A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 206 The Light of China!

Arrive in New York for rehearsals.

The event brought together dancers from both China and the US. Ten dancers, all girls, came from the capital, while the American side gathered a total of fourteen dancers, including men, women, black and white, who had been used by Lin Jianlu in two or three separate events.

The Super Bowl is a big event, and the halftime show time they give is between 8 and 12 minutes. If the choreography is really too big, it cannot exceed 14 minutes.

Having a simple stage that can be set up quickly, plus more than twenty backup dancers, is no easy task.

Zhang Aijia hired professional stage designers and maintained constant contact and communication with the rugby league to ensure the dance looked good in that specific venue.

Two to three days in advance, when going to rehearse, you even need to communicate with the TV station to decide which close-up shots and which wide shots you want.

Of course, backup dancers are just backup dancers.

The core issue actually lies with Lin Jianlu.

Choosing a song is the most important thing.

"Believer" is a must-listen. There's no way around it. Lin Jianlu doesn't really know how popular or well-known this song was in Europe and America in its original timeline, but she knows it was definitely very popular. However, in this timeline, this song can be said to be one of the most popular musical works in the world in recent years.

A confluence of factors led to Lin Jianlu's phenomenal success with his music video, achieving global fame and leaving a lasting impression on everyone who saw it. This, in turn, made the song itself memorable. While a person's rise to fame may seem accidental, closer examination reveals underlying inevitability. Whether it's Michael Jackson in the past or Lin Jianlu now, reaching the pinnacle of global popularity requires exceptional talent in areas like voice, dance, songwriting, and singing. However, these qualities alone are sufficient to reach top-tier status. Michael Jackson's meteoric rise was due to a combination of groundbreaking elements that propelled him to unprecedented heights. The same principle applies to Lin Jianlu's current success.

A handsome face, Eastern kung fu, a cutting-edge arrangement and singing style, and an exceptionally good foundation in his own work—all these elements came together and were ultimately propelled to the peak by a music video and a cool kicking motion, instantly making him a sensation beyond his immediate circle—it was all about timing and momentum.

In addition, the song is quite fitting and exciting overall—American football, although it doesn't have much popularity or influence outside of North America, is a super sport in North America, and its influence feels even greater than basketball and the NBA.

A group of muscular men, hormones surging, passion, muscles clashing... a perfect match.

Besides, the Super Bowl is said to be like the American Spring Festival. The overall atmosphere, although they value the game and the result, is also good for having some fun during halftime.

Then let's watch "Yeah".

This song is incredibly popular worldwide.

It held the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks, a remarkable achievement. However, American music critics, ordinary fans, and even Columbia Records staff all agreed that the song's power was suppressed throughout and it failed to achieve the success it deserved.

Initially, Lin Jianlu filmed music videos for two other songs, "Baby" and "HandClap," which were heavily promoted and subsequently topped the charts. "Yeah" was consistently suppressed, and during that period, no matter who topped the charts, it remained firmly in second place. Later, when it could no longer be suppressed, Columbia Records slightly reduced its promotion and chart support for "HandClap," and it immediately surged to the top.

And just like that, they won the top spot for eight consecutive weeks.

At the time, Columbia Records was concerned that "21" had dominated the Billboard charts for a long time, and "Yeah" had been number one for seven or eight weeks. Columbia Records wanted to continue to dominate the charts, but they were afraid that "Yeah," an "old song," would not be able to withstand the impact of strong competitors. Therefore, they released the music video for "Believer," which became an instant hit and ended "Yeah's" reign at number one.

In short, regardless of the time or place, or even if the singer or album is different, if the record company uses this song as the main single from the beginning and promotes it strongly, it has the potential to be a number one single for at least twelve to fifteen weeks!

This wasn't said by Lin Jianlu; it's a consensus within the American music industry.

Let's choose this one then, since the American people like it so much!

The two songs together are about seven and a half minutes, which is not enough. With the delay of the entry time, it can be estimated to be eight and a half to nine minutes. Even if there are some dance moves in between, which will delay the time a bit, it will be at most ten minutes, which barely meets the time requirement. However, with only two songs, it will feel a bit perfunctory.

Therefore, a third song must be added.

