—

Suffocating for dreams!
Don't ask, the answer is that I endured enormous public pressure and gave it my all until I succeeded.

"I've always believed that a good album speaks for itself."

"Being able to make the world's top and best album has always been my goal and dream, and it has been my motivation since I entered the industry."

"So far this year, I've only done one thing, which is to devote myself entirely to the production of '25'..."

Wearing a simple black T-shirt and rolled-up jeans, and Anta shoes (which he endorses and has become a shareholder of), Zhou Yi held up four fingers to the audience during his speech: "I spent more than four months in China to complete the definition of this album of my life, and I firmly believe that it will be a very exciting work."

"As it turns out, I did it."

"Realistically speaking, I know that many people are still wary and skeptical of my choice to download digital music, but I have always believed that this will be a disruptive change for the music industry."

"Streaming music memberships and digital music downloads—this two-pronged approach will be the beginning of a revolution in the music industry..."

This time, Zhou Yi truly didn't hold back, revealing his views and plans for the future of the music industry—

This was the first time he had spoken of this kind of theory on American soil, almost two years later than in China.

"For more than half a century, Warner Music has been one of the most powerful companies in the international record industry, but I believe that Warner Music's potential is not limited to that. From 1929 to 2000, Warner welcomed and saw off so many superstars, but it has never been able to shake off the title of one of the most powerful.

"And so, I came."

The usual self-aggrandizement segment, but this time, with the backdrop of a beautifully designed PowerPoint presentation, all the past glories were transformed into the radiance emanating from Zhou Yi's every gesture: "From 2000 to 2006, in just 7 years, Warner Music has become the most powerful record company in the world, bar none."

"I'm excited, but that's not enough. We also need to break down the existing boundaries of the music industry to create a new internet ecosystem. Apple Music and YouTube are examples of our attempts."

"It is precisely because of this proactive and enterprising spirit of the internet that we have been able to see earlier that this era needs to change. That's why I'm standing here today."

San Francisco has always been a hub of internet culture, with Silicon Valley representing the pinnacle of the industry. Now, Zhou Yi stands here, passionately discussing the future and current realities of internet music, sharing his ambitions and dreams. Undoubtedly, this resonated deeply with a large segment of the audience.

“I know that many people are not convinced and have even slandered and defamed me on Yahoo, Google and YouTube.”

"For them, it is completely unacceptable that a superstar singer who has amazed the world comes from China, and my vision for the future of the music industry, especially streaming services, is ridiculed as wishful thinking."

"But what I want to say is that, in any case, they have to admit that this is Warner Music's first step in leading the global record industry, especially with streaming services like YouTube. I believe that no one before us was willing to put in a lot of effort to do this."

"Therefore, we firmly believe that the potential unleashed by the combination of paid digital music downloads and streaming music services will amaze the world!"

With each sentence emphasized, Zhou Yi's eloquent and moving presentation drew spontaneous applause and cheers from the audience.

"it is good!"

"Good!"

"Yes!"

On stage, Zhou Yi smiled slightly and uttered the famous quote that would later become legendary in China's internet industry: "Finally, let's all suffocate for our dreams!"

The highly provocative slogans won thunderous applause. Some students and professionals, unable to contain their excitement, even stood up from their seats to applaud him.

pattern!

Look at this, look at this, this is what true vision looks like!

Sony, Universal, and Disney, open your eyes wide and take a good look! Stop thinking about making that stinking money all day long!

The Book of Changes is great!

Spike is great!
No need for further explanation! After the public service speech, host Ding Weiping returned to the stage and, with fluent language and excellent stage presence, began calling on audience members to ask the guest speaker, Zhou Yi, questions, following the established procedure.

These are all fixed procedures, so there's not much to say about them.

What Zhou Yi didn't expect was that when the last audience member called stood up from their seat, it was someone he recognized from his memory—

Adam Lambert.

He hasn't gained weight yet, nor has he adopted the Bulgarian "demon king" look; he looks clean-cut and like a normal handsome guy.

He is a strong contender for the title of the world's best male singer in the future pop music field. You can't find more than ten people in the entire European and American music scene who can sing better than him.

Originally, her career was on the rise after participating in "American Idol," but she lost the championship, which was practically a sure thing, because of her sexual orientation.

His debut album after his official debut featured his signature song "Whataya Want from Me," which catapulted him to a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance. However, he quickly fell behind due to a lack of follow-up success.

After his second album, his career declined, and he became a has-been singer. However, his continuously improving singing skills caught the attention of Queen, leading him to become the lead singer of the band Queen and regain his popularity.

Domestic audiences probably first became aware of him when he was invited to appear on the show "The Voice of China".

