The Road to Superstardom: Starting as a Singer

After hanging up the call with Taylor Swift, Huang Weijie glanced at his phone messages.

Fan Bingbing, Li Binbin, Huang Xiaoming, Wang Lihong and others sent their congratulations.

After politely replying to each message with thanks, Huang Weijie looked at the remaining message.

Zhang Liangying: Jace, heartfelt congratulations on the huge success of the global release of your new song "What Makes You Beautiful"! Your collaboration with Taylor Swift is a classic; the melody is moving, the message is positive, and it's truly a masterpiece! Wishing you all the best in the subsequent promotions and that the album will achieve even greater success!

The wording is precise and the format is neat.

Tsk...

Why does it seem so distant?

Huang Weijie couldn't help but think of the message she sent him after his live performance on CCTV at the end of last month. It was very brief and lacked the lightheartedness and casualness he felt in real-life interactions.

I didn't think much of it at the time, but now that I think about it...

Huang Weijie: Liangying, do you always send such formal messages to others?

Zhang Liangying: Official? No…

Huang Weijie continued typing, jokingly saying: Haha, if you didn't know better, you'd think a staff member sent this for you. The wording and sentence structure are... "classic", "truly a masterpiece". Next time, should we add "I would like to express my warmest congratulations"?

Zhang Liangying, on the other side of the screen, looked at the message and felt a little embarrassed, unsure how to reply.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 202ᴋᴋs.ᴄᴏᴍ]

Weijie clearly considers me a friend, but Brother Feng is right, Weijie is so popular now, I…

After hesitating for a while, I explained: "No... I just felt that with your grades being so good right now, I should congratulate you in a more formal way. Being too casual wouldn't be good..."

After sending the message, she felt that her words made her even more awkward, and she wanted to take it back, but it was too late.

Huang Weijie did not reply immediately.

Madeline rushed in, carrying a stack of folders, as there was a knock on the suite door.

"Looks like I'm going to have to disturb your rest, Jace."

Madeline placed the folder on the table, her face beaming. "The results for 'What Makes You Beautiful' are excellent..."

"Madeline, just tell me what jobs have come your way. There's no need for preamble," Huang Weijie grinned. "I still prefer your straightforward approach."

"Haha! OK, the first one is Walmart's back-to-school GG song and brand ambassadorship. They want 'What Makes You Beautiful' as the theme song for their nationwide 'Back to School' campaign this fall, and they're inviting you and Taylor to star in GG. The offer we received is $180 million. Although it's not a huge increase, I suggest you take it!"

Huang Weijie nodded slightly. As the largest retailer in the United States, Walmart's endorsement would be a great benefit, as it would represent huge offline exposure.

Given Walmart's size, the filmed GG will give his face and name more exposure after it airs, so there's really no harm in accepting the role.

"I have no problem with that. You can talk to Taylor and her team."

Huang Weijie stretched, thinking, "Money waits for no one."

Despite his current immense popularity, his account balance is not as substantial as outsiders might imagine.

His contract with Jive Records was tiered in terms of earnings; the higher the sales, the more money he would earn.

Of the two singles released so far, although "What Makes You Beautiful" is generating a lot of buzz and has good sales figures, it still can't compare to "Baby," which has been building momentum for three months.

Within three months of its release, "Baby" had garnered over 1.8 million views on YouTube, becoming a hit on American campuses and parties.

The current total revenue estimate is $1200 million (including all revenue from digital sales, commercial licensing, streaming and radio royalties), while Huang Weijie's personal net income is likely around $200 million.

First, the $1200 million needs to be deducted for production and marketing costs.

Second, according to the signed contract, the total revenue is divided in a 30/70 split, with the company taking the lion's share of 70%.

Third, brokers' commission and taxes.

Huang Weijie didn't do the exact calculations, but just made a slight estimate, and he felt so heartbroken that he couldn't breathe, experiencing a huge sense of loss.

Damn it, that's capitalism!

He finally understands what the phrases "question him, understand him, become him, surpass him" represent in terms of mental activity.

It hurts, it hurts too much.

I wasn't in a hurry to make money before because living in an apartment was convenient.

But now, with his rising popularity, his original rented apartment is practically useless due to the rampant paparazzi, and he urgently needs a more private and secure place to live, which also means greater expenses.

Although the company could arrange it, Huang Weijie still wanted to find it himself.

There's nothing else to it, it's just an unconscious distrust in my heart.

He is now a very promising cash cow, and any normal company would want to hold onto him.

If you ask the company to provide you with accommodation, what if it's full of hidden cameras?

Scary to think about.

Although Madeline hadn't told him, Huang Weijie knew that because of the consecutive successes of "Baby" and "What Makes You Beautiful," the company's senior management was already eager to make money and urged the team to monetize more quickly and in greater quantities.

The company's marketing department sent a new business cooperation evaluation report today, urging Madeline to encourage Huang Weijie to make contact.

If it weren't for Madeline's experience and silver tongue in navigating the situation, Huang Weijie would probably have been overwhelmed by countless business engagements, and there would be no way he could be chatting so leisurely in the suite.

"Abercrombie & Fitch has sent you an offer to be their global brand ambassador; they've offered you a two-year, $5 million deal."

"So tall?"

"Hey Jace, don't underestimate your own worth."

Madeline looked at Huang Weijie, "Actually, the price isn't that high. It's just that A&F is currently an iconic brand among teenagers, and your healthy and sunny image perfectly matches their brand positioning! Plus, they've promised to promote you in print, TV, and stores worldwide, so..."

