America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 226, Section 225: The Four Divine Songs

"Hello boss, Taylor Swift!"

The little girl reached out her hand, her smiling face looking adorable, revealing two rows of white teeth; she certainly had the look of a country girl.

"Hi Taylor, it seems I don't need to introduce myself."

"Of course not, you're very famous, who doesn't know you? The youngest super-billionaire, the youngest best screenwriter, the youngest great director, you have so many titles, hehe."

Looking at her charming appearance, Eric looked at Celine Dion, pointed at Taylor Swift and said, "I like this girl's personality, she's bold and fun, no wonder you two can team up."

The latter laughed and said, "Eric, Taylor called you 'boss,' what's going on?"

This matter can only be made public after the show airs, but telling Celine Dion wouldn't hurt; smart people aren't big mouths.

"Meiyi has already signed with Taylor. I think she has great potential and will definitely become a big name in the music industry in the future."

Celine Dion was slightly taken aback, and a number of thoughts immediately popped into her mind.

Seriously? Is The Voice going to make Taylor Swift the champion?

As someone who's been around for decades, she naturally knows very well that there are countless ways to make you the champion, even if your singing skills are the worst among the four.

A relatively simple and common tactic is to imply or instruct the other three players to make mistakes intentionally.

Our competition is about live performance. If you make a mistake on stage, no matter how good your singing is usually, you will be eliminated.

Seeing the smiling future superstar, Eric added, "But you still have a long way to go to achieve this goal, Taylor. I have a question for you."

"OK! What's the problem?" The little girl nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

"Regarding the style question, are you planning to continue singing country music? Have you ever thought about singing other genres, such as pop music?"

"Of course, I don't mean to say that country music is bad, but its genre limits its potential. In terms of reach, recognition, and acceptance, it simply cannot compare with pop music."

"I don't know much about the music industry, but even from the perspective of an ordinary listener, it's clear that pop music is the real mainstream."

"If you want to go higher and further in the future, my advice is to change your career path."

Eric was simply stating a fact that everyone understands. He only started knowing about Taylor Swift and listening to her songs after Taylor transitioned to the pop music scene.

That makes sense, but when Taylor Swift transitioned to the pop music scene, it was partly because she had already won numerous awards in the country music scene and found it difficult to break through to the top.

Back then, if Taylor Swift wanted to reach the next level, she had no other way but to step out of her comfort zone and venture into a wider field.

She hasn't even debuted yet, and Eric suddenly suggested she switch tracks, which surprised the young girl.

"Sorry, boss, I don't know and I haven't thought about this question. Besides, I love country music, and I like to sing country music."

Seeing her hesitant and flustered look, Celine Dion patted her head to comfort her.

"Eric, it's a bit too early to talk about this now. I've known Taylor for a long time, and we've talked about our views on music. She likes country music."

"This child's first album is already ready. If you want her to change her image, it's like wasting her efforts and hard work."

"You're all ready already? How many songs did you write?" Eric asked, somewhat surprised.

After all, strictly according to the months, Taylor Swift is actually still several months away from turning 15. She has already achieved this at such a young age. She truly deserves to be called a creative talent.

Taylor Swift held up one finger from each hand, saying with a mix of caution and pride, "11 songs, boss."

Celine Dion gave a "see for yourself" look: "11 songs are enough for an album. She showed me these tracks, and although I'm not a country music expert, they're really good."

"I think this album will definitely sell well; you can't waste Taylor's talent."

After saying that, she felt that saying it might offend Eric, so she added, "But what you said makes sense; the ceiling for country music is indeed not as high as that for pop music."

"Even Shania Twain, with our performance of 'You're Still the One,' only managed to get second place on Billboard, but that's Shania's best result yet."

"Taylor, if you continue down the path of country music, your future achievements may only go so far."

"You've said all the right things," Eric said simply, "Sidi, do you have any good suggestions?"

Taylor Swift also looked at Celine Dion; this conversation might determine the future direction of her career.

"Um"

After a moment's thought, Celine Dion gave a moderate answer: "Then let's blend them together. Actually, an album doesn't necessarily have to be all the same style. We can definitely add a few more pop songs."

"Although 11 songs are enough to release an album, listeners would feel it's even better value for money if we expanded it to 15 songs."

"I like this method."

Taylor Swift immediately stated that although she prefers country music, having more options is always good, and that she is an ambitious and opinionated girl.

Eric nodded slightly. Doing this might result in pleasing neither side, but it might also result in pleasing both sides. The key lies in the quality of the song.

Country music wasn't Eric's cup of tea, but he knew Taylor Swift's abilities; the young girl could handle this on her own, and all Eric needed to do was provide her with a good pop song.

He had already planned it out: one great song each from Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, and Celia, as a gift from his hidden boss.

However, I don't have much stock. At most, I can help them lay a good foundation and open up new opportunities. The subsequent development depends on them.

Whoever performs better in the future can receive a few more songs.

"OK, Taylor, sing a few lines for us. Don't hold back your voice. I want to hear a more pop-like tone."

"OK."

Taylor Swift took a few steps back, went through her thoughts, and finally chose a pop song that she was best at.

Two minutes later, after singing the chorus, she stared wide-eyed at Eric, awaiting his judgment.

"Taylor, when you sing country music, do you deliberately lower your voice? It turns out you can sing quite sharp high notes."

After listening to her singing, Eric noticed a problem: her timbre actually had the style of singing pop songs in later generations, but it wasn't that obvious yet, which should be related to her age and the development of her vocal cords.

Taylor Swift smiled shyly: "I want to look more country-style."

"Great, that makes it easier for me to choose a song for you."

"What?"

