The Road to Superstardom: Starting as a Singer

It was just past midnight on May 20, 2008.

The digital audio of the song "Baby" has been officially released on the iTunes Store (a platform founded by Apple and now the world's largest digital music store).

Meanwhile, the high-definition music videos he filmed were also uploaded to YouTube.

This was not a silent upload.

A week prior, Jive Records had already launched its pre-launch promotional campaign.

Song snippets were played on various radio stations popular with teenagers, and Huang Weijie's homepage was updated on MySpace (which was very popular at the time, a network space that integrates social networking, blogs, and music promotion), where teaser posters and behind-the-scenes footage were released.

Huang Weijie's performance at the Curtis Institute of Music graduation ceremony was also carefully edited into video clips suitable for promotion, attracting more attention.

The company also used some connections to ensure the song received a good featured spot on the iTunes homepage.

But no matter how much we do, ultimately it all comes down to the market and the audience.

"Yes, I haven't gone to sleep yet... Don't worry, Grandpa... Okay, okay, I'll get some rest soon."

Huang Weijie hung up the phone with his grandfather. It was afternoon in Guangzhou at the time.

Huang Shengchang called mainly to tell Huang Weijie not to stay up late, that his health was the most important thing. The latter naturally agreed, but as much as he agreed, he couldn't fall asleep at that moment.

Huang Weijie and Kristen Stewart sat side by side on the carpet in the apartment's living room, with Huang's laptop in front of him and an iMac with speakers next to him.

Mark, Madeline, and the company's PR manager also stayed online, keeping in touch via chat.

In the first few hours, the data grew steadily.

On iTunes' "New Songs of the Day" chart, "Baby" has slowly climbed to the middle of the list.

The video has garnered over 100,000 views on YouTube, and comments like "The melody is so catchy," "This guy is so handsome," and "His voice is amazing" have started appearing in the comments section.

Around 4 a.m., Kristen Stewart couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep leaning against Huang Weijie.

Huang Weijie carefully moved her aside, covered her with a blanket, and then kept refreshing the discussions about the song on MySpace with his phone.

The turning point came after 6 a.m. Eastern Time.

When American teenagers wake up, pick up their iPods, connect them to their computers to sync today's music, or directly log in to iTunes to browse new songs, the upbeat intro and catchy chorus of "Baby" quickly grab many people's ears.

"Just shout whenever, and I'll be there..."

The simple and direct lyrics, the energetic melody, and Huang Weijie's highly recognizable, clear yet magnetic, youthful voice perfectly meet the needs of today's youth pop music market.

On iTunes' real-time sales chart, Baby's ranking began to climb at a visible rate.

From outside the top 50, they squeezed into the top 40, then the top 30...

On MySpace, there are more and more posts sharing links to this song.

Some influential teen fashion and music bloggers started sharing the music video with captions like "Discovered a hidden gem!" and "This summer's sweetest single is here!"

Once the West Coast fully awakens, the heat will explode.

The music video on YouTube has surpassed one million views, and the comment section is flooded with comments in various languages ​​such as "It's so good!", "On repeat!", and "The voice of God!"

Radio stations were inundated with requests for the song, and many pop music radio hosts unanimously chose to play this upbeat tune.

Huang Weijie was woken up by Kristen Stewart at 10 a.m.

"Jace! Look!" Kristen Stewart turned her laptop screen toward him, her voice filled with excitement.

She had always known that Huang Weijie was very talented, but she never expected that he would become so popular just by releasing one single!

They debuted at their peak!

Even though Leonardo DiCaprio became known worldwide because of The Big Ship, his career didn't peak right from the start, because he had already acted in several movies before The Big Ship.

Kristen Stewart grew up in Hollywood and has always wanted to be famous.

In 1999, at the age of 9, she starred in the movie "The Little Mermaid". Now, she has been in the industry for nine years. Not long ago, she also starred in the famous novel "Twilight". However, after filming, Kristen did not think she would become famous.

Because the plot is too Mary Sue-ish, she doesn't think anyone other than book fans would like to watch this kind of film.

I thought I was going to waste some time again, but I never expected that my appearance in a music video would make me famous!

Thinking of this, Kristen Stewart's gaze towards Huang Weijie softened further.

......

Several web pages were open on the screen.

On the iTunes singles sales chart, "Baby" is ranked seventh.

On the YouTube Trending chart, the music video ranked third.

In Google search trends, the keywords "Jace Huang" and "Baby song" have seen a sharp increase in popularity.

