America's Top Player

Chapter 82 American Sweetheart (4000 words long chapter, please subscribe first)
After hanging up the phone, Li Ang lay on the bed and thought for a long time.

In unplugged conditions, Robbie's voice is not sweet enough, but "Senorita" requires the female lead singer to be sweet and charming.

Christmas songs have a history of at least fifty years in the music scene. For a long time before that, it was a battle of the gods, with countless golden songs competing fiercely every Christmas.

It wasn't until Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" was released in 1994 that the annual Christmas music war became boring.

Because in the end this song will definitely win.

Today, this song has become the most profitable music work in the world, and copyright revenue alone can bring Mariah Carey more than 300 million US dollars each year.

The only song that can compete with it in terms of copyright revenue is probably the famous "Happy Birthday to You".

The use of "Happy Birthday to You" in film and television works, radio stations and various public occasions requires payment to the copyright holder, Warner Music.

Any manufacturer of a toy or musical greeting card that plays the song has to pay a fee, and even someone who sings the song to a certain audience who are not just friends and family has to pay a fee!
If you can launch a hit product at Christmas, you will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your life.

Taylor Swift made a fortune simply by covering the famous song "Last Christmas".

The next day at Apocalypse Music, Leon went straight to the point and presented his ideas to Phil and Bonnie.

Audition and choose the most suitable person from among the countless girls in the United States who have dreams of becoming stars!
When Phil learned of Leon's idea, his eyes immediately shot out lasers, and he immediately stated that he would do his best to find girls with potential for the company.

Bonnie whispered, "Do you think I can do it, Leon?"

"You?" Leon looked at Ivan Bonnie from head to toe with a serious face.

Judging from her image and temperament to her dress, if you don't tell her that she is an assistant to the president of a record company, others will definitely think she is a gold medal salesperson from the "One-time Love Exchange" next door.

Everyone is born with their own talents, but it is obvious that Bonnie's talent is definitely not to be a singer.

Perhaps if she had embarked on the path of becoming a Playboy girl or a Buzzards Studios actress earlier, she would have become famous earlier.

Phil's enthusiasm is extremely high. Such opportunities are rare for old scumbags.

There is no doubt that he would extend his claws to the girls who were interviewing and personally "check" whether their throats were suitable for singing.

After the audition invitation of Apocalypse Music was released through online and offline channels, it achieved a more popular effect than expected.

On the first day alone, more than one hundred girls from all over the United States chose to sign up.

Li Ang is even more famous as a creator than as a singer.

Anyone who knows the story of his rise to fame knows that his inspiration is the mine and his golden sentences are the continuously produced crude oil.

The results speak for themselves. It is easier to become famous by getting his appreciation than signing with those big companies.

Phil had already eliminated most of the girls who did not meet the appearance requirements through photos.

But when the auditions officially began on the third day, more than a hundred people still flocked to the already crowded Apocalypse Music Company.

The girls had to line up in the corridor, and just listening to them audition one by one was a huge workload.

"Shxt, stop it! Your singing sounds like a pregnant cow screaming. Next!"

"You have a good voice, but you need to move your body to the melody when singing. I'm sorry we can't choose you, but I can leave you my contact information and give you one-on-one special guidance."

"Next."

"You sing well, but your voice isn't strong enough. Go find a decent plastic surgeon in Los Angeles and come back next time!"

Phil's comments were so sharp and mean that many girls were stopped before they could utter the first word.

The eliminated girls still had tears in their eyes. As soon as they walked out of the door of Apocalypse Music, they received job offers from the brothel next door.

Li Ang lay in the swivel chair without saying a word.

It’s not that I let the other party do whatever they want, but I really haven’t encountered a voice that makes my heart beat.

"It seems that holding this audition event was a mistake."

Four hours later, more than half of the girls had finished their auditions.

If we continue like this, then the so-called audition is indeed a waste of time.

Li Ang anxiously checked the time on his phone. He hadn't even had time to have lunch because of the audition.

According to his schedule, he has to go to ROC Kingdom this afternoon to receive training on DJ skills.

Just this morning he received a call from Lenny and the American Music Awards officials.

