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

Chapter 993 A Great Year for the Draft
As one of the few songs by Wang Lihong that became a huge hit in the later stages of his career, "Heaven and Earth Dragon Scales" is undoubtedly a testament to its quality, given the immense public criticism it faced at the time.

Unfortunately, for Wang Lihong himself, this song gradually became a "recording studio" song.

It's very difficult for him to sing perfectly on stage.

Because of vocal surgery, he chose to change his singing style and began to excessively pursue so-called "magical skills," which resulted in him going astray.

This led to Wang Lihong having to rely on a strained falsetto that had lost its audibility when singing songs like "Heaven and Earth Dragon Scales" and "Fate Bridge" in his later years, which became known as "the neighing of a horse" in the eyes of his critics.

Either it's pre-recorded lip-syncing, or it's live interaction to avoid high notes or live pitch changes to avoid certain necessary moments of true voice.

Or you could just connect the power directly.

I have to say, this is a pity.

Unfortunately, in the era of short videos, there are still a lot of unscrupulous people selling courses, insisting on marketing themselves as offering courses similar to those taught by Wang Lihong, and promoting them everywhere. In the end, they've put Wang Lihong in an awkward position and he can't get off the stage.

He couldn't very well stand up and admit his own mistakes, nor could he say that the course was wrong, since he had indeed learned this singing style and was also teaching it himself.

It is blocked at both ends.

I wonder what my voice will be like when I get older.

After writing the first line of song titles on the manuscript paper, Zhou Yi's mind began to wander unconsciously as he twirled the pen.

Admittedly, the vocal cords are one of the slowest aging organs in the human body, but top-tier pop singers sing too frequently.

Even Lin Junjie, who was most successful in his later practice, had to change his singing style many times to reduce vocal cord fatigue. The most obvious change was that his ending notes became very short and fast in the later stages, and sometimes they would sound weak.

Before appearing on "Singer," Lin Zhixuan wasn't popular in mainland China. After his first appearance on the show, he became incredibly famous, and his number of performances increased dramatically. This directly accelerated the fatigue and aging of his vocal cords. Later, no amount of maintenance helped; he could still do the splits, but he still couldn't reach those high notes.

Then people suddenly realized that even Lin Zhixuan, who was once famous for his singing skills, could no longer sing steadily.

Zhou Yi's own singing frequency is actually arguably the highest in the current Chinese music scene.

The main reason is that there are a lot of shows to perform in Europe and America, and the number of shows in the Western market has actually boosted the average and median numbers.

And his English songs...

Rock and roll might be fun for a while, but it'll be a nightmare when you're old.

In the Chinese music market, he has reached the level where releasing an album can generate millions of sales. As for singing, he has only held small events such as autograph sessions and fan meetings. He hasn't even held a concert for a long time.

After finishing the lyrics, I tossed the manuscript paper into a drawer and was just about to go home when I saw Zhou Jianhui leading a group of people out, seemingly to pick someone up—

"What's going on, Lao Qian? Which leader came to inspect the company? Or which CEO came to discuss cooperation?"

"No, Jianhui was just welcoming the God of Wealth who was returning with a full load. The songs 'Two Butterflies' and the like were too popular."

Qian Jiang was already used to this kind of attitude: "You don't know, Pang Long is now a professor at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music. In terms of rank, he can be considered an official figure..."

Although it's just the Shenyang Conservatory of Music, he is still Warner Music's first official music professor. It's normal for someone like Zhou Jianhui, who knows how to get along with people, to welcome him back.

"That's all, I'm going home now. Call me if you need anything." Zhou Yi, who wasn't interested in this, wandered off to the parking lot.

Pang Long's alma mater is Shenyang Conservatory of Music. He returned to the school to serve as a professor of modern vocal performance and even led a "Pang Long Class" named after himself, which in a sense brought honor to his ancestors.

If Zhou Yi himself could be invited back to Peking University's Law School to serve as a professor and have a separate teaching class named after him—forget it, I'd better not dream about that.

..............................

Hong Kong.

Having finished her final exams, Deng Shiying arrived at the company humming a little tune, only to find Xu Song nowhere to be seen.

"Hey? Where's Song-ge? Did he go back to the mainland to prepare for the New Year?"

"Oh no, he was taken to the 'Super Boy' program by people from the company."

"What?! Song-ge is going to debut?!" The little girl, who was still eating a sandwich, suddenly raised her voice by an octave, her wide eyes filled with extremely complex emotions for a moment.

"No, that's not it. He hasn't debuted yet. He'll come back to continue his studies. Right now, he's just going there to gain some behind-the-scenes experience."

As Hunan TV's major program this year, "Super Boy" has attracted widespread attention.

There's no other reason than that the cards were better.

