HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 114 [114] First Day Report of New Album: Half of the Music Industry Remains Silent
If a work can become a bestseller simply because the media hypes it up, then shows like "The Fortress of Shanghai" and "Dream Chasing in the Entertainment Circle" wouldn't have crashed.

Similarly, good works will not be buried because of media criticism.

The silent majority will always vote with their feet.

Friends such as Jay Chou, Lin Chih-ling, Kao Yuan-yuan, Zhang Tong, Huang Hsiao-ming, and Yen Dan-chen all bought Qi Yuan's new album as soon as it was released.

After buying a CD, Chou Chieh-lun said to Fang Wen-shan, who was waiting at the entrance of the music store, "Wen-shan, how come you couldn't think of such a cool name? Chinese style, what a cool name. If I ever have the chance to release an album, you have to write a Chinese style song for me."

Fang Wenshan: "Okay."

After working together on "East Wind Breaks", the two went from disliking each other to appreciating each other.

The first thing they did was buy Qi Yuan's album so they could listen to his original song, "Dong Feng Po".

This was their first song to receive recognition from a singer, and also the first song to be used by another singer.

When the music video for "Dong Feng Po" was released, both Jay Chou and Fang Wenshan were stunned.

By North!

Is this a music video?

The visuals, colors, composition, camera work, and candid shots of the characters all surpass most films; it truly deserves to be the work of the top director in mainland China.

The music video was filmed at the Humble Administrator's Garden, the mother of Chinese gardens.

The long, open windows on all four sides frame a beautiful lotus-filled landscape, a scene captured by Yuanxiangtang.

Yiyuxuan, with its winding corridors and tranquil environment, is a pleasing sight to behold, with Qi Yuan and Chen Hong as a handsome couple.

The beautiful scenery of Xiaofeihong, Jianshanlou, and other scenic spots are all on display, and every frame is as beautiful as a wallpaper.

Chen Kaige is incredibly strong, even though he doesn't touch the script. The key point is that he doesn't even have a script to touch when shooting music videos.

Both Jay Chou and Fang Wenshan were deeply impressed by the quality of this music video.

A lonely lamp of sorrow stands behind the window, I pretend you haven't left behind the door. Returning to familiar places, the full moon only brings more loneliness. The candlelight, awake in the middle of the night, can't bear to blame me. A pot of wine, adrift and wandering, is hard to swallow. After you left, the wine warms memories, but longing makes me thin. Water flows eastward, how can time be stolen? Flowers bloom only once, but I missed it. Who is playing "East Wind Breaks" on the pipa...

The stunning visuals paired with Qi Yuan's captivating vocals make for a feast for both the eyes and ears.

The music video for "Jiangnan" is also of extremely high quality, and Jay Chou admires it greatly.

Fang Wenshan seemed to have anticipated Zhou Jielun's words: "You don't mean to say that if you have the chance to release an album, you'll have to shoot a music video like this, right? You really can't shoot it, you can't hire such a great director, only A-Yuan can."

Jay Chou: "..."

Indeed, even directors of Chen Kaige's caliber, like Zhang Xueyou and Andy Lau, couldn't direct a music video; no matter how famous he is, it would be difficult for him to do so.

Jay Chou also noticed the beauty in the MV, who seemed to be Chen Hong, known as the number one beauty in mainland China. Qi Yuan kissed Chen Hong.

Jay Chou is really jealous. Why does Qi Yuan always kiss all sorts of beauties in his music videos? Every female lead in his music videos is so pretty.

When he saw "Love Me or Him", he was surprised to find that the music video was eight minutes long!

In the final chorus of the emotional outburst, Qi Yuan pushes Lin Zhiling onto the piano and kisses her passionately.

The big-eyed girl who played the White Rose who was cheated on was very beautiful and also attracted the attention of Jay Chou.

Fang Wenshan continued, "Jielun, don't compare yourself to Ayuan, you can't beat him. How many people are there in Taiwan? How many are there in mainland China? Ayuan studied at a film academy in mainland China, so he was exposed to the most beautiful girls there. He could easily pull out a truckload of beauties. When our Taiwanese singers shoot music videos, the beauties they find are basically models."

Can a child model compare to a film school student?

In terms of the quality of the female lead in his music videos, Qi Yuan is also far ahead of the competition, and it is difficult for anyone to catch up with him.

……

In Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China, there are many people like Jay Chou and Fang Wenshan who bought the CDs and were blown away by the music videos of "Dong Feng Po" and "Jiang Nan".

These two music videos remain classics even after ten or twenty years, and they still look beautiful. This is because these two music videos were shot on film, and televisions in 98 were mostly 480p resolution, so the equipment was severely outdated.

Most people's devices cannot appreciate all the beauty in these two music videos.

People in the industry also bought Qi Yuan's records.

They certainly weren't trying to boost Qi Yuan's record sales.

They were there to study the quality of Qi Yuan's new album and to see what another Chinese-style song was really like.

After studying them, many of them fell silent.

Qi Yuan, you idiot, have you gone mad?
Zhou Jianhui, have you gone mad too?

"Unavoidable Love," "The One I Love," "Romantic Romance," "Writing Poems for You," "Serious Snow," "Love Me or Him?" "Twilight," "Chasing the Light," "Yellow Race," "Love Transfer," "Jiangnan," and "East Wind Breaks"

Give these songs to them, they can add a little fluff and they'll have more than enough to release four albums.

Even if it's a bit messy, you can still produce five, six, seven, or eight.

Among this collection of excellent hit songs, "Can't Help Falling in Love," a duet by Qi Yuan and Richie Jen, doesn't even rank in the top three.

On the other hand, for Richie Jen, "The Girl Across the Street" was the first song people heard when they bought the album; it was definitely the main hit.

……

Hong Kong, a glorious place.

Huo Wenxi and Xie Tingfeng remained silent for a very long time after listening to "Qi Yuan".

Finally, Huo Wenxi broke the silence by speaking first: "Fengzai, from now on, let's not compete with Qi Yuan in music anymore. Let's compete with him in making movies and TV series."

Ugh!
A long sigh!
Nicholas Tse kept reassuring himself that he hadn't lost; he had simply made a strategic shift and was now dominating the film industry.

It's normal for him to lose in singing; the music scene is Qi Yuan's domain.

How could he possibly lose in a film? His father is an actor, and his mother is also an actress; he comes from a family of actors, so there's no way he could lose.

……

Taiwan, two days later.

Zhou Jianhui finally obtained the battle reports from various regions compiled by the marketing department.

His hands trembled slightly when he received the report.

When he opened it, he thought he had misread the number and wondered if the marketing department had forgotten to add the decimal point.

On the first day, 273041 tickets were sold in mainland China, 140232 in Taiwan, and approximately 56000 in Hong Kong.

Hey!
This is insane! Absolutely insane!
These sales figures are terrifying.

Zhou Jianhui immediately called his subordinates: "Quickly notify the factory to operate at full capacity. We want as much as they can produce."

On the same day.

Warner Music released the sales report for Qi Yuan's second album on its first day.

The number of people who paid 27.3 in mainland China, 14 in Taiwan, and 5.6 in Hong Kong left everyone, both inside and outside the entertainment industry, completely stunned.

Didn't everyone say that Qi Yuan had run out of ideas? Why is his second album selling so well? Nearly 47 copies a day, which is equivalent to the annual sales of many singers.

Many Taiwanese singers who haven't ventured into the mainland market can sell an album for 47 copies a year, and their record companies have to celebrate with champagne.

Tao Ze's debut album did not enter the mainland market, and it has not even sold 40 copies so far, let alone 47.

(End of this chapter)