Even if it takes a little extra time to squeeze in time for other programs, this third song is also very necessary.

Lin Jianlu originally wanted to choose "I-Surrender" - Michael Jackson's singing skills have never been questioned too much, but to be honest, his singing skills have not received much praise. However, Lin Jianlu felt that his singing skills were not bad and wanted to show them off.

Moreover, this song is currently at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it a very popular song in North America.

Well, while "21" is widely recognized as an album of exceptionally high quality, with every song on it considered absolutely amazing, "I-Surrender" has already become the album's seventh number-one single. Back on September 12th, "Moves-Like-Jagger" reached number one, becoming "21's" fifth number-one single, already tying Michael Jackson's record of five number-one singles set by "Bad." When "Shape-of-You" reached number one on October 17th, "21" officially surpassed "Bad," becoming the first album in human music history to have six number-one singles.

One album already has seven number-one singles, which is incredibly impressive. However, conversely, if you perform, it seems like you wouldn't be sincere if you didn't sing a number-one single – thankfully, you have many number-one singles!

However, back in early December, when "I-Surrender" had just topped the charts as a single, Lin Jianlu's suggestion was rejected by the organizers, who still preferred to see Lin Jianlu perform "Moves-Like-Jagger".

They don't need you to showcase your singing skills; they want to boost ratings and cater to the tens of thousands of fans who were there—to make it exciting, explosive, and exhilarating!

So, let's go with "Moves-Like-Jagger".

To date, these three songs are basically the most widely recognized representative works of the album "21"—choosing representative works from the chart-topping singles is a bit of a luxury.

…………

"Hey, Lin! Oh, my friend, you look even stronger!"

On the second day after Lin Jianlu arrived in New York, just as everyone was assembled and rehearsals were beginning in an orderly fashion, Zieg Schuberman, the global vice president of Columbia Records, came over. As soon as he entered, he smiled and opened his arms to give Lin Jianlu a big hug. And, perhaps because Lin Jianlu was wearing a tight-fitting dance costume, the muscles on his arms, thighs and calves were prominent, and he couldn't help but compliment him.

When dressed neatly, Lin Jianlu's physique doesn't appear particularly strong; it's just that his personal aura exudes a powerful, masculine presence. But once he takes off his clothes, almost everyone is amazed by his well-developed muscles—especially his girlfriends, who adore them.

In particular, although he has extremely strong explosive power and his muscles look very strong, they are not the kind of bulky muscles that Europeans and Americans develop. Therefore, he does not look clumsy at all, but is exceptionally beautiful and powerful.

It seems that even the Americans are drawn to his muscular physique.

It wasn't just because of Zieg Schuberman; when he changed into this outfit today, even the backup dancers he recruited in America were all immediately impressed.

"Hey Zieg, I heard you've been having a blast lately!"

Ziegler Schuberman laughed heartily, but then waved his hands repeatedly, "It's still early! It's still early!"

The outside world may not know, but although Zhang Aijia left for a period of time to deal with her personal affairs, she was not gone for too long. As long as she returned to New York, whether as Lin Jianlu's agent, personal assistant, or what they understood as a "close friend," she would inevitably become a hot topic of competition among all parties.

Therefore, Sylvia Chang was almost fully aware of the internal struggles within Columbia Records.

She asserted that Tommy Mottola would definitely not last a year, or even half a year—Columbia Records, as one of the world's top record companies, has three of the biggest artists under its label, especially the two superstars, Michael Jackson and Lin Jianlu, making it the absolute hegemon of the contemporary global pop music scene, with extremely strong suppression over other record companies. However, conversely, it is precisely because of the existence of these two superstars and one superstar that the artists have too much say within the company.

In a normal record company, regardless of size, the healthiest artist system consists of two ace artists, one male and one female, ideally top-tier superstars. Then, there should be three to five top-tier artists. In the Western market, this would mean male artists consistently selling five to eight million copies annually, and female artists consistently selling three to four million to five to six million copies annually. In addition, there should be a group of second-tier artists and talented newcomers. In this way, the company heavily promotes the superstars, but the superstars also take responsibility for mentoring the top-tier, second-tier, and newcomers. In terms of resources, they are not completely biased towards one level. The power dynamics within the company are relatively balanced, and any internal strife can be controlled to a certain extent.

