The Road to Superstardom: Starting as a Singer

At midnight on September 8th, "Just the Way You Are" was released on major music platforms around the world.

Huang Weijie didn't stay up all night to collect data; he needed to conserve his energy for his live performance of "Good Morning America" ​​a few hours later.

But Madeline and her team were still monitoring the data changes throughout the night.

At 3 a.m., Madeline sent an initial battle report to the work group:

It topped the iTunes charts in the US within an hour of its initial release and reached number one in 32 countries worldwide.

(The core of the iTunes charts is real-time sales. What data is needed to reach the top? Extremely high paid downloads in the first hour!)

Downloads in the first hour: 8.7 in the US and 24.5 worldwide.

(According to the information found, Bruno Mars's song only had a few thousand downloads in the US in its first hour. Of course, Bruno Mars, who was not very famous at the time, is not comparable to Huang Weijie, who is extremely popular now, but one thing is certain! In 2008, a highly anticipated hit single might need tens of thousands of downloads in its first hour to reach the top of the charts.)

Radio stations simultaneously broadcast the program, with top stations such as Z100 and KIIS-FM starting to play during the midnight hours.

Twitter Trends: The hashtags #JusttheWayYouAre and #JaceNewSong both topped the charts.

The single's explosive power was even stronger than the team expected, because it's an R&B pop love song, and compared to Huang Weijie's other two singles, this song has a more relaxed rhythm.

At 5:30 a.m., Huang Weijie was already in the car heading to ABC television station.

The makeup artist did his final touches while he was moving.

Outside the window, the sky over New York was just beginning to lighten.

The studio for "Good Morning America" ​​is located in the ABC headquarters in Times Square, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the famous "Crossroads of the World".

At six o'clock, Huang Weijie met Bruno Mars backstage.

The latter was wearing a printed shirt and jeans, with a hat on his head, and was tuning a guitar.

The two had collaborated before when recording the song, but this was their first time performing together on stage.

"Hey Bruno, are you nervous?" Huang Weijie asked with a smile.

"A little," Bruno Mars said honestly, revealing his signature dimples. "This is my first time performing on such a big stage."

"Haha, the first time is always nerve-wracking. But I believe we're the same kind of people!"

"A type of person?"

"Yes, the kind of person who is born to shine on stage."

Bruno Mars chuckled. "Jace, I didn't expect you to trust me so much, but to be honest, I am a little excited."

"Of course, I won't misjudge people!" Huang Weijie sat down on the sofa. "And I believe the audience will absolutely love our song!"

"Absolutely! The melody of this song is so catchy! To be honest, it's the song of my dreams! I bet after today's performance, the download numbers and the amount of discussion will definitely reach new heights!"

"Haha, maybe you sang this song in your past life?" Huang Weijie joked with a laugh.

Amidst laughter and conversation, the two conducted their final rehearsal of their positions.

The stage design was ingenious:

On the left is Huang Weijie's piano and microphone, and on the right is Mars's high stool and guitar stand, with enough space in the middle for the two to interact.

The lighting design uses warm yellow as the main color to create a cozy atmosphere.

At 7 a.m., the audience had already begun to enter the venue.

Typically, these audience members are mostly tourists and local residents who are selected through a lottery system on the program's official website.

At 7:20, the studio was already full of audience members.

Looking down from the side of the stage, Huang Weijie could see many fans holding up light boards with his name on them.

Clearly, the production team favored certain groups when selecting viewers.

But that's normal; aren't rules meant to be broken?

With these fans around, at least some of the audience's reactions during the performance will be genuine.

"One minute left," the staff member gestured.

Huang Weijie and Mars Brother exchanged a glance and nodded to each other.

Their performance today is scheduled for the prime time slot of 7:30.

The two stood to the side waiting, and the voice of the host, Robin Roberts, could be heard.

"Next, let's welcome a young man who has made history..."

Before host Robin Roberts could finish speaking, the fans in the audience couldn't contain their excitement and started screaming wildly.

"Aaaaaahh ...

"JACE! JACE!! JACE!!!"

Even just a small group of fans made the atmosphere in the venue very exciting.

Mars glanced enviously at the tall man beside him, silently encouraging himself.

You can do it, Bruno!

You will also have such loud cheers and screams in the future!

