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

Chapter 982 Another Example of the Reversed Heavenly Gang in the European and American Sequence
"Carly, are you sure you want to rest today?"

"Well, I'm not feeling well, so I guess I'll have to rest today."

"Okay, I'll find someone to cover for you. Remember to come back and make up for it tomorrow."

"Okay, thank you, manager..."

In a cramped apartment in Vancouver, Canada.

The girl, curled up in bed, couldn't help but sneeze as she hung up the phone; a cold had made her nose so stuffy she could hardly breathe.

One phone call after another was made, and the girl who worked several jobs to make ends meet eventually collapsed from the endless back-to-back work. She didn't even have the strength to pick up her beloved guitar again and canceled her nightly busking.

Carly Rae Jepsen is one of the countless dreamers struggling in Vancouver. To support her musical aspirations, she has to endure a demanding work schedule.

After finishing his work, he would use his spare time to write songs and then go out to sing at night.

She has been living like this for more than two years.

During my freshman year, I was so young and ambitious that I dropped out of school and came to Vancouver to pursue my music dream. I fantasized that I could be noticed by producers from the American music scene, just like those Canadian music veterans, and thus achieve great success.

The result was that harsh reality slapped her awake—

She wasn't a queen of adult ballads like Celine Dion, nor did she possess the punk magic of Avril Lavigne. Her music was dismissed as worthless by her boss, and she wasn't even worthy of being featured on posters or billboards for singers performing in bars.

In the blink of an eye, she is already 21 years old this year.

She already regretted her decision to drop out of school back then, but time cannot be turned back, and she can only grit her teeth and persevere on the path she has chosen.

She had considered actively seeking out music producers from large companies, thinking they might appreciate her music and give her a chance. However, the reality was that they rejected her the moment they saw her nationality.

Regional disputes have always been like this.

In the music scene, Canadian artists have consistently been less favored by the American music industry, and their influence has been steadily shrinking. Since the beginning of the new century, the only truly outstanding new generation of Canadian artists to date is Avril Lavigne.

But Avril Lavigne was on a completely different level; she couldn't even come close to her. Besides, she couldn't write the kind of punk music Avril Lavigne did; the two styles were completely incompatible, so she couldn't submit her work to her record company.

"Is going home really the only option...?"

Feeling resentful, Carly grabbed the blanket and pulled it over her head, her heart filled with frustration.

The headache and drowsiness from her cold caused a jumble of images to flash through her mind, like a revolving lantern before her death, before she was interrupted by the sound coming from the television screen—

"Although many people are unwilling to admit it, in my opinion, the lack of understanding and the disconnect between the Western music scene and the Asian music scene, and between the Western music scene and Asian musicians, have always existed..."

"I've also seen too many Western music producers who are overly protective of their own interests..."

"I think this is entirely due to a problem with the underlying logic of the Western music scene. A large number of music producers have an arrogance that exceeds their capabilities, especially when dealing with Asians."

"Whether it's alienation, misunderstanding, or even arrogance and discrimination, this is an extremely unhealthy environment in the music industry..."

That was Spike's voice. She easily recognized who was interrogating the American music scene. She pulled the sheet down and turned to look at the television that was on.

The Canadian program clearly respected the GOAT, especially his harsh criticism of the American music scene, which sparked a heated debate between the program's guests and host.

Carly, who was drawn to this outrageous argument, unexpectedly felt a strong sense of empathy.

As someone who experienced it firsthand, she knew all too well the hardships she had endured over the past two years. The arrogance and prejudice of American producers were fully exposed during her job search.

Many of them are of Canadian descent, but almost none of the Canadians are willing to stand up and publicly criticize them.

Everyone needs to eat.

If only the top singers in the world can release music, then the music industry is stagnant and not far from death. Under such circumstances, most music producers can only make big money in the United States. "So that's why you tailored this for this Singaporean female singer?"

Drawn to the sight, Carly glanced at the calendar and the time, a thought creeping into her mind—

This news is from three days ago.

Since it sounds so appealing, what if I submit my work to Warner?
Considering Spike's reputation, Carly, already reeling from the rejection, fell into deep thought—

Yeah, I guess I was just overestimating myself.

Carly immediately deflated at the thought of Warner Bros.' "enormous" size.

As one of the multinational record giants with the fewest signed artists, it's easy to imagine how high the threshold they set for aspiring singers is.

Even Rihanna's highly praised voice was able to debut smoothly thanks to Spike's discerning eye.

Yes, you have a discerning eye...

The thought of her talent, which she believed she simply hadn't met the right person to recognize, still made Carly unable to suppress the urge to submit her work to Warner Bros.

If it passes, it means I'm amazing; if it doesn't, it means Warner Bros. has no vision.

Anyway, I won't lose anything, so it doesn't matter who I send it to.

With this in mind, Carly quickly made a decision and decided to search for the already released song "Call Me Maybe" to see if Spike really tailored it for her as he boasted at the press conference.

If we really follow his suggestion, wouldn't this song be textbook-worthy?
With this in mind, Carly, wearing headphones and wrapped in a blanket, occasionally sniffling, tuned the radio to her favorite music recommendation station—

Unsurprisingly, the song the host was talking about was Spike's new song.

"While this song is largely different from Spike's 'Good Time,' in a sense they can be considered to have achieved the same goal, especially in creating the song's atmosphere. Whether it's the arrangement of the A verse or the chorus, Spike did his best to maximize Stefanie's strengths and minimize her weaknesses..."

Carly quite liked "Good Time"; its relaxed and joyful atmosphere really touched her heart, and it was also the first Spike song she ever listened to.

"So Stefanie was one of the original singers of this song?"

While Carly was still lost in thought, the melody of her new song, "Call Me Maybe," began to play—

I threw a wish into the well.
"Don't ask me, I'll never tell..."

?

Carly, whose mind was already foggy from the fever, suddenly felt as if her brain had been violently flushed by a toilet, and inspiration burst forth like a bursting dam, constantly stimulating her nerves.

Correct!
This is what it feels like!

Correct!
Because she hasn't developed her own style, Carly is actually somewhat lost about her music.

Sometimes you feel like you could cross a world with just a touch, but you can't find that threshold to leap over the dragon gate.

But now, after hearing the sweet song "Call Me Maybe," she seemed to have a vague feeling that she had grasped that fleeting opportunity—

This synthesizer...

For a fleeting moment, Carly, who has a particular fondness for synthesizers, even forgot her headache; her mind was completely focused on the melody and arrangement of the song.

How did Spike come up with that?!

(End of this chapter)