In other words, a healthy situation is when a singer isn't powerful enough to control the company, or even when their statements are powerful enough to replace top executives at any time. But Columbia Records is no longer like that. Michael Jackson was already too powerful; before Lin Jianlu's debut, he was the number one figure in global pop music and even global pop culture for over a decade. His statements were so influential that even the president of Sony Music North America had to listen to them seriously. Now it's even more remarkable. A new king has risen, and the old king is still going strong. With two of the world's top superstars at Columbia Records, no one who takes the president's seat can truly "manage" them; they can only serve them. It's no wonder there's chaos!
Both superstars are relatively low-key and seem unwilling to get involved in the internal strife at Columbia Records. However, the fact that both superstars, and later even superstar Mariah Carey, joined in, and that everyone tacitly chose not to accept the company president as their music manager, has created a problem!

The company's top manager has no management authority over the product manufacturing business of its three strongest singers and performance creators. He can hardly even see Michael Jackson anymore, and he has divorced Mariah Carey and they are practically estranged—and the new king, Lin Jianlu, is not protecting him either!

He seems to have only two options left: being fired or resigning voluntarily—he has so far refused to resign voluntarily, even though he has been completely sidelined by several vice presidents in the internal power struggle. Zhang Aijia said he is waiting for Howard Stringer, president of Sony North America, to fire him.

In that case, he should be able to get compensation of between seventy million and one hundred million US dollars.

So, perhaps feeling that he had completely lost the ability to compete and was just waiting to die, when Lin Jianlu came to New York this time, Zieg Schuberman came to flatter him immediately, but he didn't show his face.

After chatting with Zieg Schuberman for a while and listening to his earnest statements, Lin Jianlu basically didn't give any specific responses. As Zhang Aijia said, she would just say "I understand" and that would be enough.

This is the privilege of a superstar.

The president of the world's largest record company was only there to provide services to the superstar.

And you have to flatter me a lot, saying, "I really admire and worship you so much. The Diamond Collector's Edition of '21' is already in production. We have great confidence in this collector's edition. Moreover, our market research data shows that once this collector's edition is released, even though it is priced as high as 9999 US dollars per copy, all 10,000 copies can still sell out in one day! Because you are so popular, Lin, everyone loves you so much!"

Yes, Sylvia Chang mentioned it when she called. This was last year, in 1997. On December 20th, Columbia Records held a large-scale press conference to announce that "21" had sold over 21 million copies in North America and over 40 million copies worldwide, becoming the second album in human history to surpass 40 million copies sold!

It is said that this news has been the focus of global media reports for the past two weeks—because it is one of only two albums of this caliber in the world, and the last album of this caliber was released more than a decade ago.

At that same press conference, Tommy Mottola also announced the upcoming release of a diamond collector's edition of "21," with plans to release 10,000 copies worldwide, priced at $9999. He also stated that to avoid accidental purchases, regret after purchase, and situations where someone wanted to buy but couldn't, Columbia Records solemnly promised that, as long as the outer packaging is undamaged, the company can repurchase the album at the original price within three years and resell it to someone in need.

This news is quite explosive.

It's common practice in the Western music scene to release various commemorative and collector's editions, including director's cuts of movies, to attract fans. However, in the past, no collector's edition of a music album has ever dared to price itself at ten thousand US dollars—that price is simply outrageous!

Despite Columbia Records explaining the various unique features of this collector's edition at the press conference to highlight its worth, the media, not being the die-hard fans they are, continued to criticize it!
No record should ever sell for ten thousand dollars!

However, as soon as the news came out, many fans of "21" and Lin Jianlu were excited. The number of subscriptions counted by distributors across North America alone has exceeded 7!
There's a personal photography collection of Lin Jianlu inside!
This is the only version that will no longer be publicly sold!

It comes with a free hat, the one Lin Jianlu is wearing on the cover!
Same style! Completely handmade! And made by the same craftsman as the hat worn by Lin Jianlu!
Well, according to information Zhang Aijia previously obtained, statistics from various channels within Columbia Records indicate that the global subscription quantity for this collector's edition has exceeded 15 copies. Columbia Records obviously wouldn't do something as foolish as temporarily increasing the quantity. Therefore, even if a large number of fake orders, wavering orders, and impulse orders inevitably exist among these 15 purchase intentions and ultimately do not become actual purchases, internal professionals judge that at least 10 of them are genuine purchase intentions.

