America's Top Player

Chapter 52 My Kingdom of Desire Has Been Established
"Of course. I think the arrangement is too simple. You can add some more mixing in the later stage to make it more varied."

Martin didn't even look at Li Ang while he was speaking. Of course, this man did have the capital to be proud.

He was already famous as early as the 1980s and participated in the recording of most of Guns N' Roses' works.

Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson.
Without exception, all those who can work with him are top-tier celebrities.

The reason why Li Ang got the opportunity to work with such a big shot was thanks to Beyoncé's help.

"It's outrageous." As soon as he put on headphones to listen to the accompaniment, he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"What's so outrageous?"

"I mean, your professional skills are simply amazing, Mr. Martin. You are truly a genius, on par with Mozart."

Although Martin felt that the other party's praise was too outrageous, he still couldn't help but smile, and the wrinkles on his face were piled up because he couldn't suppress his smile.

Li Ang's praise was indeed from the heart.

The accompaniment of this song "Demons" is so authentic that it is infinitely close to the original version by Imagine Dragons.

"I must warn you, there are very few variations on this song."

"It's fine to make up the new album, but forget about using it as the title track."

"You can listen to more Lady Gaga and Eminem. Their works have enough variety to satisfy the audience's ears."

Leon fully understood Martin's advice, but the highlight of the song "Demons" was not the accompaniment, but the lyrics.

Every word hits the soul.

Most importantly, it perfectly fits the cult personality of “Street Coconut Crisp”!

dong dong——

Lenny walked into the studio wearing sunglasses, "Can we start recording?"

"Anytime. I have to warn you, Lenny, don't expect too much from this song."

Before Martin could finish his words, Lenny raised his hand to stop him.

Although Li Ang is a newcomer who has just debuted, he has received the best resources and support.

Wanting a Hollywood actress to join the MV, JAY-Z agreed.

JAY-Z did not refuse the invitation to Kendrick Lamar to participate in the Made in America Music Festival.

Even the first album can get the help of top producers like Martin.
Li Ang was able to achieve all this entirely thanks to Beyoncé's "meticulous" care for her.

Just for such a friendship, it wouldn’t be excessive to call her sister-in-law or even godmother.

Lenny said in a deep voice, "Leon, you know how much resources the company has invested in you."

"Promise me you won't mess this up!"

In fact, Lenny himself was also very nervous.

If the recording continues according to the current resource allocation, the production cost alone may reach millions of US dollars by the time Li Ang's first album is released.

Few companies would invest so much resources in newcomers.

But if the release doesn't perform well, Leon can just hide under Beyoncé's butt, and Lenny might have to take the blame.

Li Ang walked into the recording studio and put on headphones. When the accompaniment sounded in his ears, the recording officially began.

He amazed everyone as soon as he opened his mouth.

When the days are cold
When winter comes

And the cards all fold
When hope is dashed

And the saints we see
A saint in whom we can place our hope
Are all made of gold
Are but feeble golden statues

Lenny's expression instantly brightened up, and he gave Martin a thumbs up, "This kid's singing has improved!"

"Singing skills are not the key factor influencing the success of a rock singer. Ross (Guns N' Roses lead singer) had no professional vocal training before he became famous." When talking about Ross, Martin's eyes were full of admiration.

No one in this world, except Ross himself, can perform Guns N' Roses' works half as well as he did.

Martin murmured to himself, "But there's something about these lyrics. I can even see the shadow of those singers from the 60s."

In the 60s, an era dominated by Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and Johnny Cash.

The accompaniment of their works is very simple, and often there is no accompaniment at all, only simple guitar accompaniment.
But these works are so profound that it is not an exaggeration to call them poets.

Near the chorus, Li Ang's emotions are pent up to the extreme.

No matter what we breed
Whatever we do for a living
We still are made of greed
We are all made of greed
This is my kingdom come
My kingdom of desire has been established
This is my kingdom come
My kingdom of desire has been established!

When he heard this, Martin realized what an outstanding work he was creating.

He was so shocked that he didn't even notice the ash falling on his upper body. He was stunned the whole time. "This son of a bitch!"

When you feel my heat
When you feel my heart
Look into my eyes
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide
There hides the devil
At this time, Li Ang was completely immersed in his emotions and did not notice how exaggerated the producer's expression was.

Martin and Lenny both felt a shiver running down their bodies, and beads of sweat kept appearing on their foreheads.

"What the hell is this?"

In Leon's eyes, they seemed to have really seen what hell looked like, saw Satan, and saw Dante and Virgil talking.

Martin can only explain this in this way, "This is what we call emotional appeal."

At the 1992 Guns N' Roses Tokyo concert, he witnessed how Ross drove tens of thousands of spectators into a frenzy.

When the recording was over, Martin changed his previous indifferent attitude towards Leon and quickly went forward to hug him.

Lenny said from the side: "That's amazing, Leon. I think this song can be the title song of your first album. What do you think?"

Li Ang shook his head. "I haven't decided yet. I have many more works of this quality in my drafts."

"WTF?"

Lenny and Martin's jaws dropped.

The last time they heard a newcomer make such outrageous remarks was two years ago.

The new artist boasted, "The lyrics I discarded could create a Grammy-level singer."

Everyone thought it was a joke at the time.

As a result, in the same year, the newcomer won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year with his album "Fearless", which slapped everyone in the face.

Her name is Taylor Swift.

Martin said with joy in his eyes, "As long as you keep up this form, your first album will definitely be a hit!"

"If you have any inspiration or need anything, feel free to contact me!"

It was already ten o'clock in the evening when Li Ang returned to the Apocalypse Music office after finishing the recording.

Bonnie had already left work, and Phil went to Manhattan Beach as usual to discuss the philosophy of life with those poor, half-naked girls.

Before leaving ROC, Lenny gave Leon a special instruction.

A week later he will be a guest on the famous talk show "The Conan Show", where the host Conan will ask many tricky and harsh questions.

Conan O'Brien never speaks softly when facing many big names, and he will definitely do his best to make things difficult for small names like Li Ang.

Lenny conveyed the company's request: Don't show any so-called humility of a newcomer on the show, and don't give Conan any face.

This will be a great opportunity to consolidate the image of "Street Coconut Crisp".

ROC's vision is to tailor an image of Satan in the music world for Li Ang based on his works.

(End of this chapter)