HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 297 [297] Extraordinary Performance, God-Level MV
The media in Hong Kong and Taiwan were in an uproar.

Didn't we agree to enter the Japanese and American markets by the end of this year or early next year? Why the change of heart?
When the news of the Volkswagen ad went viral in Hong Kong and Taiwan, the media and record companies here realized that the ad's popularity had given Warner Music and Zhou Jianhui confidence, and Qi Yuan's date for entering the Japanese and American markets was brought forward.

The song "Free Loop" only played for 30 or 40 seconds in a Volkswagen advertisement, but it sparked heated discussions among netizens in mainland China.

Qi Yuan has written another English song of very high quality.

Not everyone thinks so.

Many music critics and media outlets in Hong Kong and Taiwan have criticized Warner Music and Chi Yuen for being overconfident, to the point of arrogance and complacency.

The success of the Volkswagen advertisement only shows that Qi Yuan's English song suits the tastes of Chinese people, but may not suit the tastes of Japanese and Americans.

Furthermore, the success of the advertisement is largely due to the fact that the public has deep pockets and is willing to spend money on advertising.

If Qi Yuan were to release a single in Japan without proper planning, would Warner Music be able to allocate the same level of promotional resources as Volkswagen?
Many media outlets are pessimistic about Qi Yuan's foray into the Japanese music scene, commenting: "Qi Yuan's first Waterloo in his music career may be coming."

Hong Kong and Taiwanese media are desperate to dethrone Qi Yuan from her number one position.

It's hard to get Warner to say anything nice if they don't pay you.

Singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan also hoped that Qi Yuan's attempt to enter the Japanese market would fail.

If Qi Yuan succeeds, he will widen the gap between them once again, and they will really have no way to catch up then, and will be suppressed by Qi Yuan forever.

Countless people are hoping that Qi Yuan will fail.

The public opinion landscape on the mainland is completely different from that in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Apart from a small number of Southern Media Group members who were pessimistic about Qi Yuan, most media outlets expressed optimism.

The People's Daily published an article affirming Qi Yuan's proactive spirit and referred to him as "Heavenly King".

This treatment is the envy of countless singers from mainland China and Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The most authoritative official media in mainland China are very cautious in their wording and do not like to exaggerate.

Years later, when Taiwanese pop stars like Sun Yanzi, Jay Chou, and Wang Lihong appeared on the Spring Festival Gala, mainland official media would only refer to them as well-known singers or super newcomers. Pop stars? Impossible.

Previously, Nayoung became famous across mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong with "Conquer". EMI Records marketed Nayoung as a diva, but the official media in mainland China did not recognize her.

Currently, only Qi Yuan has received recognition as a superstar from a media outlet of the People's Daily level, which speaks volumes about the prestige of the mainland music scene.

……

“Ah Yuan, you need to be careful. As far as I know, many people don’t want you to succeed in your mission to Japan.”

Zhou Jielun was worried for Qi Yuan.

If Qi Yuan's foray into Japan goes poorly, it will certainly attract countless criticisms.

Qi Yuan himself remained calm. In his previous life, after Zhou Jielun reached the summit, he told the host in an interview that when he stood on the top of the mountain, countless people shot arrows at him, trying to shoot him down.

Even though Jay Chou is a native Taiwanese singer, he still received this treatment.

Qi Yuan is a singer from mainland China. He is more popular than Jay Chou in his previous life, and there are only more people hoping that he will fall into the abyss.

Qi Yuan replied nonchalantly, "People never go out of style. Just wait and see my performance at the end of the month."

Seeing that Qi Yuan remained as confident as ever, Zhou Jielun confirmed that Qi Yuan was not affected by the outside voices, and he resumed his normal tone of voice.

“I’ll have to wait and see. I saw your Prayer for Wishes ad, it was really awesome. Those few seconds were amazing, I wonder how the whole song is.” As they chatted, Jay Chou mentioned that Pepsi had invited him to become the new Pepsi Superstar.

Zhou Jielun didn't receive the same treatment as Qi Yuan; Pepsi offered him a very low price, only three million a year.

"It's a bit of a pity. I thought I could collaborate with you on a Coca-Cola commercial jingle, but you went to Coca-Cola instead."

Chou Jielun laughed and made a sarcastic remark.

"There might be an opportunity in the future."

Qi Yuan thought to himself, "You dare to talk to me like that? In your past life, after you finished collaborating with Pepsi, you still ran off to Coca-Cola, okay? You were the spokesperson for Sprite for a full eight years."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Zhou Jielun complained that Qi Yuan had been going a bit too far lately, creating a series of big news stories that had completely overshadowed him.

Qi Yuan felt a little apologetic and replied that he would treat Zhou Jielun to milk tea sometime, as compensation.

After ending her call with Zhou Jielun, Qi Yuan began discussing the "Free Loop" music video with Ning Hao.

The original music video is fantastic; it shows a little boy's unwavering passion for the piano. Years later, he finally saves enough money to buy a worn-out, secondhand piano.

Because they couldn't pay the rent, the landlord evicted them from the house, and they couldn't take the piano with them.

Fortunately, the protagonist met a benefactor who helped him realize his musical dream and gain countless listeners willing to watch him play the piano and sing.

The ending is also elevated: the protagonist, having achieved success, returns to his old house, repairs the broken piano, plays music with the restored piano, and receives even more applause and a larger audience.

Ning Hao thought the story was good and inspiring, telling people to always maintain their passion for their dreams and believe that one day their dreams will come true.

"Mr. Qi, your story is very good, but I think we can lengthen it up and make a short film of seven or eight minutes. It can show the protagonist's hardships in pursuing his dream in more detail."

Ning Hao had some ulterior motives. Filming a seven- or eight-minute short film/MV would make the story more exciting, and it would also give him some practice. It would be a win-win situation for both him and Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan saw through Ning Hao's plan, but he didn't expose it and just let Warner pay up.

He made so much money for Warner Music, what's wrong with giving him a larger budget to shoot a music video?
Once the music video is filmed, go to Japan to earn yen, go to the United States to earn dollars, and Warner will get a share too, right?

As Qi Yuan's first solo English single, a good music video is very important for "Free Loop".

As Qi Yuan had predicted, he asked Zhang Hao to apply for the budget, and it was approved in less than half an hour.

Ning Hao began to put his talent to use. He first wrote the story Qi Yuan told him into a script, then added his own ideas, and put together a complete story that could be filmed for seven or eight minutes.

After reading Ning Hao's script, Qi Yuan realized that the guy was indeed quite something; he had actually incorporated the negative comments about Qi Yuan from Hong Kong and Taiwan media into the script.

Ning Hao's forte is dark humor and satire, and the simultaneous appearance of these two elements in this script elevates its depth and meaning to a new level.

"Let's film it according to your script." Qi Yuan made the decision on the spot.

……

Once filming actually began, Qi Yuan discovered that Ning Hao's filming was even better than he had imagined.

Ning Hao held his breath and exerted all his strength, which was an extraordinary performance.

Qi Yuan was willing to provide him with resources and support. When he helped shoot Qi Yuan's music video for the first time, he couldn't afford to make a big mistake and be laughed at by his mentor. He wanted to prove his worth.

Ning Hao's performance was impressive, and Qi Yuan was naturally delighted. He was eagerly anticipating the effect of Ning Hao's amazing music video paired with "Free Loop" being released to the Japanese market.

(End of this chapter)