The Road to Superstardom: Starting as a Singer

After finishing his collaboration with Taylor Swift, Huang Weijie immediately threw himself into filming the remaining five music videos for his album in the following days.

The first film I started shooting was "Teenage Dream" with the teeth cleaning lady.

At this time, the "teeth cleaning lady" had not yet appeared with a wig; she arrived dressed simply in a T-shirt and jeans.

However, this also fits the outfits in the music video. The original music video was actually quite good, but Huang Weijie didn't copy it exactly. He only made some minor changes to the original version.

Yes, the very intimate parts have been removed.

"Hi, Sia, it's finally nice to meet you." Huang Weijie greeted the teeth cleaning lady with a smile.

The female lead in this music video is "Teeth Cleaner" (or "Teeth Cleaner"). To be honest, in terms of looks, she is indeed a bit less attractive than Katy Perry (Katy Perry).

However, from a profit perspective, Katy Perry had already risen to fame by this time, and Huang Weijie's invitation to collaborate could only be considered a "powerful alliance," with half of the credit going to her if the collaboration succeeded.

If the person invited was Sister Xiya, who was still relatively unknown at the time, then after the song became successful, the outside world would only say that he helped promote a newcomer, and most of the credit would go to him. Sister Xiya would remember his kindness when she became famous in the future.

Therefore, inviting the latter is more in Huang Weijie's interest than inviting the former.

"Hey Jace, OMG! You're even more handsome in person than during our video call!"

Isn't she the queen of social anxiety?

She even compliments people on her own initiative!

"Haha, thank you. You're very pretty too. I always thought you were a quiet girl, but I was surprised to find you're quite lively."

"Emm, it really depends on the person, Jace."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two began preparing for the recording of the music video.

The filming was roughly divided into three parts.

First, in a makeshift boxing gym converted from an abandoned warehouse, they filmed a scene where Huang Weijie, shirtless, was hitting a punching bag.

In a sense, this is also the first time he has shown off his physique in a music video, so consider it a treat for his fans.

Then on the highway, Huang Weijie was driving a convertible in the lead car, while the woman in the passenger seat, nicknamed "Teeth Cleaner," was recording Huang Weijie's profile while driving with a camera.

This section emphasizes freedom and romance, and as the car speeds up, the sea breeze becomes stronger, blowing the two people's hair into unruly shapes.

The woman who was cleaning her teeth first pointed the camera at herself, then moved it to Huang Weijie's profile, and then turned it towards the sky.

The azure Pacific Ocean stretches out to the right, with waves breaking into white foam on the rocks.

Finally, the beach in the afternoon.

This scene was filmed on the original Santa Barbara beach.

The beach is at its most beautiful at four o'clock in the afternoon.

As the tide recedes, it leaves behind mirror-like wet sand, reflecting the azure sky.

In addition, there were many college student extras who ran around happily in bikinis, creating a "beach party" atmosphere.

The visuals are beautiful, but the filming was intermittent.

Until we finished work in the evening.

The two of them relaxed and, after agreeing on the follow-up publicity matters, went their separate ways.

The next day was "Beauty and a Beat," a collaboration with Ariana Grande.

This shoot uses the concept from the original music video.

Huang Weijie used a waterproof DV camera to record the party's revelry from a "first-person selfie perspective."

This music video shooting technique was undoubtedly a very novel and bold idea in 2008, and it also fit the "teenager selfie culture" at the time.

What appears to be a rough, casual DV perspective actually breaks the traditional MV "performance for the audience" model, making viewers feel as if they are personally holding a camera and participating in this party, running, dancing, and sliding into the pool following Huang Weijie's gaze...

This stark contrast and sense of immersion greatly satisfied the fans' voyeuristic and participatory instincts.

Most importantly, this allows Huang Weijie to get closer to them, which is undoubtedly a benefit for some of his crazy fans.

After filming began, Huang Weijie carried a DV camera through the party venue crowded with extras, and the camera shook as he did so.

As he walked through the crowd, 15-year-old Ariana Grande was dressed in brightly colored summer clothes. Unlike her later iconic high ponytail and mature style, she still had a touch of childishness on her face at this moment.

Facing Huang Weijie's camera, she gave a slightly shy but incredibly sweet smile.

This creates an interesting contrast with Nicki Minaj's flamboyant entrance in the original music video.

However, Huang Weijie still prefers the shy Ariana Grande at this moment. If Taylor Swift is a big, muscular woman who gives people a sense of conquering, then the petite Ariana Grande gives people a sense of pitiful vulnerability and a desire to protect her.

As the music started, the venue was filled with energetic electronic dance music.

Huang Weijie pointed the camera at himself and Ariana Grande, and the two of them spontaneously danced in the center of the dance floor to the music...

After the shoot, Ariana Grande still seemed quite excited. Even though she was only responsible for the rap part in the music video, being able to work with Jace was a great omen.

Faced with Ariana Grande's enthusiastic expressions of gratitude, Huang Weijie offered to take a photo with her, which she readily agreed to.

After taking a few photos together, some smiling and some making funny faces, the two prepared to go their separate ways.

Before leaving.

"Jace, so... are we friends now?"

"Of course! I've always considered you a friend. Didn't you consider me a friend before?"

Faced with the girl's nervous question, Huang Weijie smiled and asked her in return, instantly taking control of the conversation.

"Yes! We're friends! Best friends!"

"Hmm, Ariana, your voice is actually amazing. I think we might have the opportunity to collaborate again in the future."

"Really?!" A-mei's beautiful eyes lit up, and she stared at Huang Weijie without blinking.

"Although I like to joke, I never lie when it comes to serious matters," Huang Weijie said with a smile and a shrug.

After a brief chat about future collaborations, the two parted ways.

For Huang Weijie, building friendships with Ariana Grande and the "Teeth Cleaning Sister" was entirely beneficial.

After all, he is an outsider in the Western entertainment industry. While locals may pay attention to his work, it would be very difficult for him to make a name for himself if he only had his work.

Just like "sincerity" in relationships, this card is a winning combination no matter what it's paired with, but it's worthless when played alone.

It would be an exaggeration to say that a good work is "worthless" in the entertainment industry, but if it can be paired with some buzz, it can soar to great heights.

Just like Huang Weijie's recent work "What Makes You Beautiful", it is of very good quality and many people who have heard and seen it think it is a good song. However, in terms of promotion, in addition to promoting him as a genius, the company has also played the "ambiguous" card between him and Taylor Swift.

To put it bluntly, it's true that audiences like celebrities' work, but people are always curious.

A celebrity can gain continuous exposure and expand their popularity and influence by providing ordinary people with topics to talk about during their leisure time.

Relying solely on the attention and popularity generated by a work is too weak and too slow. By the time it truly captures public attention, it might not even be appropriate to call someone a star.

Calling him a "veteran actor" might be more appropriate.