HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 300 [300] What?! This Chinese singer has actually achieved incredible success in Japan!

September 30, 2000, was an ordinary Saturday.

Students and many office workers in China are happy, as the National Day holiday starts today, and they can have a good rest for a few days.

On this very day, Qi Yuan's first solo English single, "Free Loop," was simultaneously released in China, Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, and other regions.

On this day, a large number of fans, listeners, and media in China paid close attention to this English single.

The success or failure of this song is crucial to Qi Yuan's music career.

It has been widely reported by Japanese local media.

[The Emperor of China, a reckless challenge with an English song, inevitably met with a cold reception from the market.]

Japanese pop music is the benchmark and ceiling for Asia; the music industries of other Asian countries are 'followers' rather than 'competitors'.

Qi Yuan is no different from Chinese singers who cover Japanese songs.

……

The Japanese are very proud of their music.

They are the world's second-largest record market.

Their pop music has always been among the best in Asia.

A Chinese musician dreaming of conquering the Japanese market? That's utterly delusional!
Previously, only Japanese music conquered the Chinese music scene, and half of the glory of the Hong Kong music scene was created by Japanese musicians.

Apart from a few media outlets that received benefits from Warner, most Japanese media outlets are very hostile to Qi Yuan.

Japanese people are inherently xenophobic and even more resistant to Chinese singers like Qi Yuan.

Japanese netizens even chanted slogans to boycott Qi Yuan.

They would never buy a single by a Chinese singer, not even listen to it. They wouldn't give Qi Yuan any free publicity; they wanted to make this arrogant Chinese singer fail in Japan.

Japanese newspapers and netizens launched a simultaneous online and offline campaign.

In fact, Qi Yuan's first wave of audiences was not them at all, but young women in Japan.

……

Tokyo.

Chie Tanaka was shopping with her friends when they passed a music store. Suddenly, she remembered that Qi Yuan's English single was released in Japan today.

"Wait a minute, I've collaborated with Qi Yuansang before, let's support his single."

Chie Tanaka pulled her friend aside; she wasn't exactly a fan of Qi Yuan's songs, and she wasn't particularly fond of Chinese songs.

She only collaborated with Qi Yuan on the music video for "Seven Mile Fragrance". Qi Yuan's looks and demeanor left a deep impression on her, so she was a bit of a fan of his appearance.

She even thought Qi Yuan was more handsome than Takuya Kimura.

Let's support Qi Yuansang. It's not easy for a Chinese singer like Qi Yuansang to enter the Japanese market.

She was also quite curious about how well Qi Yuansang sang in English.

Chie Tanaka and her friend went into a music store and bought a disc with a music video.

While she was in line, she noticed that there were seven or eight customers ahead of her who had bought Qi Yuan's singles and photo albums. Without exception, they were all girls, with more Japanese girls than Chinese girls.

This was something Tanaka Chie hadn't expected.

When it was her turn to pay, she asked the shop assistant, "Are Qi Yuansang's photo albums selling well?"

"Yes, it's sold out once already. Would you like to buy one?"

"Could you get me a copy? Thank you." Tanaka Chie thought to herself, "Since I'm already supporting Qi Yuan, I might as well support him to the end."

Chie Tanaka and her friends left the video store, went to the supermarket to buy some daily necessities, and finally returned to their residence.

In 1998, Chie Tanaka made her debut in the Fuji TV late-night drama series "Bishoujo H". She was an actress, but she was not very famous.

Her apartment has DVDs and a TV, and she often buys DVDs to study.

My friend opened the packaging, put the title track "Free Loop" into the DVD tray, and the two of them began to enjoy the English single.

After the TV came on, Chie Tanaka and her friend remarked that the disc was quite worthwhile, priced the same as other singles, and the music video included a storyline.

The opening scene shows a little boy standing in the window of a piano store, looking at the old piano with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, his smile revealing endless longing and love.

A simple shot clearly tells the audience that the protagonist is someone who loves the piano.

Then, in a dramatic transition, Qi Yuan himself appears, signifying that the child who loved the piano has grown up.

The moment Qi Yuan appeared, Tanaka Chie's eyes widened instantly, a hint of surprise flashing within them.

She noticed that Qi Yuansang had become handsome. In the music video, Qi Yuansang changed into a Japanese-style outfit. He also possessed Zhou Xun's "lively eye acting" and Liang Jiahui's "thousand-faced actor", portraying the profoundness of a melancholy piano prodigy.

Tanaka Chie's friend screamed excitedly when she saw Qi Yuan's handsome face.

On television, Qi Yuan experienced hardship and displacement, including heartbreaking tears and emotional breakdowns, and her emotions were deeply moved by the story.

In a bar, Qi Yuan meets a benefactor played by Ning Hao, who gives Qi Yuan a chance to showcase his talent.

Qi Yuan sat in front of the piano in the bar, her fingers gently tracing the patterns on the piano, then landing on the keys, and a beautiful musical journey began.

"Cause It's hard for me to lose in my life I've found, Only time will tell and I will figure out..."

(Because losing you in my life is so painful, I've found that only time can prove everything...)
After a short, smooth piano interlude, Qi Yuan's singing began, and Tanaka Chie and her friends felt a jolt of electricity run through their bodies and their scalps tingle.

With the preceding story setting up the chorus, the moment it came out was truly amazing.

The chorus is beautiful, romantic, and melancholic. Qi Yuan's vocal transitions are flawless, and every lyric and melody strikes the soul.

"Chie-chan, I'm so envious of you. You get to collaborate with such a talented man. After listening to this song, I've decided to become his most loyal fan, and I'm going to buy a single to support him."

Excitement gleamed in her friend's eyes, and Chie Tanaka shared similar thoughts.

This song is so beautiful, she really likes it.

When Qi Yuansang came to Japan to film a music video last time, her agency told her that Qi Yuansang was the most popular singer in China. She bought a copy of "Wish" and listened to it, but thought it was just so-so.

This song, "Free Loop," made her realize Qi Yuansang's charm and talent for the first time, and she was determined to recommend it to all her friends.

……

At the same time, Warner Music Japan sent "Free Loop" to several radio stations in Japan for chart rankings.

Qi Yuan doesn't have much influence in the Japanese music scene, and she doesn't receive much priority on radio stations.

Warner Music Japan didn't have high expectations for this single, believing that it would be quite an achievement for Qi Yuan, a Chinese singer, to sell a few thousand copies on the first day.

Three days later.

When the head of Warner Bros.' marketing department in Japan received the first-day sales figures for "Free Loop," he was completely shocked.

"What? You mean this is Qi Yuansang's sales data for the first day? That's incredible! It's hard to believe that this is the achievement of a Chinese singer."

3.5 copies? Qi Yuan is a Chinese singer! She's never performed in Japan before! Even the most popular second-tier singers in the Japanese music scene don't have the confidence to say that they can sell 3.5 copies on the first day of every single release.

(End of this chapter)