Jive Records' publicity manager and producer Mark were spamming the chat window with a string of exclamation marks and celebratory emojis.

Madeline called immediately, her voice trembling with excitement: "Jace, did you see that? It's going viral! It's really starting to go viral! Oh thank you! The numbers are still rising! My God, the feedback from the radio stations is absolutely amazing!"

Huang Weijie looked at the constantly changing numbers and rankings on the screen and took a deep breath.

Despite having expected it, seeing the scene from my memory played out in a different way still made my heart race uncontrollably.

At the same time, Huang Weijie also received a phone call.

"Hey bro, it's Kendrick Lamar, remember me? I really want to say thank you so much. If it weren't for this opportunity you gave me, I don't know when I would have made it..."

Kendrick Lamar's voice on the other end of the phone was excited and sincere. He thanked Huang Weijie for giving him this valuable opportunity, saying it "changed everything."

Huang Weijie laughed and encouraged him easily: "You deserve this. I admire your ability and attitude. Keep in touch; we might be able to work together again in the future."

"Yay~ That's what I thought too, bro. You know, if you're willing, I..."

It was clear that Kendrick Lamar, who hadn't yet made a name for himself in 2008, was very excited during the phone call, constantly expressing his gratitude.

He just released his first mixtape this year under the stage name K-Dot, but it didn't make a splash at all.

I thought I would have to keep wasting time.

But he never expected that an invitation would change the course of his life!

Kendrick Lamar knew from the beginning that his selection to sing "Baby" as a guest vocalist was the result of Huang Weijie's overruling of objections.

Within the industry, this is called being recognized and appreciated, especially since he's into hip-hop. Although the hip-hop scene is a bit chaotic, it's also known for its loyalty!

He has to acknowledge this affection!

Huang Weijie was also very happy, because in the United States, he would inevitably have to deal with black people in the future, otherwise he would likely be labeled as a racist.

Instead of passively collaborating with unfamiliar Black singers or actors, it's better to discover them yourself.

Kendrick Lamar was not well-known before, but Huang Weijie knew that this was the man who would later be recognized as the "King of the West Coast".

Not only was he the first non-classical and jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize, but he also broke the traditional boundaries of the award, elevating hip-hop music to new artistic heights.

He has also won 22 Grammy Awards and will receive the public endorsement of next year's president, the Lucius!

(This happened in 2015 when, in an interview with People magazine, Luciano Perry named "How Much a Dollar Cost" from Kendrick Lamar's album his favorite song of the year. Then, in 2016, when Kendrick Lamar and Drake had a rap battle, Luciano Perry publicly supported Kendrick. If his support in 2015 was somewhat subtle, his support in 2016 was very direct.)

Getting to know someone like this, aside from anything else, means he'll have some connections in the hip-hop and Black communities in the future.

In the future, with his left hand white and his right hand black, plus himself, he will have three skin tones: black, white, and yellow—he'll be absolutely invincible!

That's absolutely right!

......

In the following days, "Baby" skyrocketed in popularity.

Radio airplay demand continued to soar, quickly breaking into the top 20 most-played radio stations in the United States.

The song was downloaded over 150,000 times on iTunes in its first week and debuted at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart the following week.

For a complete newcomer with no prior achievements, this is a phenomenal achievement.

Music critics began to take notice of the song and the newcomer.

Rolling Stone magazine's online edition published a short review, calling "Baby" "a well-produced, catchy summer soda that perfectly captures the heart of teenagers," and praising Jace Huang's voice for "a fresh, cross-cultural appeal."

The Billboard magazine article stated: "The emergence of Jace Huang may herald the rise of a new wave of teen idols in the pop music scene, and this time the protagonist has a face from the East."

Professional music channels MTV and VH1 began playing the music video for "Baby" on a high frequency.

The clean-smiling Asian boy on the skateboard in the video quickly became a new heartthrob for many teenage viewers.

The buzz has spread from online to offline.

In many high schools in the United States, you can often hear people playing the chorus of "Baby" on their phones during breaks.

This song was frequently added to the prom playlist by DJs.

Shopping malls, gyms, and even some stores have started playing this upbeat song.

Huang Weijie's MySpace followers surged by hundreds of thousands in just a few days, and his personal page was flooded with comments.

Jive Records' PR team was inundated with interview requests and program announcements.

Among them were invitations to nationally popular shows like "Today Show" and "The Ellen Show".

Huang Weijie naturally wouldn't refuse such a promotional opportunity and immediately agreed to go and record it...