Money is secondary; what I value is that through A&F's advertising, you can reach a wider young consumer base.

"Oh, anything else?"

"Also, Saturday Night Live would like to invite you to be their music guest for the new fall season."

This time, Huang Weijie sat up straight.

Saturday Night Live (SNL).

This is no ordinary television program. It premiered in 1975 and has continued to this day, making it arguably the longest-running program in American history.

The fact that this show has been airing for so long shows that it has garnered a lot of attention.

In the United States, being able to stand on this stage means being accepted by the mainstream entertainment industry.

"They... contacted me so early?" Huang Weijie's voice was somewhat uncertain.

It wasn't a lack of confidence, but rather surprise.

He always thought that the other party would only contact and invite him after he was nominated for a Grammy or after he won the award.

Looking back now, I realize I was overthinking things. I guess the other person was just after his popularity.

really.

"Your songs are popular, you're new to the scene, and you generate buzz," Madeline said bluntly. "An Asian face, singing pop-rock, making a name for yourself on the Billboard charts..."

SNL loves guests with compelling backstories. Of course, the pressure is immense; it's a live broadcast, the whole nation is watching, and you can't afford to make a mistake.

Huang Weijie's eyes flickered slightly, and he gently curled the corners of his mouth: "Go ahead and talk to them about the schedule."

Madeline laughed: "I knew you'd say that. Fine! If you're willing, then leave the rest to me."

"Hmm, is there anything else?"

"Yes. The two endorsements you did before received very good market feedback! Sennheiser sent a report saying that the sales of the in-ear headphones you endorsed have increased by 35% month-on-month recently, and they are very satisfied."

According to Armani's sales data, the casual watch you endorse has seen a surge in interest and inquiries among the 18-25 age group. Their global PR director contacted me privately to discuss potential deeper collaborations and to invite you to Milan Fashion Week in September, to consider future collaborations on higher-end product lines.

Fashion Week is a week-long fashion show hosted by various brands; it's a large-scale event.

In later years, Weibo's trending topics often included topics such as "a certain celebrity made a stunning appearance at Paris Fashion Week" or "Milan Fashion Week".

At the time, Huang Weijie only vaguely understood, but he felt that these celebrities were competing to see who was prettier and more popular.

Now that he's in the industry, he understands why so many celebrities do this.

To put it bluntly, apart from a few who are invited by the brands, most celebrities pay for their own way to attend fashion week.

Their goal was never as simple as "checking out clothes," but rather to find opportunities to acquire fashion resources.

Besides their work, celebrities' status is also determined by the fashion resources they have behind the scenes.

For example: Brother Chun.

On many red carpets in China, Chris Lee is always the last artist to appear. It's impossible to say that her work is better than all the artists who came before her!

But she manages to overshadow everyone else and appear last.

Why?

Because she has abundant fashion resources and a high social status!

"Can I adjust my schedule?" Huang Weijie asked after a moment of silence.

He wanted to go; fashion resources are essentially high-end luxury brand endorsements.

Besides seeking recommendations from magazines and fashion media, attending fashion week is also the best and most direct opportunity to showcase oneself in order to secure high-end brand endorsements.

Because fashion week is attended by many internationally renowned media figures, fashion bloggers, and executives from major brands, a good performance at fashion week may result in coverage by these media figures and fashion bloggers, which can help increase one's visibility and allow major brands to notice one's talent.

Moreover, this is also an opportunity to meet senior executives of major brands.

"I can manage, it'll just be a little tiring for you." Madeline nodded affirmatively.

"It's fine if you're busy, it's not a big problem." Huang Weijie took a sip of water. "But don't disrupt the original plan."

"OK." Madeline stood up. "Then you should get some rest. Things will only get busier from now on."

After Madeline left, the room became quiet again.

Huang Weijie then picked up his phone again.

In the message dialog box, Zhang Liangying's last explanatory message hung there all by itself.

Looking at the message, Huang Weijie immediately understood why the other party's reply sounded so official and reserved.

Because the gap between the two is currently too large!

Although Zhang Liangying is doing well in China, Huang Weijie is a rising international star with a high profile!

Moreover, this rising star is becoming increasingly popular, which can easily make people feel dizzy from looking up at it and uneasy about being left behind.

To put it bluntly, it's low self-esteem!

However, it's only Zhang Liangying who's like this. If it were Fan Bingbing or another artist with a bit more ambition, Huang Weijie believes that they would not only not feel inferior, but would also try their best to build a good relationship with him.

Thinking of this, Huang Weijie smiled and typed a reply carefully: My agent just came to talk to me about work, I'm sorry I didn't reply immediately. But if you want to formally congratulate me, that's fine too, treat me to dinner when I get back to China.

Zhang Liangying: Sure, when are you going back to China?

Wow, you replied instantly.

Huang Weijie: I'll be a bit busy lately, so I don't know yet.

Zhang Liangying: You need to tell me in advance if you're coming back. I need to ask Brother Feng for leave beforehand.

Huang Weijie raised an eyebrow; this was interesting.

Huang Weijie: Manager Feng is so considerate! She's practically a nanny-type artist! I'm so envious. I wish my manager was that considerate! Sigh~

Madeline: ? ? ? Am I not thoughtful enough?! Oh my god!

Zhang Liangying: It's alright. I've known Brother Feng for so many years...

After chatting for a while, Zhang Liangying became noticeably more cheerful.

While secretly feeling embarrassed about her attitude towards Huang Weijie, she also felt a sense of shattering of her myth about Feng Ke.

It seems... not everything Brother Feng said was correct.