For such a significant project, it was natural to find someone familiar with the music team – thanks to the connection Zhang Liangying had made when she participated in "Super Girl," Warner Music was naturally the first choice.

Upon hearing this news, Deng Shiying didn't know whether she should be happy or disappointed.

Although she said it wouldn't work, she would actually be quite happy for Xu Song if he could debut.

So what if she's alone? It's nothing. Even though she debuted later, she's a senior figure.

"You don't need to say that you feel uncomfortable when Xu Song isn't around. The company has signed another creator from the mainland and sent him over for intensive training. He'll be in the same class as you."

"?"

Just moments ago, Deng Shiying was excited about Xu Song's behind-the-scenes internship opportunity, but now a question mark slowly appeared on her forehead.

What the hell?
"Uh, hello, I'm Xu Liang."

When the mainland college student with the side-swept bangs extended his hand to introduce himself, Deng Shiying vaguely felt that she had experienced this scene before, and more than once—

"Hello, I'm Deng Shiying, you can also call me by my English name..."

Xu Liang, who was new to the place, breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, he was actually quite nervous when he first learned he was going to be sent for training. After all, his assigned agent had said there was a veteran mentor here—

Zhang Liangying, a Super Girl who had already debuted and become famous in the company, used to live and eat with her and called her sister;
Hou Xuan Deng Wenbin, who has now successfully released an album with the concept of "Palace-style R&B" and has successfully entered the ranks of popular male singers in mainland China, is her junior.

Before he arrived, there was a college student from Anhui named Xu Song who was taken to the "Super Boy" production team to gain experience and connections. He is also considered to be preparing for his debut. It is said that he is very good at writing lyrics, especially Chinese style.

Well, it's full of talented people.

With these conditions laid out before him, Xu Liang initially wondered if this veteran had some unspeakable reason for being a runner-up, and dared not ask, feeling uneasy.

It turns out that after we got there and met each other, we realized that there was no other reason than that it was simply because we were young.

And so, on January 21, 2007, Warner Music's welcoming pine tree, Deng Shiying, welcomed her fourth classmate before her debut.

After getting to know each other briefly, based on the experiences of the previous three fellow Daoists, Xiao Deng Shiying asked the first question that had been lingering in her mind: "Brother Liang, how long will your training last?"

"Training?" In a KTV in Hunnan District, Shenyang.

Despite the noise pollution from a classmate's loud voice, Wang Sulong, eating a fruit platter, was clearly full of longing for his future: "I don't need any training. Getting into the Shenyang Conservatory of Music is a piece of cake. To be honest, not only am I going to get into the Shenyang Conservatory of Music, I also plan to join Warner Music..."

That's the company that all musicians in China want to join right now; it's the sacred ground ruled by the pop music emperor, Zhou Yi.

He's already a senior in high school and will be taking the college entrance exam this summer—if he gets into Shenyang Conservatory of Music as expected, he'll dare to submit his resume to Warner Music as a reward for himself.

"You really dare to dream, I even—hey, don't move, three A's, place the order."

The student who threw out the playing cards also grinned and said, "I don't ask for much, Sony or Universal are both fine."

As students at the Affiliated High School of Shenyang Conservatory of Music, they will all likely enter the music industry in the future, so it's normal for them to apply to big companies—of course, whether those big companies want them or not is another matter.

"I heard that Pang Long went there to be a professor. If we can really get in, wouldn't we have the advantage of being close to him? Let's get acquainted with him first? Maybe Professor Pang can introduce us to Warner."

"Those are all unrealistic things. If you ask me, you might as well sign up for 'Super Boy' or 'Go! Fighting Boys' first. At least that's more realistic..."

In 2007, the popularity of talent shows in mainland China soared to unprecedented heights.

With the arrival of the second season of "Go! Boys" and "Super Boys", these two programs, thanks to their previous reputations, have sparked a nationwide wave of applications.

Countless musicians and ordinary people aspire to become stars, wanting to step onto that stage where they can shine brightly.

They're already in their final year of high school, and they'll be eighteen and graduating in the blink of an eye. There's no problem for them to sign up.

"Wasn't 'Super Boy' supposed to be canceled? How can it still be held?"

"How could it be stopped? It's said that Warner's Lee Jong-sung will be a judge in the finals."

"Aren't you going to go with Zhou Yi?"

"What did he go for? He didn't even send a blessing or a message. Only Zhang Liangying's Super Girl season has ever had such an opportunity..."

"I think it's still unlikely. The 'Super Boy' contestants are more reliable. Many celebrities have been invited to give their blessings, including Yan Zi..."

Benefiting from the success of 2006, this year's "My Hero" was a hit even before it aired, all thanks to the production team's aggressive celebrity promotion campaign.

