HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 45 [045] Damn, he needs to learn this move too.

However, on the other hand, Qi Yuan is now known as a "little king" in Taiwan.

His R&B music set a trend, and he is certainly qualified to give Wang Lihong pointers.

After all, Wang Lihong is still very young and in the exploratory stage, and has not yet established his own musical style.

Qi Yuan enthusiastically answered Wang Lihong's questions, covering a wide range of topics including R&B, music production concepts, and the market.

"Thank you, A-Yuan. I've learned a lot from chatting with you."

Wang Lihong was delighted; chatting with Qi Yuan felt like a revelation.

"You're welcome. Strictly speaking, you're my senior; you debuted a few years earlier than me."

Qi Yuan thought to herself, "Why be so polite? I'll just copy a few more of your songs and that will make up for the tuition fee."

"Mr. Jung Dong-han, CEO of PolyGram Records, and his son, Jung Jong-ki," Zhou Jianhui introduced the father and son walking towards them to Qi Yuan in a low voice.

Qi Yuan immediately recognized the tall, long-haired young man. "Brother Tyrannosaurus, it's you!"

Tyrannosaurus Rex, also known as Jung Jong-ki, nicknamed PolyGram Prince or Prince Ki, has a favorite dish of stir-fried beef with pickled cabbage and stir-fried pork with snow peas.

If Zhang Xueyou is an actor disguised as a singing god, then Jung Joong-ki is a singing god disguised as an actor.

Jung Joong-ki has a strong voice and excellent singing skills; he's not the kind of second-generation rich kid who lacks talent.

His first Mandarin album, "Caught in the Middle," released in 1996, sold very well, and he was hailed by the media as the successor to the "God of Songs," Zhang Xueyou.

However, like the Four Heavenly Kings, he lacks strong creative ability and relies heavily on songs acquired through his company's channels.

It's true that he has a nickname, "Prince Ji," but he's not as exaggerated as outsiders claim.

PolyGram receives high-quality songs and must prioritize providing them to superstars like Zhang Xueyou, Li Ming, and Tan Yonglin. Only after they have made their selections can PolyGram receive his songs.

His father was merely the Asia regional CEO selected by PolyGram's parent company; PolyGram wasn't his family's private property.

If the company's performance declines due to favoritism towards one's son, the headquarters might dare to replace the person directly next year.

Therefore, Jung Joong-ki faces a common problem among many non-songwriters: he doesn't lack songs, but he lacks good songs.

"President Zheng, Prince Ji..."

After exchanging pleasantries with them, Qi Yuan got straight to the point: "Yuan, I admire your musical talent. I'd like to ask you to write a song for me. Next time you come to Hong Kong, I'll treat you to the most authentic local cuisine."

"I definitely will if I have the chance..."

For some reason, Qi Yuan felt a little flustered looking at Jung Joong-ki's serious expression.

The image of Tyrannosaurus Rex is so deeply ingrained in people's minds that when Jung Joong-ki hosts the dinner, it just doesn't feel like he's treating us to proper food.

After Zheng Donghan finished talking with Zhou Jianhui, he said to Qi Yuan with admiration, "Your records sell very well in Hong Kong, better than many singers from the mainland. Besides the high quality of your records, it also has something to do with your identity as a Cantonese."

You speak Cantonese very well. If you have the opportunity, you could consider releasing a Cantonese EP to solidify your foundation in Hong Kong and further expand your influence.

Pure Cantonese albums are out of the question; the production cost is too high, and it's difficult to recoup the investment. Andy Lau, Alec Sue, and Lai Ming are now primarily releasing Mandarin albums.

Qi Yuan benefited greatly from Zheng Donghan's words.

No wonder his debut album sold so well in Hong Kong, exceeding 150,000 copies; it turns out it has something to do with his status.
For various reasons, Hong Kong people have some prejudices against mainlanders, which is an objective fact.

However, people in Hong Kong do not have prejudices against people from Guangdong Province who also speak Cantonese, because many of them are originally from the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.

Many Hong Kong celebrities, including Andy Lau, Gu Tianle, Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Ka-fai, and Donnie Yen, have ancestral roots in Guangdong Province.

In this light, Qi Yuan could indeed consider releasing a Cantonese EP to expand his influence in Hong Kong.

He's only focusing on music for now; he might move into the film industry in the future.