In order to increase traffic and ratings, the American Music Awards suddenly asked Leon and Robbie to perform "Faded" on the same stage.

This was the first time the couple appeared together in front of an American audience, and it immediately became a hot topic.

When Li Ang received the notice for the first time, he was confused.

What's the point of him doing a female solo song?
Dancing on stage?
To which Lenny responded: "You don't have to do anything. Just stand behind your girlfriend and pretend to scratch the record."

Li Ang said to Phil beside him: "I still have some things to take care of, I'll leave this to you."

Phil nodded quickly. As long as Leon left, he could provide on-site guidance to the girls who were auditioning without restraint.

"Is it finally my turn?"

Just as Leon was about to get up and leave, he heard a sweet and sexy voice.

A girl less than 1.6 meters tall walked into the recording studio.

With a high ponytail, big eyes and delicate skin, she looks like a high school student who has not yet grown out of her childishness.

It would be fine if she was just sweet, but her voice exudes a sexiness that doesn't match her appearance.

Li Ang always felt that this girl looked very familiar.

"Ariana?"

He immediately confirmed that the girl in front of him was the rich girl he had met at the Made in America Music Festival.

They used to perform on the same stage, but now they appear in each other's audition activities.
But Ariana didn't feel embarrassed and responded to Li Ang generously: "Hello Mr. Li Ang, long time no see~"

After all, he was an artist who had participated in heavyweight music festivals. Even though he was not optimistic about his business prospects, Li Ang quickly sat down.

Listen carefully to see what surprises Ariana has in store.

Grande sang Avril Lavigne's classic song "Innocence".

She was one of the few contestants who could sing the chorus in front of Phil.

This innocence is brilliant
This innocence is so charming
I hope that it will stay
I hope it lasts forever
This moment is perfect
This moment is so perfect

please don't go away
Please don't leave

From beat to pitch, to timbre.

Even when singing a cappella, Grande's performance was impeccable.

Li Ang swayed to the rhythm and exclaimed, "She's worthy of being the girl who performed on Broadway at the age of 15."

He realized that he had indeed underestimated Ariana before.

At the previous music festival, he was so preoccupied with how to deprive Dane of his inspiration that he had no time to pay attention to Grande's performance.

From what I can see now, it seems that this girl's ability to perform on the Broadway stage at such a young age is not just due to her financial ability.

clap clap-

After the performance, Li Ang and Phil applauded simultaneously. "Your performance was impeccable. You fully captured the essence of 'Innocence'."

"Thanks."

Receiving such high praise, Ariana's delicate face instantly turned two lovely blushes.

"It's getting late, let the remaining girls go back."

"what?!"

Hearing this, Phil seemed to be struck by lightning.

He leaned over to Li Ang's ear and whispered, "This girl sings well indeed, but as the owner of a record company, your priority should be the singer's commercial value."

"This girl has no talent, and no butt. The audience won't like this!"

"You have to know that even female audiences don't like the girl-next-door type these days. This image has been eliminated by the market!"

Li Ang knew very well in his mind that the old pervert Phil just wanted to look at more girls, find the most suitable one, and complete today's "check-in" target.

But what he said actually makes sense.

Take Kim Kardashian, who became famous due to the "Celebrity Videotape" incident. In a sense, she is no different from the actresses in the Buzzfeed Studios.

Her body was also seen by the entire American people, and her superb skills were admired.

But even such a woman has far more female fans than male fans.

Under the influence of feminist thought, more and more women believe that relying on their bodies to get ahead is one of the innate advantages of being a woman.

Even if she is physically superior, it is a gift given by God, and it is the symbol of an independent woman.

Therefore, the image of the femme fatale is not rejected by society.

On the other hand, the famous Britney Spears, the last national sweetheart of the United States, was also forced to move towards the sexy route under the influence of this trend of thought.

In the later stages of her career, Avril had to rely on the image of a rebellious gothic girl to attract fans.

Even so, Li Ang still insisted on his choice.

He handed Ariana the sheet of paper with the lyrics and sheet music of "Senorita." "First, familiarize yourself with the melody. We'll try it out later."