Then we'll just have to allocate a rough amount globally by region, and then have people queue up to buy it—whoever gets it gets it!
It is estimated that once it goes on sale, the resale price will soar to an even higher and astonishing level!
Well, all I can say is that people in Europe and America are still too wealthy!

“Of course! Of course! I have a very good personal relationship with Miss Zhang. We are best friends. I believe it is appropriate for her to represent you at various meetings! After all, your time is too precious to be wasted on those long and boring meetings! We understand, we all understand!” Zieg Schuberman extended an invitation, hoping that Lin Jianlu could go to Columbia Records’ headquarters in Washington for a meeting. Lin Jianlu declined, but Schuberman quickly found a reason for Lin Jianlu’s refusal on the spot. The reason was exceptionally sufficient and reasonable, showing Columbia Records’ extraordinary indulgence towards its artists.

A friendly exchange where everyone gets along well.

After seeing him off, Lin Jianlu smiled and looked at Li Wen, who was already waiting at the door, "Hey, COCO, welcome to my performance team! Come on, let me introduce you, this is my buddy, who is also my backup singer, Chris Martins, a guy who really likes to act cool!"

"Oh, Kamuanglin, what you're saying hurts me! I'm definitely cool! Although I'm not as cool as you, I'm the second coolest person in this country, OK? Hey, nice girl, wow, you're beautiful!"

…………

Li Wen quickly integrated into the dance team of this multinational force.

She can speak Mandarin with a group of girls from mainland China, although it's a bit difficult, but she can definitely speak it. At the same time, she can also chat with the American backup dancers in fluent English. In addition, from the moment she joined, Lin Jianlu gave her the status of a backup singer, and she was to sing in "Moves-Like-Jagger". Therefore, her status is not low. Basically, no one rejects her, or rather, no one dares to reject her. Her boss is right there, a record company bigwig who has been frequently featured on various North American TV stations, newspapers and magazines in the past six months. He is clearly supporting her with all his might, and the global pop king Lin Jianlu is willing to take her to the Super Bowl to sing.

It's safe to say she's destined for stardom!

Being in the thick of it all, Li Wen clearly knew that she was about to embark on the fast track of life.

Therefore, she was extremely dedicated to dancing, rehearsing, and singing. Only during breaks would she secretly glance at Lin Jianlu, who was surrounded by a group of people and seemed to be receiving a report from her subordinates, and stare blankly for a while.

There were absolutely no problems I had imagined I might encounter—everyone says he's a womanizer, and if you want to ride with him, you might have to be prepared to be his girlfriend for several years!
Zhao Mingxin, the CEO of Xinli Columbia, couldn't say it outright, but he said indirectly: Don't overthink it. He's surrounded by stunningly beautiful women. Just listen to the instructions and rehearse well when you get there!
Before, Li Wen didn't believe it, but after arriving, she gradually realized that it was probably true.

He was exceptionally serious and focused during rehearsals, showing absolutely no other intentions.

However, after discovering that she really wouldn't encounter any "bullying from a powerful figure," she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed—actually, she was mentally prepared to spend time with him without romantic love. Because the fact that he was there was enough to make one's heart flutter.

It might be a wonderful experience!

Ugh……

To be honest, this is a rising star in the Chinese music scene. Although she has only been on the rise for two years, she is often compared with the most popular female singers in Hong Kong and Taiwan, such as Su Huilun, Zhang Huimei, Liang Yongqi, Zheng Xiuwen, etc. Her albums have sold more than a million copies worldwide. However, in front of her, people really feel inferior and have no confidence. All they can do is worship and admire her!
Since their debut, in less than two years, although they are generally considered to be "relatively lazy," they have released three albums. Including the works they have created and produced for others, they have about seventy or eighty songs.

Almost every song was a hit, and almost every song was a bestseller!