Robin Roberts, unperturbed by the interruption, smiled and continued, "I know everyone is eager to see him, but please allow me to finish what I have to say, okay?"

"good!"

"Come on!!"

"This young man just won his second number-one single last week, and today he brings us a brand new track! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Jace Huang and Bruno Mars to perform 'Just the Way You Are'!"

Amidst the host's introduction, cheers from fans, and applause from other audience members, the two walked onto the stage.

The spotlight came on.

Huang Weijie sat in front of the piano, while Mars sat on a high stool with his guitar in his arms.

After a brief eye contact, Huang Weijie pressed his finger lightly.

The piano sound was clear and clean, with the gentle strumming of the guitar joining in.

The prelude consists of eight bars, during which the two performers do not sing but communicate through their instruments.

(The opening harmony is played from the speakers.)

Huang Weijie's piano melody is smooth and beautiful, while Bruno's guitar fills in delicate harmonic progressions.

This pure musical opening brought the atmosphere to a hushed level.

A moment later, Huang Weijie approached the microphone, closed his eyes, and sang the first line:

"Oh Her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining..."

Huang Weijie's clear voice sounded exceptionally warm at this moment.

When he sang the second line, Bruno Mars's harmonies joined in.

It's not just a simple sing-along, but a carefully designed polyphonic melody line that adds layers to Huang Weijie's lead vocals.

The two had practiced together many times in the recording studio, and their collaboration at this moment was perfect.

"Her hair', her hair, Falls perfectly without her trying..."

Bruno's stage presence is truly unique.

When he lowers his head and focuses intently on playing the guitar, he is relaxed yet absorbed in the music. Occasionally, when he looks up at the audience, his dimpled smile instantly bridges the distance between them.

His harmonies are handled with extreme delicacy, possessing presence without overshadowing the main vocals.

But the audience's attention will eventually be drawn to Huang Weijie.

When the song entered the second verse, Huang Weijie stood up from the piano, took the microphone, and walked to the center of the stage.

The spotlight followed him, outlining a halo around him.

The cuffs of his white shirt were casually rolled up, and his fingers, holding the microphone, were long and clean.

He doesn't wave his arms exaggeratedly when he sings; instead, he conveys emotions through subtle facial expressions and body language.

This natural, youthful charm not only made the fans in the audience scream, but also captivated the eyes and ears of the viewers watching the live stream.

Jace looks amazing in her white shirt today! I can't resist admiring it while I'm in bed!

[OMG!! This is absolutely the most beautiful voice I've ever heard! Jace's voice perfectly matches all my imaginations of an angel!!]

[Isn't it amazing how good it sounds? I fell in love with it instantly!]

The guitarist on the right has such a beautiful smile, and such deep dimples. But my eyes can't leave the pianist on the left...

It's nighttime in Seoul right now, and a bunch of us are crammed into our dorm watching the live stream! Jace화이팅! (Fighting!)

Bruno Mars also stood up from the bar stool at the right time, picked up his guitar and walked to the front side of the stage, playing and providing backing vocals for Huang Weijie.

The chorus begins.

Huang Weijie's voice opened up completely, with emotions building layer by layer:

"When I see your face~~"

"There's not a thing that I would change~"

"Cause you're amazing~"

"Just the way you are~"

Bruno Mars joined the chorus at this point, and his guitar added a few high notes, making the chorus even more emotionally resonant.

After singing a section, he took half a step back, sensibly leaving the center of the stage entirely to Huang Weijie.

The director was also very astute and immediately switched the camera angles.

Huang Weijie's handsome face immediately appeared on the screen.

Most importantly, his eyes were smiling as he looked directly into the camera.

Countless girls watched this scene with racing hearts, feeling as if they were looking directly into Jace's eyes.

Some sensitive ones experience a direct gush of sweet spring water.

Next.

Huang Weijie returned to the piano, playing and singing at the same time.

Bruno Mars then moved to the side of the piano, creating an angled position between the two.

When Huang Weijie sang "Cause you're amazing, just the way you are" again, Bruno Mars's harmonies reached the highest note of the entire song.

That clear and emotional voice formed a perfect harmonic layer with Huang Weijie's clear lead vocals.

The audience in the studio almost held their breath.

The last note fell.

Huang Weijie's fingers left the keys, and Bruno Mars' guitar playing slowly stopped.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

The applause was thunderous and lasted for nearly half a minute.