"No problem! Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Mr. Leon!"

Leon patted Ariana's head as if she were his sister. "This is what you deserve. Opportunities should be given to the best people."

From the first moment he saw Ariana, he discovered that this girl had a special magic.

It makes any man want to call her sister.

And Ariana is not exactly the kind of sweet girl next door, she also exudes a subtle charm.

Like an apple about to ripen.

This is why Li Ang finally decided to choose her.

Contrasts and contradictions, that's what the American people love.

In less than half an hour, Ariana memorized the simple musical notation with the basic skills she had received from music training since childhood.

The two walked into the recording studio together, and the real audition of "Senorita" officially began.

Although the accompaniment of this song was a rough semi-finished product that Max Martin spent two days to finish, it still did not affect Ariana's performance.

She was a shy girl the previous second, but when the melody sounded in her headphones, she immediately got into the mood.

Twisting her body to the Caribbean-style melody, her seductive eyes wandered all over Leon.

I love it when you call me seorita
I love the way you call me "my girl"

I wish I could pretend I didn't need ya
I wish I could pretend I didn't need you
But every touch is ooh la la la
But every touch is wonderful
It's true la la la
Really true~
Phil, who was sitting next to the mixing console, couldn't help but admire: "This girl Houlixie is really something."

Originally, he was not interested in this kind of little girl with no sexual tension. If he were the boss of a record company, he would never sign a girl like Ariana.

But when I saw Ariana twisting her waist like a snake and her eyes full of charm
Even the old scum who are used to seeing all kinds of vulgar things can't resist this contrast.

When it comes to the male vocal part, Li Ang's performance is also remarkable.

As a rapper, this is his first attempt at R&B singing style, but fortunately the whole song does not contain any high notes that he is not good at.

Tequila Sunrise
Drinking Tequila Sunrise

Her body fit right in my hands, la-la-la
The curves of your body match the lines of my palms
It felt like ooh-la-la-la, yeah
it feels like

Li Ang's singing was calm and composed, but this was precisely where he shined - his captivating bass.

The cooperation between the two sounds like a relationship where the lustful woman keeps asking for more from the man who is "as holy as a Buddha afterward".

After the sound check, Phil stood up with a cigarette in his mouth and clapped his hands. "God damn it! This has to be another masterpiece."

In the recording studio, as the accompaniment was cut off, Ariana quickly changed into the shy posture of a girl.

The speed of the transformation was shocking. Li Ang felt that this girl might be more talented as an actor.

"Mr. Li Ang apologizes that this is his first time singing this piece, so many beats may not be accurate."

Leon smiled and touched Ariana's head: "No, I think you did a great job."

"So, am I hired?"

"Of course, we will record the complete version of this song as quickly as possible and put it on the streaming platform before Christmas. If there is time, the physical album will also be released simultaneously."

"awesome!"

Ariana threw herself into Leon's arms, and her small body was completely covered by Leon.

Ariana debuted at the age of 15, but no matter how hard she tried, even using her parents' money, she was unable to convince a record company to sign her.

A few days ago, she even began to try to cover songs by Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and others on YouTube, hoping to attract the attention of record companies by relying on the internet celebrity route.

And now, her dream has finally come true.

Although Apocalypse Music is only a small label in the thriving and competitive American music market, it is growing rapidly.

Whether it is Cardi B or Robbie, their artists have caused a sensation in the circle since their debut.

Now, even those old record companies dare not underestimate this dark horse.

Ariana's agent is her brother, a typical sissy.

Faced with such a Nantong who wore earrings and pink shorts, the experienced Li Ang solved the contract issue without much effort.

As a newcomer, Ariana naturally cannot receive the same treatment as Robbie. She will start from the same starting line as Cardi B.

A 10% record sales contract and a symbolic 20% copyright income.

After all, this is a work created entirely by Li Ang, so the copyright must naturally be firmly in his hands.

Once this song becomes a hit during Christmas, it will generate huge copyright revenue every year.

With Grande joining the fold, Apocalypse Music's all-female lineup has expanded to three.

(End of this chapter)