Regardless of what he did for others, his debut album, "Cold to the End," a Chinese-language album, sold over ten million copies, earned diamond certification, and entered the ranks of the world's top 100 records. His first English album has now sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it the second highest-selling album in human history. Moreover, it is widely believed that with the accumulation of time, it is entirely possible to catch up with or even surpass Michael Jackson's iconic pop music album, "Thriller"—a legendary album in both the Chinese and global music scenes!
So much so that with his second Mandarin album, "Nocturne," which was released in August of this year, he didn't participate in any promotion or distribution whatsoever. There were none of the usual things in the music industry, like autograph sessions or TV appearances, and there was no music video at all. As a result, he was affectionately criticized by many media outlets that loved him to death as "super lazy." Yet, from the day it was released, it still swept the entire Asian market!

It is said that in Taiwan, it achieved sales of one million copies in less than three weeks, and is now very close to two million copies. Considering the total population of Taiwan, in this market, achieving sales of 300,000 copies is already considered quite popular, more than 500,000 copies is considered to be among the top tier, and achieving one million copies is considered to be an undisputed superstar. However, no one has achieved sales of two million copies so far.

He's almost certainly number one!

Of course, it is said that "Cold to the End" is also very close to the sales figure of 200 million copies, and even the English album "21" has already sold more than 150 million copies in Taiwan. Therefore, it is hard to say who will break through the 200 million sales mark first, as the three albums are purely competing internally.

Oh, by the way, a few days ago, just before New Year's Day, Hong Kong media reported that "Nocturne" had also surpassed ten platinum status in Hong Kong, which means it had sold over 50 copies!

Not to mention, this Chinese album is registered in the Guinness World Records as the first Chinese album to sell more than one million copies in North America and achieve platinum status!

Perhaps he's already so famous that he doesn't need "Nocturne" to add any more luster to him. Rock Records, contrary to their previous habit of constantly promoting how many copies "Cold to the End" sold, hasn't released any specific sales figures to the public. Reporters only learned a little bit of data by chance from Li Zongsheng. In mid-December, Hong Kong and Taiwan were reporting on it everywhere!

It is said that the total global sales are approaching the ten million mark!

For many singers in the Chinese music scene, Hong Kong is a crucial and vital market that they must fight for. But for him, it seems so dispensable. Even though Hong Kong has sold more than 500,000 copies, and might even break the sales record of 700,000 copies like "Cold to the End," other singers would probably be making headlines and celebrating wildly. But for him, and for "Nocturne," it seems so reasonable, so justified!

They sell over a million copies in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and North America!
Back when "Cold to the End" was released, newspapers and media in Hong Kong and Taiwan were still grumbling, feeling that the sales of cassette tapes sold in mainland China, even if they were genuine, did not deserve to be included in the overall sales figures. If they were, the tens of millions of sales of "Cold to the End" would inevitably be suspected of being inflated.

Later, the Phonographic Industry Association of the Worldwide Association of Phonographic Industries (PPI) granted them diamond certification, and these discussions largely disappeared.

So now, even if we don't take sales in mainland China into account, "Nocturne" has sold over ten million copies worldwide—that's truly an epic ten million sales figure!

Now, there is virtually no controversy about him. Many overseas Chinese in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and North America all recognize him as the "Pride of China" and the "Pride of the Chinese People"!
Even if someone like him is incredibly handsome, charming, and manly, or even if he has a more ordinary appearance, it's still impossible not to have some wonderful memories with him!
Unfortunately, he was far less lecherous than the media and gossip described!
…………

As Li Wen rehearsed and practiced, she secretly kept an eye on the man, and her admiration, worship, and affection for him grew stronger and stronger without her realizing it.

However, one day, she suddenly realized that she was wrong.

She witnessed Lin Jianlu embracing the girl who came from the mainland, whose name seemed to be Li Xiaoran—a very beautiful girl with fair skin and a great figure.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, she quickly chose to avoid the situation and pretend not to know anything.

But she quickly "figured it out".

There are all sorts of gossip about him in the industry, with the most numerous rumors about his affairs with various girls, including some shocking ones. For example, there is a claim that he bought a luxury house in Taipei, and Chen Shuhua and Su Huilun actually moved in together and even had children with him!

For example, there is another rumor that he has a complicated relationship with a young girl from Taiwan. It is said that he is keeping the girl as a mistress and has also invested in and promoted her in films with Qiong Yao.

