America: Child stars start with The Shining

No sooner had filming wrapped on "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" than Shire hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath before Spielberg informed him that he was immediately assigned to another task.

He was going to record a promotional single for the audiobook album of the movie.

Of course, Spielberg hasn't revealed the specific details to him yet, he's just told to come over today.

Charles sat in the car, glancing down at the address Ovitz had handed him:

"Los Angeles, Westlake Recording Studios"

This is a recording studio under Westlake Audio, a name that carries significant weight in the European and American audiophile community.

Their recording studios are also a favorite workplace for many professional singers and producers.

Their headquarters are located in the western part of the Los Angeles area, where they are a very popular and well-established brand with a good reputation.

Of course, Charles's impression of it went beyond that.

Westlake Studios...

If his memory serves him right, this place is now one of Quincy Jones's most frequented recording studios.

Many top singers participate in recordings here, such as Michael Jackson.

They are definitely one of the most golden duos in the history of world music.

The two met on the set of the movie "The Wizard of Oz," which was released two years ago. Quincy Jones was the music producer for the film at the time.

He immediately recognized MJ's musical talent and offered to be the producer for one of his albums.

Then came last year's "Off the Wall," which went straight to winning the American Music Award for Favorite Soul Album.

And soon after that, they will work together to create that amazing album, Thriller.

Soon, Charles arrived at his destination.

Located in a rather quiet neighborhood in Los Angeles, surrounded by lush greenery and sparsely populated with houses, this is a typical affluent area with few pedestrians on the street.

Outside the car window, a simple building appeared ahead, with only a simple sign hanging at the entrance, and several luxury cars parked neatly.

As soon as Charles got out of the car, a bald black man came up to him and started teasing:

"Hey, isn't this our Shining boy?"

He grinned, revealing a set of neat, white teeth.

Charles noticed that many Black people seemed to have this bald look, wondering if it was due to hair loss as they aged...

The middle-aged man in front of you is none other than the famous Quincy Jones.

Before collaborating with MJ, he was already a renowned music producer in the entire record industry.

This guy won a Grammy Award more than a decade ago for his talent in music production and arrangement, and has a very high reputation in the industry. His works have also repeatedly topped various charts.

Without a doubt, Quincy Jones is a very influential figure.

If he hadn't produced MJ's albums, MJ probably wouldn't have grown into a top-selling singer worldwide so quickly.

This is largely thanks to Quincy Jones' influence at various music awards and his control over album production.

Charles shook hands briefly with the other party and greeted him:

"Hello, Mr. Quincy Jones."

"Hey, just call me Quincy. You know, in the recording studio, nobody likes to make the atmosphere too serious. Music is something you play around with, you know?"

Quincy Jones patted him on the shoulder, looking quite casual.

Charles smiled. It seemed that this famous producer was actually more easygoing than rumored.

The two chatted as they walked inside.

As soon as you enter the recording studio, you are greeted by a long corridor covered with a dark carpet. On the walls are some record covers and photos of producers and singers.

The interior decoration here is obviously much more sophisticated than the exterior, and the facilities are quite professional.

The heavy soundproof door completely separates the recording area from the outside world. Through the glass window next to the door, you can see the control panel and rows of recording equipment that are flashing with dim light.

It seems that musicians don't really like flashy but impractical things; they prefer to spend their money where it's needed.

Quincy pushed open the door and casually said:

"Hey MJ, let me introduce you. This is the little guy you're going to work with today, the star of the movie 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,' Shire."

As soon as the door opened, the people inside immediately turned around.

Sitting in front of the mixing console were two recording engineers and several staff members, as well as...

Michael Jackson.

He was wearing a listening headset and standing in front of the microphone. When he saw Charles, both of them were taken aback.

The next second, MJ laughed, took off one of his headphones, strode forward, bumped fists with Charles, and greeted him:

"Oh, it's you, Ciel."

Seeing the two react with such familiarity, Quincy raised an eyebrow and asked:

"You've met before? Haha, looks like I don't need to introduce you anymore."

MJ smiled and said:

"Yeah, we met once in New York before. Let me tell you, this kid has a great voice. It really surprised me back then..."

Upon hearing this, Quincy Jones immediately became interested, and the two then began to chat about their chance encounter with Charles at the club.

After a few words, the atmosphere in the recording studio became noticeably more relaxed.

Then, Quincy Jones turned to Shire and got to the point, saying:

"It seems that today's progress should be a little faster than I expected."

"Let me briefly explain. The song we're recording today is called 'Someone In the Dark,' which I wrote specifically for Michael Jackson."

"The main reason I called you here is because Steven wants to use this single as the promotional song for 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'."

"Therefore, you'll need to handle some simple harmonies in this song, and also participate in a short chorus. Don't worry, it's not that difficult..."

Ciel reached out and took the lyric book, glancing down at it.

The melody sections, harmonic markings, and prompts were clearly written on the pages, indicating that it was all arranged in advance.

On the other side, Quincy turned around and whispered with several sound engineers about the recording process that would follow.

In the control room, the lights quietly fall on the mixing console.

【Name: Music Producer's Mixing Console (High-Quality)】

[Original owner: Quincy Jones]

[Source: Westlake Studios]

[Attributes: Timbre +50%, Rhythm +15%, Texture +15%]

[Entry: Golden Record (Passive)]

[Effect Description: After equipping this device, the overall quality of your recordings will be significantly improved. At the same time, the unique characteristics of your voice will be amplified, making it easier for listeners to remember your voice immediately.]