Robin Roberts walked up from the side stage, first hugging Huang Weijie, then turning to Bruno Mars: "A fantastic collaboration! Bruno, can you tell us how you and Jace met?"

Bruno Mars took the microphone, beaming, "Actually, it was Jace who contacted me first. I think it's more appropriate to ask him this question."

Huang Weijie laughed and said, "The world is big, but sometimes it's also small. This year, when I was preparing my first single, I happened to hear Bruno's name while chatting with a friend... Hey, Bruno, you don't need to be so surprised."

Seeing Mars's wide-eyed surprise, Huang Weijie chuckled and shrugged.

The room was filled with laughter, though it was unclear what was so funny, but the atmosphere was definitely there.

"Haha, I immediately asked my friend to play some Bruno music for me..."

Huang Weijie used the "I have a friend" series on his show. This statement is obviously false, but no one will bother to investigate whether it is true or false.

Anyway, starting today, Huang Weijie's reputation for helping newcomers will begin to spread within the industry.

Although there were rumors circulating during the album recording, those were all insiders, and the general public was largely unaware of them.

Now that Huang Weijie has told this story on the show, people will be digging into it later.

Oh, so back in 2008, Jace already had a kind heart and a willingness to help newcomers!

After a brief interview, the two returned backstage.

Madeline clapped as she approached, "Great performance, guys! I'm sure the whole country will be buzzing about you today!"

The two accepted Madeline's praise without a second thought, having witnessed the reactions from the scene earlier.

Unless the audience members were all actors hired by the production team, their performance this morning, given the enthusiastic response, will definitely generate even more buzz!

It can only be said that their intuition was correct.

The live viewership of "Good Morning America" ​​peaked 45% higher than usual during the duo's performance, and the two currently occupy three of the top five trending topics on Twitter.

They are: #GMA Jace Bruno#, #Just the Way You Are Live#, #Jace Piano#

(The last one is a Jace piano. P.S.: That's how thoughtful we are.)

In addition, "Just the Way You Are" saw an additional 15.3 downloads on iTunes within an hour of the performance ending.

27% higher than expected!

The official YouTube video has surpassed 800 million views.

Radio requests surged during the morning rush hour, prompting several radio stations to temporarily adjust their program schedules to increase the frequency of airing.

Amidst such a enthusiastic response, the official account of "Good Morning America" ​​added fuel to the fire by uploading the full video of Huang Weijie and Bruno Mars' performance, along with the caption:

"Huang Weijie and Bruno Mars warmed the entire New York morning with their song 'Just the Way You Are'."

The comments section below this tweet is also quite interesting;

Bruno's harmonies are so beautiful! He truly is an underrated musical genius.

[I admit Bruno cooperated very well, but I still have to say—Jace was radiant the way she sang while sitting at the piano. That focus and sincerity were the most captivating!]

Come on! What's there to argue about? I just think the chemistry between the two of them is amazing! It's not competition, it's mutual success!

[It turns out that it wasn't just Jace and Taylor Swift's collaboration that was a match made in heaven, but rather that Jace's collaborations with everyone else were all perfect matches! Being chosen by Jace to collaborate with him was the result of using up all the luck he had in his life!]

[The person upstairs is a fake fan. Don't let him distract you. My Jace is certainly excellent, but he has great respect for all musicians!]

More professional feedback came from industry media than from the debates among fans and casual observers.

A television critic for Variety wrote in his column: "This morning's 'Good Morning America' musical performance was a textbook example of collaboration. Jace Huang demonstrated his consistency as lead vocalist and songwriting core, while Bruno Mars proved himself to be an exceptional musician, capable of both writing and performing. Their clear division of labor and natural chemistry made a new song feel like a classic on its very first television appearance."

On the way back, Madeline took notes on her iPad while answering a phone call.

After hanging up the phone, she turned to Huang Weijie and said, "Since we still have time, how about we talk about work?"

"Can I refuse?"

"...cannot."

Madeline realized what she had said and couldn't help but smile, then composed herself. "Apple Music contacted us, wanting to feature today's GMA performance video on their homepage for 48 hours, and asked if we needed to cooperate with a homepage pop-up promotion."

"Apple Music?"

Huang Weijie was a little puzzled. "Does this software exist?"

"It's iTunes, and the developer of this software is Apple," Madeline explained, adding, "Jace, they usually only provide this kind of resource to top-tier artists."

