HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 385 [385] Warner Bros. has no shame; they're promoting a Chinese person like this just to make money.
Time magazine has multiple editions: the US edition, the European edition, the Asian edition, the South Pacific edition, and the international edition.

The US version is the main version, with the highest value and the largest circulation.

Taking last year as an example, Time magazine's annual circulation exceeded 600 million copies, of which the US edition accounted for 410 million copies, and the remaining 190 million were distributed among the other four editions.

Appearing on the cover of the Asian edition indicates that the celebrity enjoys high popularity in the Asian region.

Appearing on the cover of the US edition proves that the star has a high level of fame and influence worldwide and is a recognized global superstar.

The two are not even one level apart.

Most domestic and Japanese celebrities appear on the cover of the Asian edition.

Jackie Chan is pretty impressive, isn't he? In 98, "Rush Hour" was a huge success, and Jackie Chan appeared on the cover of Time magazine with the headline "Mr. Hollywood." Like Qi Yuan before him, he appeared on the Asian edition.

There are also princesses, and Zhou Ruifa, who made a comeback with "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." These people are all on the cover of Asian editions.

However, these people and their companies and teams are very clever. They boast about their artists appearing on the cover of Time magazine, but completely ignore the words "Asian edition".

Anyway, both the Asian and American versions are in English, so fans can trust them. Casual viewers generally don't understand the difference between the American and Asian versions.

"Ah Yuan, congratulations! You've really made history this time. You've created new history as the first Chinese male singer to grace the cover of Time magazine in the United States."

Before you, only Gong Li had achieved this feat in the Chinese entertainment industry; in 96, the American edition of Time magazine called her a miracle of Chinese cinema.

Zhang Hao's voice trembled with excitement. What does it mean to be a musical genius? At 22, he was on the cover of the American edition of Time magazine. He was incredibly awesome.

However, this time Qi Yuan got in through connections.

Time magazine, like Warner Music, is part of the Time Warner Group.

It's definitely much easier for family members to appear on the cover of their own magazine than for outsiders.

Warner Music China General Manager Zhou Jianhui and Warner Music (USA) worked together to successfully help Qi Yuan tear off the US edition cover.

Needless to say, Qi Yuan must be very happy to receive this honor.

Qi Yuan quickly proved with his achievements that Warner Music's efforts had not been in vain.

In the new week, "Viva La Vida" only stayed on the number one singles throne for two weeks.

The American media and Destiny's Chosen One fans were just about to write extensively and make fun of Qi Yuan for being a macho man, but after rubbing their eyes and looking again, they were speechless.

Damn! The song that replaced "Viva La Vida" as the number one single is actually "Somebody That I Used To Know," a heartbreak anthem by Qi Yuan and Shakira.

He fought his own internal war and ended his own life, right?

Also, one album producing two number-one singles? That's really a bit exaggerated.

Looking down at the bottom of the list, people were even more dumbfounded.

Warner Music began allocating promotional resources to promote other songs from the album.

The wedding anthem "Perfect" quickly climbed to number thirteen, while the prison hit "See You Again" surged to number fifteen.

Both "7 Years" and "That's What I Like" entered the top 30.

The American music scene was stunned. One album, six songs in the top 30? All ten songs in the top 100? And you call this a newcomer's first album?
Even Britney Spears in '99 wasn't this popular, nor was Linkin Park last year. Their hits were due to several super high-quality singles. Almost every song on Qi Yuan's album could be used as a single.

Record labels and musicians in the industry also saw through Warner's intentions. Warner was no longer paying attention to "Viva La Vida" and "Somebody That I Used To Know," and was starting to push other songs with all their might. What were they trying to do? Release more than three number-one singles from one album?

In the history of American pop music, the achievement of having one album reach multiple number one charts is not unprecedented.

Whitney Houston achieved three number one hits with her first album in 85, and broke the record with four number one hits with her first album in 87, becoming the first American singer to achieve four number one hits with her first album.

She is a top diva hailed as America's number one voice and the voice of the United States.

Michael Jackson, the most awesome King of Pop, achieved an incredible five number one hits with his 87 album "Bad".

Even if Qi Yuan doesn't reach the heights of Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson, the fact that his first album produced three number-one singles already put a lot of pressure on the American music scene and the Grammys.

Especially at the Grammys, those stubborn old judges are furiously criticizing Warner.

Doge, Warner Music! Do you know what you're doing? You're promoting a Chinese singer to dominate the American music scene, have you abandoned all conscience for money?

And that damn Billboard chart! You just let a Chinese singer run rampant on your charts? Don't you know how to learn some technical adjustments from Wall Street?

If he really gets three championships on one album, what are we supposed to do next year?
This album has top-notch market performance and quality; it is the highest-quality pop album of the year up to April, bar none.

I don't know if any new albums will be able to surpass this one, but this album had no rivals in the first four months of this year.

This album performed exceptionally well in the market and was of top quality. It was the highest-quality pop album of 2001 up to April, without exception.

If such an amazing album doesn't win a Grammy next year, then there will be irrefutable evidence that the Grammys are rigged and discriminate against Asian artists.

Giving an award to Qi Yuan would present a new problem. Giving one or two minor awards wouldn't solve the issue; it would only become new evidence of Grammys discriminating against Asian artists.

In short, you can't silence the public without awarding Qi Yuan at least one major prize.

Fuck! The Grammys must be regretting it. They should have given Qi Yuan a Best Pop Male Vocal Performance award this year, so he wouldn't have an excuse to attack the Grammys.

……

Qi Yuan, who gives the Grammys a headache and makes American singers and musicians envious, is currently enjoying a delicious dinner with Hathaway and Shakira.

Shakira treated everyone to dinner, and she was very grateful to Qi Yuan for making her a star in the Western music scene.

The exposure brought by her chart-topping single was enormous, greatly helping her to break into the European and American markets.

"Chris, you are the most charming guy I've ever met, I'm going to remove 'the most' from my list this time. It's a pity I'm engaged."

Shakira was as candid as ever, but there was a hint of regret in her voice.

She did feel a slight sense of disappointment. This man was the one who could have greatly helped her career. It was a pity he appeared too late; if only he had appeared a year earlier, before her fiancé.

The paparazzi squatting outside were filled with envy.

Damn it! This Chinese guy is inside picking up girls, while they're stuck outside getting some wind.

A paparazzo with considerable experience in the industry was unfazed and said calmly, "If you write an album and sell 60 million US dollars in a week, Warner will support you, and you can sit there and pick up girls."

Paparazzi: "..."

Are they up to it? They're utterly useless! They have to admit, Chris's a talented and enviable guy!

(End of this chapter)