In addition, there are some even more horrifying stories.

For example, everyone says that he has a sexual fetish, which means he can't be without women and needs them several times every night. So, there are rumors that he keeps a group of girls in the capital under the guise of raising his thrushes. Some people say that they are not raising birds for him, but his backup dancers. In short, there are all kinds of rumors, but one thing everyone agrees on is that those girls are his companions.

Well, according to rumors, there are more than a dozen young girls in total!
Because of some gossip that supposedly came from somewhere, it's said that he's a "big mushroom" (a term used to describe a woman who is overly affectionate and physically unhealthy), and that if a girl sleeps with him once, she'll get hurt and need a long rest before she can have sex again.

So, after considering all the rumors, Li Wen figured that the girl named Li Xiaoran was probably one of the girls he kept in the capital!
If that's how their relationship is supposed to be, then Li Wen feels there's nothing anyone can say about it.

Looking at Li Xiaoran's enviable figure, even someone with a figure as good as hers couldn't help but feel envious. Oh, right, there's also a rumor that he has two major hobbies. One is that he likes women in their thirties and forties because his mother was always very strict with him when he was young, so he likes gentle and older women. The other is that he is said to have a particular fondness for girls with fair skin.

This Li Xiaoran should be the latter.

However... these should fall under the category of private morality, and in Li Wen's view, they should still not diminish his greatness as "the light of China" and "the light of the Chinese people" in the slightest!

So, in about half a day, or more precisely, during the breaks between rehearsals, she figured all this out and convinced herself to continue worshipping him in the same way.

But soon, she noticed that Lin Jianlu seemed to be paying special attention to a white girl, a very tall and beautiful girl. Then, one day, during a break in rehearsal, he finally decided to seriously approach her. He walked over and asked the girl, "Hi, girl, Charlize, Charlize Theron, is that you?"

Upon seeing this, Li Wen's heart sank instinctively, as if she was worried that the great image of Lin Jianlu in her heart would be shattered at any moment.

At this moment, the girl stood up with a slight panic and nodded, "It's me, sir."

Lin Jianlu asked earnestly, "My assistant told me that you submitted false information, that you suffered a serious knee injury, and that you are no longer suitable for dancing. Is that right?"

“Um, sir, please let me explain. My knees just can't support me in ballet anymore, so I can't do some of the more difficult moves, but it doesn't prevent me from…”

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Don't get excited! That's not the point! Charlize, they told me you've already been in several movies and are even somewhat famous, right?"

“Uh… I love dancing, sir! More importantly, I really like you. I heard that when you were recruiting backup dancers, I couldn’t control myself. I… I can do it without pay, I…”

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Relax! Relax! I understand how you feel! You work very hard, I see that! I really like your professionalism and your dancing skills!"

"Thank you, sir! I am your most loyal fan!"

“Okay! But I think you might need to call your agent because we have another contract to discuss. I need you… well, to play a more significant role in this Super Bowl halftime show. Is that okay?”

The girl named Charlize Theron only paused for a moment before happily replying, "Of course, sir. I'll call my agent right away and tell him to come over."

How do you say it?

It was obvious that Lin Jianlu had high hopes for this girl and was perhaps going to give her a chance to shine on stage. But surprisingly, at this moment, Li Wen felt no jealousy or envy. Instead, she breathed a huge sigh of relief—how wonderful! Look, this is my idol! He's always so willing to help and mentor others!
"I think you can call me Lin, or Lu, either is fine, anyone is fine, because I feel we are a family, a family! But the title 'Sir' makes me feel like you are all rejecting me, not treating me as family! Airibadi, family, OK?"

"Ye! Lin!"

"Yay! Yay!"

Not only did Charlize Theron respond enthusiastically, but all the American backup dancers present also seemed very happy—being part of a "family" with the global pop icon clearly made everyone feel honored, and no one objected. They were all young people with dreams in their hearts.

Li Wen's eyes shone brightly as she joined everyone in chanting, "Yay! Lin! Wei, family!"

***
Happy National Day everyone!

I bet you're either out traveling or lounging at home, but I'm stuck writing! Writing! Writing!

A new month begins, please vote with my minimum monthly pass!
(End of this chapter)