"Since you've said that, what reason do I have not to agree?" Huang Weijie shrugged.

He also remembered seeing a popular comment online a couple of days ago that read:

"With 'What Makes You Beautiful' just topping the charts and still going strong, Jace's third new song is sure to do well. But personally, I'm more concerned about the quality of this song. If he can deliver three high-quality tracks in a row, then he's not just a shooting star, but a true superstar in the making!"

Yes, even after the second song became a huge success, most of the online comments about him being "lucky" or "becoming famous with one song" disappeared.

However, this only eliminated most of the problem; a small number of people still felt that Huang Weijie was a shooting star, a flash in the pan.

If this small group of people were just passersby or spectators, Huang Weijie wouldn't care.

He's not like Dao Le; he can't please everyone.

It's perfectly normal for some people to dislike him.

But the key issue is that within this small group, a tiny fraction is inciting dissent.

Whether this involves race or skin color issues, Huang Weijie doesn't know, but he does know that the better he does, the more people want him to fall.

The best solution is to find a local tycoon, a powerful figure in the area, to back you up. The root of all these problems will then disappear.

Can...

Damn it, if I had to do it all over again, and I still had to sell my ass, I might as well find a luxury car and go head-to-head with it!

"Haha, okay, I'll go and coordinate with them in a bit."

"Um."

Huang Weijie responded and took out his constantly vibrating phone.

Many people sent me messages.

Christine: Darling! The way you sit at the piano and sing is so alluring!!! I don't know how to describe it.

Christine: It's just so, so good! You know what I mean? I'm so proud of you!

Christine: When you come back to Los Angeles, I want you to wear this to see me!

Tsk... Goodness, why does it feel like I'm the one being played by you?

Touching his chin, Huang Weijie couldn't help but reply with a "hello".

Taylor Swift: Wow! Jace, your collaboration with Bruno is amazing!!

Taylor Swift: Damn it, I suddenly realized that my new song's biggest rivals are you and Bruno!

Huang Weijie chuckled at Taylor Swift's "slow realization".

Even without her own song, Taylor Swift's new song "Love Story" would have had a hard time to reach the top of the charts.

Country music is now declining in the United States, while pop music is all the rage.

This is an inevitable trend, so anyone with a bit of ambition will gravitate towards pop music.

The highest ranking Taylor Swift's single ever achieved on the US Billboard Hot 100 was number four, which is already quite impressive.

It was this song that brought Taylor Swift a turning point in her music career, and she gained more international attention from then on.

Thinking of this, Huang Weijie suddenly felt happy. Regardless of whether the other party admitted it or not, he would definitely have played a part in her future shift to pop music.

Putting everything else aside, the song "What Makes You Beautiful" alone is enough to prove it!

Further down the list, Ariana Grande, Teeth Cleaner, Boss Huang, Blackie Bro, and others all sent congratulatory messages.

There were also a dozen or so comments, from the brand and Jonah Hill and Miley Cyrus, whom they had met at the Teen Choice Awards.

Even from across the Pacific Ocean, congratulatory messages were sent.

Fan Bingbing, Huang Xiaoming, Li Binbin, Zhang Liangying, Wang Lihong...

Huang Weijie scrolled down the messages one by one. The first three messages were from people with high emotional intelligence, and they were like a gentle breeze.

First, praise them; then, build rapport; finally, tentatively invite them to dinner.

The words don't make you feel awkward at all.

It can only be said that none of those who can climb to the top tier of popular celebrities are simple.

As for Zhang Liangying and Wang Lihong who came after them.

Brother Li Hong is quite straightforward, saying that Huang Weijie's performance was very charming and made them Chinese people proud!

Zhang Liangying, on the other hand, seemed very casual, confiding in him as if he were a friend.

Apart from the first congratulatory message, the rest of the content had nothing to do with Huang Weijie's performance; it was all about her own troubles.

For example, the recent troubles of preparing a new song, the troubles of styling, the troubles of being told she's too fat and needs to lose weight, and... the troubles of Feng Ke being too strict with her.

The first few were quite normal, but the last one was the one she talked about the most, almost saying that Feng Ke wasn't too strict, but rather too controlling.

Huang Weijie was taken aback when he saw the message she sent.

Really? My little butterfly flapping its wings really had an effect?