The Road to Superstardom: Starting as a Singer

After the interview, Huang Weijie devoted himself to the production of the album.

What makes something popular?

Being so busy that you forget everything else and the time is enough.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

This day was Friday, July 25th.

For most people, today marks the start of a two-day weekend.

Nike's launch event is scheduled for tonight at the Workers' Stadium.

In the pre-launch promotion, "international superstar Jace Huang's appearance" has become a selling point of this press conference.

In the afternoon, the hotel suite was busy but orderly.

Stylist Amy laid out several of Nike's latest sportswear outfits on the bed and finally selected a hooded sports jacket with Olympic red as the main color and silver stripes, paired with matching slim-fit sports pants and a pair of limited-edition silver Air Max sneakers that have not yet been released to the public.

The entire outfit features smooth lines and vibrant colors, exuding the energy of midsummer and the unique vigor of youth.

Huang Weijie sat in front of the mirror as the hairstylist did the final touches on his hair.

"Oh, Jace, your face is so perfect, it's simply a work of God, and your skin is too..."

Lisa kept praising him as she applied hair gel to his hair.

Having worked in the industry for several years, she has seen many handsome men and beautiful women, but it is really hard to find someone like Huang Weijie who is both handsome and has good skin.

Most people in the industry have good bone structure, but their skin is often questionable. Without skincare products to cover it up, many of them wouldn't dare to appear on camera without makeup.

But Huang Weijie in front of her now is an exception; even without makeup, his face is very attractive.

Huang Weijie remained unmoved by the praise from his teammates; he had heard similar things countless times, and his threshold for criticism had long since become extremely high.

He can smile in front of the camera, but he should act more normal in front of the team.

After changing into his bright red tracksuit, Huang Weijie stood in the center of the room, letting Amy do as she pleased.

After he finished getting ready, even Amy, who's seen celebrities all the time, couldn't help but whistle: "Perfect! Young man, even the lights at the Workers' Stadium will have to dim a bit for you tonight!"

Huang Weijie's lips curled into a smirk, an interesting analogy.

"Jace, Mr. Huang's flight is the day after tomorrow morning," Madeline suddenly reminded her.

Huang Weijie nodded slightly.

The "A Century of Dreams Fulfilled - A Cultural Gala to Welcome the 2008 Beijing Olympics" will be broadcast live on ZY TV in a few days.

He will perform there.

This performance will not only be broadcast live in the country, but will also be broadcast simultaneously to the world via satellite.

Huang Shengchang couldn't possibly miss such an important moment.

I came early because I've taken care of some recent business matters.

Thinking of this, Huang Weijie's eyes flashed. His grandfather was almost sixty years old, and he should try his best to let his grandfather live a more relaxed life as soon as possible.

……

The Workers' Stadium at dusk resembles a giant container boiling with sound.

Although it was still early before the event started, the plaza outside the venue was already packed with people.

Nike's huge swoosh logo shimmered in the twilight, but what was even more striking was the dense, ever-flowing crowd.

A significant portion of them were young girls, holding up "Jace" light boards and banners that were hastily made overnight or purchased from overseas through personal shoppers. The banners read "Baby Love" and "Jace, the Pride of China" in English or Chinese.

Some of them had clearly come in groups, excitedly checking each other's details of Huang Weijie's itinerary and clothing preferences that they had dug up from QQ groups, Tieba, and forums.

Others were new fans who were instantly "struck" after seeing the airport and interview news a while ago, their faces flushed with a mixture of curiosity and excitement.

The melody of Huang Weijie's "Baby" music video, which has garnered an astonishing number of views on YouTube, even drifted out from a portable speaker held up by several girls, quickly sparking a small-scale sing-along and attracting more attention.

Many people may wonder how Huang Weijie could be so popular with just one song, "Baby".

But if you look back at the history of the Chinese entertainment industry, the answer becomes obvious.

In recent years, China's film and television culture industry has been booming.

Movie box office, TV series production, and total cultural consumption are all continuing to grow.

On the surface, it is an entertainment extravaganza, but at its core lies a universal yearning: the desire to be recognized by the world.

The most obvious symbol is the Olympic Games.

From the successful bid for the Olympics to the current flurry of preparations, it's clear to anyone with eyes to see that China is actively embracing the world!

Unfortunately, the domestic entertainment industry has yet to produce a phenomenal youth idol that has been validated by the global mainstream cultural market.

The mainstream Chinese music scene, including Jay Chou, Chen E-Xun, and Wang Leehom, are all very talented, but their influence is mainly concentrated in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, with a slight impact in Southeast Asia at best.

In Europe and America, however, they all failed miserably.

Even the entertainment industry from neighboring South Korea has been able to penetrate the Chinese entertainment industry in recent years.

Television dramas such as "Autumn in My Heart", "Dae Jang Geum", and "Full House" are well-known to the public.

Idols like Super Junior, TVXQ, and Jang Nara have further stimulated China's fan economy.

Many Korean stars regard the Chinese market as an important target and are actively entering it.

In this context, Huang Weijie emerged out of nowhere.

His rise to fame precisely filled a huge and urgent gap in the Chinese market at that time.

That is, now that the younger generation has access to a wider world through the internet, they yearn to see an idol who is connected to their own cultural heritage and who can "succeed" on top stages in Europe and America!

Huang Weijie's emergence not only filled this void but also responded to the prevailing sentiments of the times.

His appearance was unique because later on, as China became stronger, it gradually no longer needed such "idols".

Therefore, Huang Weijie's ability to quickly ignite such a fervent following in Beijing in 2008 with just one song was not due to a single reason, but rather the result of the combined effects of favorable timing, location, and people.

Inside the building, the noise was even more concentrated.

The audience seats, terraced like fields, were quickly filled with T-shirts of various colors and restless figures.

The on-site director assigned by Nike was a loud-voiced middle-aged man, who was currently holding a walkie-talkie and shouting hoarsely at the edge of the stage: "Security, pay attention to the flow of people at the East Third Zone entrance! Lighting crew, test the spotlight again! Sound system, confirm the music for the guests' entrance one last time! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

The staff jogged around, the air thick with the smells of sweat, plastic, and a palpable excitement.

The Workers' Stadium is very large and can accommodate nearly 7 people.

Although we had done a rehearsal beforehand, when we actually got to the venue, it felt really chaotic.

The on-site director was no longer just shouting at the top of his lungs, but screaming at the top of his lungs to control the situation...