HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 23 [023] "Starry Sky" and "Small Town Girl" Top the Radio Request Chart

February has arrived.

The Taiwanese music scene has been struck by another tragedy: renowned musician Chang Yu-sheng passed away on November 12 after being in a coma for 21 days.

The memorial service was held in the auditorium of the Arts Center of Taiwan University, and singers and celebrities such as Chang Hui-mei and Huang Shu-chun attended the event.

Zhang Huimei was emotional and shed tears several times at the memorial service.

Also in this month, a newcomer to the music scene named Shunzi released her debut solo album, "Shunzi SHUNZA," and the album's signature song, "Going Home," quickly became a hit.

This song, "Going Home," is not only very popular in Taiwan, but it also quickly climbed to the top of various music charts in mainland China.

Karen Mok's album "Be Yourself" sold very well in mainland China, and the songs "Hiroshima Mon Amour" and "He Doesn't Love Me" became increasingly popular.

Qi Yuan's "You'll Be With Me All My Life" has lost its place among the top ten.

It has to be said that the Chinese music scene in 1997 was incredibly turbulent.

Several great songs are created almost every month.

At the end of November, there were only ten days left until the official release of Qi Yuan's first self-titled album.

Song Ke asked Qi Yuan for her opinion: "Ah Yuan, 'You're With Me All My Life' was just a warm-up. Now the main event is really coming. The company will send a few songs from your first album to the radio to promote them."

If the response is good, I will use my connections to arrange for you to appear on Beijing TV.

Your popularity reached its peak on December 10th, the day your debut album was officially released.

The current Beijing Television Station is not the same as the later Beijing Television Station.

The Beijing-Taiwan television network now boasts over 300 cameras and advanced digital equipment, and has been ranked first in the nation's television technology score by the State Administration of Optics and Electronics.

Beijing and Taiwan have a strong production capacity, producing classic works such as "Prime Minister Liu Luoguo" and "A Native of Beijing in New York".

Actually, when "You're My Life" was at its peak, Song Ke could have arranged for Qi Yuan to perform on the Beijing-Taiwan stage.

However, Song Ke felt that this opportunity to appear on television was precious and that it was most appropriate to save it for now. If handled well, it could cause Qi Yuan's first album sales to take off.

Song Ke has always positioned Qi Yuan as a musical genius who shocked the entire mainland music scene as soon as he emerged.

So, some time ago, many underground bars in Beijing offered him appearance fees of several thousand or even tens of thousands of yuan, but he turned them all down.

Singing in bars is something only third-rate singers do; who would be so talented as to sing in a bar?

"I'd like to hear your opinion on which songs to send to the radio for chart rankings. This is your album, and no one knows your album better than you," Song Ke continued to press.

“I chose ‘Small Town Girl’ and ‘Starry Sky’ because these R&B songs are the album’s main tracks and best showcase my uniqueness compared to other singers. If I had played ‘The First Time’ and ‘I Thought’, then I would be no different from other singers,” Qi Yuan replied.

“I knew you’d say that. Fine, I’ll do as you say. I’ll get ‘Small Town Girl’ and ‘Starry Night’ onto all the major radio stations,” Song Ke said with a wry smile.

He actually prefers a song like "The First Time" because it's a safer bet and has a higher chance of becoming a radio hit.

However, he also strongly agreed with Qi Yuan's words, saying that R&B is where Qi Yuan stands out from all mainland singers, and even Hong Kong and Taiwan singers.

Becoming famous with songs like "You'll Be With Me All My Life" and "The First Time" is nothing special.

It's not like no one has ever become famous through campus folk songs and love songs before; Qi Yuan is at most a successor.

Unlike R&B, if successful, Qi Yuan will become a leader in pioneering a new musical style.

……

A day later, "Small Town Girl" and "Starry Sky" were broadcast on radio stations such as "Beijing Music", "Tianjin Music", "Binhai Radio", and "Music Radio".

The classic train whistle and a young man's strange shout echoed throughout the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

With the success of "You'll Be With Me All My Life" as a foundation, more radio stations partnered with Wheatfield, and these stations, now stronger, were more willing to promote Qi Yuan's new song. This groundbreaking music was met with jubilation from young people in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, who exclaimed that this was the kind of music young people should be listening to.

Rock and folk music are all outdated and have become relics of the past.

On several radio stations in the areas surrounding Beijing, "Small Town Girl" and "Starry Sky" quickly rose to second and third place on the request charts, leaving only "Too Softhearted" at number one.

While the new song was playing on the radio, the cover of the magazine "Entertainment Circle" published by Beijing Literature and Art Audio-Visual Publishing House featured the face of a newcomer to the music scene.

May you have a wish!

Qi Yuan's hometown, Guangzhou, also gave a great boost.

According to the Yangcheng Evening News: Qi Yuan is a talented musician who brought R&B into the Chinese music scene, and he is also a native of Guangzhou.

Southern Metropolis Daily: With the sound of train whistles, the R&B era of Chinese music seems to have arrived, and Chinese music is about to enter a brand new era.

In a short time, Qi Yuan's name quickly became known among young people.

'One step, two steps, three steps, four steps, looking at the sky'

I heard you're a senior manager now.

These lyrics are sung by many young people, especially those in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Of course, not everyone applauded Qi Yuan's music.

Some elderly men complained: "What is all that stuff? They sing a few foreign words here and there. It's always 'oh yeah yeah' and 'oh no no.' They can't sing without yelling a few lines. It's not as good as 'Too Softhearted' or Sun Nan's songs. I don't know how they became popular."

Qi Yuan's music did not fizzle out because some people disliked it.

Conversely, the complaints from middle-aged and elderly people have made young people like Qi Yuan's music even more.

What do you old Dengs know?
This is the latest trendy music; you guys are outdated.

Perhaps noticing the voices of young people, China National Radio, a nationwide pop music radio station, has increased its promotion of Qi Yuan's new song.

Finally, on December 5th, "Small Town Girl" topped the streaming charts, dethroning "Too Softhearted" which had dominated the charts for almost a year.

The same is true for radio stations such as "Beijing Music" and "Tianjin Music". On some stations, "Small Town Girl" is the number one song on the request list, while on others it is "Starry Sky".

On the first weekend of December, Qi Yuan appeared on the Beijing-Taiwan talk show "Starlight Accompanies My Heart".

This is a large-scale special interview series that aims to reflect the current situation of Hong Kong artists and let the audience understand the Hong Kong entertainment industry after Hong Kong's return to China.

Hong Kong superstars such as Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Cheung Suet-yu, and Lai Ming have all appeared on the show.

Qi Yuan, a newcomer to the mainland music scene, does not fit the theme of this program.

But who could blame Qi Yuan for rising to fame so quickly? He also pioneered a new R&B style in the Chinese music scene.

Considering that the mainland music scene has always been overshadowed by the Hong Kong and Taiwan music scene, its creativity and innovation are not as good as those there.

Finally, Qi Yuan emerged as someone who surpassed the other side in terms of innovation. The station's leaders made an exception and allowed Qi Yuan, a mainland artist, to appear on the show.

At the recording of the show, Qi Yuan's appearance drew cheers from the audience.

"He's so handsome! And he sings so well!"

Qi Yuan's performance of "Starry Sky" on the show ignited the entire audience, with many viewers' hands turning red from clapping.

Previously, Qi Yuan had always kept a low profile, spending most of her time at school or in the wheat fields.

When he appeared on the show and felt the audience's enthusiasm, he realized that he had really become famous, and even more famous than he had imagined.

(End of this chapter)