Peninsula: From Water Injection to Stardom

Chapter 182: The Meeting from "Scooter" (4k)

Half an hour later, the van arrived at Sony headquarters. After getting out of the car, Jiang Yan was led upstairs by the receptionist, where he was personally greeted by Antonio L. Reed, CEO of Epic Records.

Epic Records is quite attentive to Jiang Yan, after all, he is a singer who has already proven himself in the North American market. Just based on that, Antonio insisted on personally receiving him on his first visit to the headquarters.

"YAN, it's nice to meet you."

"Me too, I didn't expect Mr. Reed to come today."

After meeting, the two sides shook hands in a friendly manner and exchanged a few pleasantries.

After exchanging greetings, the two, led by Antonio, went to his office and sat down.

"Yan, how does it feel to be here for the first time?"

"A very impressive building, no wonder it's the headquarters of one of the world's three major record companies."

"Haha, but now you're one of them too, aren't you?"

"I feel very honored by this."

Jiang Yan smiled faintly and casually uttered a few words of flattery.

Antonio chuckled, then they moved on to other topics.

First, they discussed the collaboration with Usher, and in the afternoon, the two sides would shoot in the already set-up studio.

Now we're talking about a series of promotional plans after the music video is filmed.

As for the recording of the remi version, Usher's team had already sent the files to Epic Records on the third day after the collaboration was confirmed.

Just like the version Jiang Yan remembered, Usher joined in and sang the same part.

The new version didn't require Jiang Yan to do any remixing work; Epic Records handled it all for him.

It's worth mentioning that "StandingNettoYou" unsurprisingly entered the Hot 100 chart the week after its release.

They entered the competition ranked 55th, but by the second week they had already dropped to 65th.

It is expected that the ranking will continue to decline in the third week, which is in line with Jiang Yan's expected timeline for the player to be removed from the list.

However, after this collaboration with Usher, their performance is expected to improve, extending their time on the charts.

After discussing the collaboration track, Antonio changed the subject and asked, "Yan, I'd like to know when you plan to release your first official album."

When asked this question, Jiang Yan fell into deep thought in front of the other party.

The album the other party was referring to was, of course, the English album, not the album that Jiang Yan is currently preparing.

After a moment, he said seriously, "This is also something I've been thinking about. If my next English single can reach around number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, I think I'll officially start preparing for my first English album."

"Okay, I think I understand what you mean." Antonio nodded thoughtfully after hearing this reply.

The subtext of Jiang Yan's words is that he will only start releasing English albums after his popularity reaches the level of a second or third-tier singer in the United States.

If a single can make it into the top 120 to 30 of the charts, that's roughly the level of a second or third-tier singer in the US.

Of course, this is just a general concept. If a singer releases a song and quickly rises to the top of the charts within a week, they naturally cannot be considered a second or third-tier artist.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing you need to know. We have a special offer for all new hires: we can help you secure a collaboration with any singer in the company."

"That sounds great, is it a perk for new employees?"

"Of course, you can understand it that way too."

"I understand, I'll take that into account for my next single."

Jiang Yan wasn't particularly surprised by what Antonio said.

This is a common way for many record companies to promote new talent.

Like Park Chae-young of BP, after signing with Atlantic Records, her perk as a newcomer was to collaborate with Bruno Mars.

Wu Jiaheng later signed with Universal Music and collaborated with Bieber on a Chinese song, but things went wrong too quickly, and the song was never completed.

Otherwise, this would very likely be the first song in the Chinese music scene to break into the top 100.

However, Antonio's words reminded him that he could indeed collaborate with an American singer on his next single.

But who are the artists under Epic Records?

Megan Herena, the Five Beauties, Jennifer Lopez, and others.

Jiang Yan thought for a moment, and it seemed that he had no intention of cooperating with these people.

If he were to collaborate, he would probably find a female rapper to work with and have her feature on him.

When it comes to famous female rappers in North America, the first ones that come to mind are Nicki Minaj and Cardi B.