The deep-pocketed Metersbonwe not only increased its sponsorship fee but also brought in a large group of celebrities to send their blessings to the program. Richie Jen, Jay Chou, Wang Leehom, Sun Yanzi, and Zhang Shaohan became cheering ambassadors.

Sun Yanzi's official photos look like they were taken before she went to the United States.

Zhang Shaohan, who has the lowest profile among the five, even has her own "cheering song," which is the show's exclusive support song.

Jay Chou, one of the ambassadors for the show, even filmed a promotional video specifically for "My Hero," with the tagline "Music cannot be replicated, nor can personality; be the best version of yourself." The video is expected to premiere on Sina.com in April.

On this scale, it seems more reliable than "Super Boy," which hasn't even received its approval yet, while "Go! Good Boys" is already launching a vigorous promotional campaign.

The three judges already announced are Annie Yi, Chen Kun, and Fan Bingbing, each one more popular than the last.

"...Metersbonwe really is rich."

Zhou Yi, who was at home with the phone on speakerphone, couldn't help but mutter a complaint upon hearing this string of names.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a trendy brand at this time.

"Of course I have money, otherwise I wouldn't have called you."

Qian Jiang on the other end of the phone said cheerfully, "The 'Go Fighting! Boys' program team wants to invite you to be their cheering ambassador. You just need to show up, film a video, and send your blessings. The check is blank, and you can fill in any amount. They're determined to crush 'Super Boys'."

As an industry insider, it's no secret that "Super Boy" is facing a delay in obtaining its approval. There are even rumors that the production team is going to disband because they can't start filming due to the long delay in getting the approval.

If we don't seize this opportunity to kick someone when they're down, then "My Hero" will have wasted its time.

With "Super Boy" dead, he's the biggest winner in the market.

“You appeared on the Super Girl stage before and brought the series to its peak, so it’s natural for them to want to follow you.”

The number of votes Zhou Yi received for supporting Zhang Liangying back then remains the highest in talent shows to this day. Not only has it not been broken, but no one has even come close, which shows how incredibly popular she was.

Industry insiders believe that without Zhou Yi's involvement, the super series created by Tianyu Media and Hunan TV would never have achieved its current level of popularity.

Just look at their development; of all the Super Girl contestants, Zhang Liangying is currently the most successful.

"However, Tianyu Media isn't going to be outdone. They're trying to get the approval on one hand, and on the other hand, they're contacting the guests in advance, you know what I mean."

If they don't contact them soon, all the big stars with available schedules will probably be snapped up by the crazy Metersbonwe.

Putting everything else aside, just the fact that they brought in Richie Jen, Jay Chou, Wang Leehom, Sun Yanz, and Zhang Shaohan as cheering ambassadors is already unique in the Chinese entertainment industry.

"They want to hire me too?"

“Yes, they also want to invite you to be a guest at the finals, just like they did back then. But the problem now is whether their show can even continue, and I can’t say for sure,” Qian Jiang expressed his concerns.

In terms of choice, "Super Boy" is definitely the better option.

After years of iterations, its reputation and word-of-mouth have been guaranteed, while the neighboring "Super Boy" is only in its second season.

"There's nothing to say or not say. Didn't you tell me before that you wanted to sign a lyricist with Tianyu Media, named Tang Tian?"

Zhou Yi didn't take the approval document that might not be approved seriously at all: "Tianyu Entertainment probably signed her contract with very strict terms, and there are probably still many pitfalls, after all, she is a newcomer. You can use this as an additional condition to negotiate. I trust your judgment. If we can get the contract handed over peacefully, I will go."

In fact, the approval process for "Super Girl" encountered difficulties last year.

At the press conference for the launch of Super Girl last year, Wei Wenbing, the head of Hunan Broadcasting System, made it clear that obtaining the approval for Super Girl was extremely difficult.

Therefore, the Super Boy competition, which was restarted this year, encountered an unprecedented obstacle in terms of approval.

In Zhou Yi's memory, although the production team eventually obtained the approval after much effort, this year's Super Boy paid a considerable price, and the prestigious reputation of "Super Boy" was still at risk.

It was renamed "Super Boy".

The singers who became famous in this year's competition are the same few from 0713 who later became popular again in the era of short videos and are still involved in the fan circle at their age.

0713 – refers to the top 13 contestants of the 07 "Super Boy" competition.

Zhou Yi had no desire to sign them, but if he could make a deal to bring Tang Tian, ​​who could be considered the strongest Chinese lyricist in the mobile internet era, into his fold, he wouldn't mind going to the finals.

EE-Media's control over contracts is something everyone knows—

They are likely offering Tang Tian low pay right now, but the breach of contract clauses will definitely be clearly outlined.

(End of this chapter)