Of course, what truly ignited Adam's popularity in China was the show "Singer." His signature song, "Wang Fu Ming," easily overwhelmed the entire audience. Suddenly, a bunch of marketing accounts and bandwagon fans started giving him a serious explanation, making those who didn't know him really think he was a top-tier celebrity from Europe and America.

In reality, good singing skills are not the same as star power.

Even at his peak, Adam's popularity barely made him into the top tier, and some people don't even consider him to be at his peak, since he rose to fame thanks to the popularity of the talent show "American Idol".

Unfortunately, once the hype surrounding the talent show wore off, the decline in popularity was unstoppable.

"I'm really sorry, I got a little excited."

Adam stood up and, guided by the staff, walked onto the stage and sat down. Seeing his idol face-to-face up close, Adam was quite nervous and at a loss.

"Don't be nervous, I'm not some kind of demon."

Seeing this naive side of the future singing prodigy, Zhou Yi smiled and asked, "What's your name?"

"Oh, Adam, Adam Lambert, just call me Adam."

As if waking from a dream, Adam Lambert pulled out a slip of paper with questions he had written down in advance from his pocket, a comical gesture that drew soft snickers from the audience.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi frowned slightly and glanced at it subconsciously.

"That's right, Spike, my dream is to become a pop singer, a pop singer who can stand on the same stage as you."

Perhaps due to nervousness, Adam Lambert spoke very quickly, but would occasionally pause to catch his breath, making it sound disjointed: "It would be even better if I could become a singer like you."

"So I'd like to ask you, what should I do to shine on stage like you..."

The laughter from the audience grew even louder, and Adam, who was already nervous, now felt completely doomed.

He could also hear the laughter from the audience, and he knew they were laughing at his seemingly presumptuous performance. A grown man in his twenties, getting this nervous over a simple question, and he's supposed to be studying the I Ching?
His performance on stage was simply not comparable to the I Ching.

It's important to know that Zhou Yi has never been intimidated; from the very first day he entered the US market, he has always emphasized arrogance and pride.

Logically speaking, he shouldn't be nervous, having at least two years of experience in musicals. But there was no way around it; the impact of being in close contact with the I Ching was just too great.

He was just a lowly worker in a small theater, never imagining that one day he would be able to get up close and personal with Zhou Yi, the world's number one male singer, and ask him questions.

"Hey, hey, stop."

After patiently listening to the tense, intermittent speech, Zhou Yi nodded knowingly. His first action upon picking up the microphone wasn't to answer him, but rather to make a shushing gesture towards the laughing crowd below.

As he spoke, he pointed to Adam, who was so nervous that he was clutching the hem of his clothes: "Listen, everyone, there's nothing funny about this. It's only natural to be nervous. Sometimes I get so nervous before I go on stage that I want to drink water."

Having roughly figured out that Adam was probably in a period of confusion about whether or not to continue his music career, Zhou Yi, having resolved the laughter issue, turned his attention back to Adam: "Now, we can talk about you, Adam."

"Could you sing me a short piece?"

Holding the microphone, Zhou Yi asked questions with such kindness that many girls in the audience had hearts in their eyes.

Adam nodded vigorously: "No problem, but I didn't bring my guitar."

"It's okay, I have it."

Zhou Yi smiled and beckoned to his assistant, Xin, who was below the stage, to bring a guitar up. Zhou Yi then personally handed it to Adam.

Moved, the latter immediately sang a section of "Someone You Loved" that he already knew by heart, instantly stunning the entire audience!

Zhou Yi led the applause—

“Yes, Adam, your voice sounds great, so you don’t need to belittle yourself at all.”

"If you want to have a strong mentality on stage like me, it's simple, just practice makes perfect. I wasn't a complete novice before becoming a singer; I experienced boos, the kind of close-up boos you hear in a bar."

"Besides, you have a great appearance. I think you can study and train for another two years, and then sign up for a show like 'American Idol.' I believe you will definitely shine on these shows and gain a lot of attention..."

The "I Ching: The Immortal Points the Way" not only provides guidance but even helps predict the path to fame—

This level of friendliness surprised and moved many San Francisco fans who were meeting Zhou Yi in person for the first time.

"As for this guitar, you don't need to return it to me. Consider it a debut gift from me in advance. I believe that with your voice, you will definitely not be overlooked."

Zhou Yi did not mention signing with Warner Music.

Instead, they simply gave Adam a guitar without any demands or pressure, which moved Adam to tears.

What defines a high-quality idol?

This is what a high-quality idol is like!
Although he has never been to China, Adam Lambert suddenly felt a bit more favorably disposed toward his idol's homeland and thought he would see if he had the chance to travel to China someday.

(End of this chapter)