However, neither of them are artists under Epic Records, nor are they even affiliated with Sony Entertainment.

Given Jiang Yan's current status, it's definitely impossible to invite Spicy Chicken, but Sister Ka now has a real chance.

The other person won't be signed to Atlantic Records until next year; before that, he's just a moderately famous rapper.

Upon thinking about this, Jiang Yan immediately had an idea.

He could easily ask Cardi B to feature him right now, and he already has the songs in his library.

It's still a solo song called "SEVEN" by a former teammate.

Jiang Yan never expected that just by meeting and chatting with the CEO of Epic Records today, his comeback title track, which will also be his next UK single, would be officially finalized.

Afterwards, in a good mood, I chatted with Antonio for a while, and then it gradually came to noon.

After they had finished chatting, they left the office and had lunch together at a nearby restaurant.

They also took a group photo while having dinner, and Jiang Yan casually posted it on Instagram afterward.

After lunch, Jiang Yan led his team away from headquarters to the filming location of today's music video, a large, abandoned factory that had been converted.

When they arrived at the venue, Usher's team had not yet arrived.

Jiang Yanxian began changing clothes and doing makeup.

The styling for this music video is directly the same as the original collaboration with copv, featuring a sleeveless motorcycle leather vest over a white fitted top.

She wore black casual trousers with buttons down the front.

The overall style is a retro look that imitates the pop-rock style of 90s Europe and America.

After Jiang Yan's styling was completed, Arthur's team arrived on time.

The two sides met in the lounge.

Upon seeing Jiang Yan, Arthur immediately smiled.

"Yo! My man!"

With a distinctly American greeting, the other person opened their arms and walked over.

First, he bumped fists with Jiang Yan, and then he did a hug and pat on the back, a gesture very common in the Black community.

After the whole process, the two seemed like friends who had known each other for many years.

Jiang Yan responded with a smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Usher."

"Brother, I've been waiting for this meeting for a long time."

After looking Jiang Yan up and down, Arthur couldn't help but exclaim, "I have to say, you're even more handsome in person than in the videos. No wonder so many young girls in America like you these days."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan waved his hand modestly and smiled, "Compared to you, I still need to work harder."

Arthur laughed heartily and said, "You don't need to be so modest. Perhaps you will surpass me soon."

Jiang Yan smiled and the two then engaged in another round of mutual flattery.

However, Arthur quickly steered the conversation back to the collaboration itself.

"Honestly, the idea of ​​collaborating with him already formed in my mind when I first heard this song."

"You know what, it felt just like Damn! I absolutely had to be in this song!"

"So that night I called my agent and told him that he had to get in touch with me no matter what."

5"

Arthur told Jiang Yan about the opportunity that led to their collaboration, and Jiang Yan replied with a smile after listening: "Actually, I was also very surprised when I received the news. I thought it was an April Fool's joke."

"Haha, then let's enjoy this collaboration."

The two got along quite well during their first meeting, but since they still had a music video to shoot, they didn't talk for too long.

After they parted ways, Usher went to his dressing room to change his look.

Twenty minutes later, the two sides met at the filming location.

Speaking of which, all of Jiang Yan's backup dancers this time were Black dancers.

This was his own request.

Learn from the experience of the great predecessor Hendrik Willem Van Loon, and of course, zzzq is also an essential part.

Filming continued until nightfall, when all the shots were completed.

In the US, they don't spend too much money on music videos, especially on fancy special effects.

Unlike later K-pop groups, who often spend millions on a single music video.

Epic Records also handled the post-production of the music video. Once the final version is released, it will be sent to both teams for confirmation.

After giving the staff a warm hug, Jiang Yan originally planned to leave with his team and take a private car back to the hotel.

After changing back into his casual clothes, Arthur approached him, saying that a business partner wanted to meet with him and asked if he was free that evening.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan instinctively wanted to decline, but he quickly realized that the partner the other party mentioned might be Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun.