Hong Kong's film industry is declining rapidly, but this decline will take some time.

Before Chen Guanxi's photography exhibition, Hong Kong cinema was quite strong.

Many top-tier actors from mainland China are desperate to go to Hong Kong to play supporting roles for newcomers for this very reason.

Qi Yuan wouldn't push things to the brink, and he also disliked the hypocritical behavior of some Hong Kong artists.

But given the opportunity, he wouldn't mind using the resources and influence of the Hong Kong film industry to grow and expand himself.

To pave the way for the future, releasing a Cantonese EP to expand our influence in Hong Kong is essential. I can discuss this seriously with Zhou Jianhui when we get back.

As Qi Yuan was pondering these matters, a tall and sweet-looking woman approached him and said, "My name is Chen Huilin, you can also call me Kelly. I've heard of you in Hong Kong; your records sell incredibly well there."

Qi Yuan responded with a smile: "You flatter me, Kelly. I was just lucky to release an album that suited the tastes of Hong Kong fans."

Chen Huilin is a genuine super-rich second-generation heiress from Hong Kong, much more powerful than Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Tyrannosaurus Rex's father also worked for PolyGram.

Chen Huilin is different; her father is the head of a famous jewelry brand in Hong Kong, so it's no exaggeration to say that she is the Hong Kong version of Jing Tian.

The difference is that her professional skills are much stronger than Jing Tian's.

In 1995, she released her first album, "Fairy Music," which helped her establish herself in the music scene.

However, the real breakthrough came with the release of "Do You Love Me?" at the end of this year, which included a hit song called "Notebook" that swept across mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

It is worth mentioning that the composer of "Notebook" is Zhou Chuanxiong.

That's right, it's Zhou Chuanxiong, who later sang "Twilight".

It can only be said that the golden age of the Chinese music scene was truly teeming with talent, with monster-level contestants emerging every year.

"Can I ask you to write a song for me, Ah-Yuan?" Chen Huilin asked sincerely.

“Sure, Mr. Zheng from PolyGram just told me that I have many fans in Hong Kong who like me, and he suggested that I release a Cantonese EP. I do have plans to do that.” Qi Yuan readily agreed.

Chen Huilin will be very popular in the next few years.

The album "Do You Love Me?" sold over 400,000 copies in Taiwan alone by the end of this year.

In 99, the album "Flower Universe" sold more than two million copies across Asia.

Qi's willingness to cooperate with her is, in a sense, mutually beneficial.

Furthermore, Chen Huilin has a lot of influence in Hong Kong. The mainland market has not been fully developed yet, and Hong Kong remains an important market.

Making friends with Chan Wai-lin, the Hong Kong version of a socialite, might bring unexpected benefits to his conquest of the Hong Kong market.

"Okay, I'll wait for your news." Chen Huilin nodded with delight.

"No need, come with me." Qi Yuan waved.

Chen Huilin was a little confused, but she followed out of politeness.

Qi Yuan led her to a piano.

Qi Yuan gently placed her hands on the piano keys, her slender fingers dancing lightly across them.

Qi Yuan tried playing a few sections.

In about ten minutes, a beautiful melody was written.

Chen Huilin's eyes widened in surprise. There are many famous fast-drawing singers in the Hong Kong music scene, but she had never seen a man this fast before.

"Geng Hong, Ah Yuan is a superstar now, do you think he'll still remember us?"

Zhou Jielun, Liu Genghong, and Wen Lan accompanied Alfa's boss, Wu Zhongxian, to attend the celebration banquet held by Warner Music for Qi Yuan.

Liu Genghong brought Zhou Jielun and Wen Lan to find Qi Yuan.

Zhou Jielun was a little uneasy. Qi Yuan had only met them once. Would he remember these insignificant people?

Then Jay Chou saw this scene: a spirited young man sitting in front of the black piano, his fingers dancing rapidly, humming onomatopoeic words like "da da da" to temporarily replace the lyrics.

As a fellow music producer, Chou Chieh-lun could tell at a glance that Chi Yuan was writing a new song.

The tall girl standing next to the piano looked shocked.

Jay Chou admitted that he was impressed by this move.

Damn it! If he ever becomes famous and a beautiful female singer asks him for a song, he'll want to make a one-to-one replica of it.

(End of this chapter)