If it were the scooter itself, then Jiang Yan could actually meet it.

Because the scooter was one of Spotify's early investors and holds a stake.

The reason HYBE was able to inflate its Spotify content so freely was because Bang Si-hyuk had connections with people who owned scooters.

After confirming that the person he was to meet was indeed the scooter, Jiang Yan readily agreed to the meeting.

He sent most of his team back to the hotel first, and then set off with only Jiang Zhennan, his bodyguards, and Arthur.

The two sides met at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Upon seeing Jiang Yan, the scooter smiled and reached out its hand.

"Hello, my name is Scout Braun."

"Jiang Yan".

The two shook hands briefly, then sat down, with Arthur naturally taking a seat next to the scooter.

After everyone sat down, the scooter started the conversation by saying, "Actually, I've been following you for a while now."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan nodded slightly, but he did not speak, instead waiting for what would follow.

"I noticed you from your very first song, 'That's What Like.' Honestly, it's not easy for an Asian to get to where they are today without relying on the North American entertainment system."

The mention of the scooter made Arthur nod in agreement.

However, in response to such praise, Jiang Yan simply smiled and said, "Maybe I'm just lucky."

The scooter shook its head: "Don't be so modest. Luck is for those who are prepared. There aren't many people who can truly turn opportunities into achievements."

At this point, he raised his glass and gestured to Jiang Yan.

Seeing this, Jiang Yan also picked up his wine glass, clinked it with the other person's, and took a sip.

After putting down his glass, he noticed the other person kept praising him but never got to the point, so he took the initiative and asked, "I'd like to know why you wanted to see me? It can't just be to praise me, can it?"

The scooter smiled and said, "Since you asked, I'll be direct. I see huge potential in you, and of course, because you have a huge Chinese market behind you, so I'm interested in cooperating with you."

"cooperate?"

"That's right. As far as I know, you only signed a distribution agreement with Sony."

Jiang Yan nodded slightly; this was not a secret.

"And my thinking is very simple."

With his hands crossed on the table, the scooter rider continued, "I want to be in charge of your brokerage affairs in Europe and America. Simply put, you will continue to maintain the existing system in Asia, while I will take over the European and American markets."

After the scooter finished speaking, the private room fell silent for a moment.

Jiang Yan had to admit that this was indeed a rather attractive cooperation proposal.

As one of the top independent agents in North America, there is no doubt about the connections and resources that Scooter has accumulated.

For Jiang Yan, having such a local partner would undoubtedly save a lot of time and energy if he wanted to increase his brand awareness in the European and American markets more quickly.

More importantly, there is currently no direct conflict of interest between the two sides.

The scooter company values ​​the support of the Chinese market, while Jiang Yan needs resources from Europe and America.

The cooperation between the two parties is a typical win-win situation.

After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Yan slowly said, "I will seriously consider this matter, but even if I agree, I will still need to discuss it with the company."

"certainly."

The scooter nodded without surprise, giving him a relaxed smile: "That's only natural. I look forward to your good news."

Their conversation has come to a temporary end.

It was only at this point that Arthur finally spoke up and joined the discussion.

The other person started talking about some interesting things that happened during the music video shoot that day.

The atmosphere at dinner became increasingly relaxed.

Dinner officially ended more than an hour later.

However, just as Jiang Yan got up to say goodbye, the scooter extended an invitation, saying, "We're having a private party later, interested in coming?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan immediately smiled and declined, saying, "I'm afraid that won't work. I have an online meeting with the company later. Let's talk about it another time."

In fact, he didn't have any meetings; he simply avoided these kinds of parties.

Who knows what kind of monsters and demons we might run into? It's safer to stay in the hotel.

The scooter said regretfully without any doubt, "That's a pity. I hope we can have a drink together again next time."

There will be an opportunity.

Jiang Yan responded calmly.

Afterwards, with Usher and the scooter watching them go, Jiang Yan left the restaurant with Jiang Zhennan and several bodyguards.

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