"After you finish recording The Voice, you can prepare to record your album. Once the show airs, your popularity will definitely soar. Then we'll strike while the iron is hot and release your first album. I'll write a song for you."

"Really?"

Taylor Swift was overjoyed by this unexpected stroke of good luck. She dreamed of releasing an album as soon as possible so that the world could see her talent.

With the help of Eric, a Grammy winner, it will definitely be even more powerful.

Although no one except Michael knew that Eric couldn't even read sheet music, that didn't matter. All people knew was that he was incredibly talented and won Grammys with his first piece.

If it weren't for his status and position, many people would have extended an olive branch to invite him to sing.

I went through all the songs I know, and found it was still difficult to find a suitable one. I finally found a Taylor Swift song that suits my current stage, "Trouble Is A Friend".

The song is catchy and somewhat similar to country music, but it actually belongs to pop music. It doesn't require strong singing skills and is a singing style that Taylor Swift is familiar with, making it almost a perfect fit for her.

This song was once a global hit, at least more popular than Taylor Swift's first album, but Eric had no recollection of who the singer was—a typical case of a hit song but an unknown singer.

"Trouble will find you no mater where you go oh oh!"

"No matter if you're fast no matter if you're slow oh oh!"

After humming a few simple lines, Eric patted the unlucky girl on the shoulder: "That's settled then. Practice hard, and I hope you can win the championship."

"Hmm? Was the champion not predetermined?" Celine Dion wondered to herself.

"But the song he was humming just now was quite interesting."

Eric then followed the staff to the second practice room, where Jayz and Xilin were.

Jayz is a big name in the rap world. The two greeted each other at the Grammys and got along well. He also disapproved of Eminem's disgusting behavior. If we hate the same person, then we are friends.

Xilin is a young white man, not very old at 24, and his path of focusing on rap is similar to that of Eminem.

After chatting for a while, Eric left the practice room, having already chosen a song for Sirin in his mind.

Eric doesn't listen to rap and can't sing it, but besides rap, Xilin can also handle light and cheerful music very well, so Eric chose Maroon 5's "Sugar" for him.

The song's name needs no introduction; its memorable music video directly earned Maroon 5 the nickname "The Freeloaders."

The song is also extremely popular, belonging to the kind that is popular worldwide.

After this song made him famous, even if he continued to do rap, it would be much easier for him.

Next up was the third practice room, where Janet Jackson and future Katy Perry were singing a catchy dance track.

Upon seeing Eric, Katy Perry grinned broadly, showing her teeth, and kept grinning like an idiot.

The others couldn't help but laugh along with her.

"Okay, okay, hold on a minute, Katie, what's making you laugh so happily?"

Katy Perry clenched her fist: "You're so handsome."

Her answer made Jenny next to her laugh so hard she couldn't stop, and she looked a bit like the immortal warrior Brenda.

"That answer really touched my heart. I have to write the most amazing song for you," Eric said, patting his heart.

"OMG! Really? Boss, your handsomeness has reached a whole new level!"

"This girl is really good with words, I like her."

Katy Perry is already 20 years old. She has already made appearances in bars and at various events, but has not yet achieved instant fame.

However, these experiences have also honed her singing skills. Although she is young, she has a rich vocal range and her natural vocal abilities are much stronger than Taylor Swift's. She is already able to handle various styles.

Even if we take her future hit songs, with more practice, she can still handle them just as well as she does now.

However, nothing beats the fragrance of wildflowers. No one can steal your own songs, but you can steal other people's hit songs one by one. So Eric set his sights on Kelly Clarkson, the winner of the first season of American Idol.

At the Golden Globe Awards ceremony, she went on stage to perform, and that's when Eric noticed the sisters.

It must be said that Kelly Clarkson has excellent singing skills and is very talented, having released many hit songs.

But since you're a contestant who came from American Idol, sorry, the worse you are, the more amazing The Voice will seem.

So Eric plans to give Katy Perry Kelly Clarkson's hit song "Because of You" to sing, and later he'll also give her another hit song, "Stronger," since Katy Perry is perfectly capable of singing this style.

After chatting for a while, they let Katy Perry practice alone first, while Eric took Jenny to find Mike.

They arrived at the fourth practice room, and even before they got close, they could hear the powerful rhythm emanating from inside.

Eric is very familiar with Michael Jackson's "Bad".

"Because I'm bad, I'm bad!"

(Really, really bad)

"You know I'm bad, I'm bad!"

(Really, really bad)

"You know I'm bad, I'm bad"

Come on, you know.

(Really, really bad)

"And the whole world has to"

"Answer right now"

"Just to tell you once again"

"Who's bad!"

Through the glass, I could indeed see Michael Jackson and Bruno Mars singing and dancing to the music.

"Bruno Mars is a very well-rounded singer; he not only has excellent singing skills but also a strong foundation in dance."

"McClos and I both wanted him to join our team, but he's a die-hard fan of McClos and decisively chose my brother's team."

Jenny was a little disappointed that she didn't get Bruno Mars, but what could she do?

Everyone knows that Michael Jackson is Bruno Mars' idol, and funk music has been passed down between the two of them.

If we were to pinpoint Bruno Mars' biggest weakness, it would undoubtedly be his height. Being under 1.7 meters tall is indeed a bit lacking, but when he sings, his presence immediately gives him the aura of someone 2.8 meters tall.

As for the song selection for him, there's no need to think too much; just use his signature song, "Just the Way You Are."

As for the most popular song, "Uptown Funk," let's hold off on that for now.

Even these four songs are enough to create a fierce battle on the Billboard charts, so there's no need to pull out all the stops.

"Uptown Funk" clearly surpasses these four songs in terms of rhythm, arrangement, and popularity. If it were to appear, the outcome would be a foregone conclusion.

Eric knocked on the door after the singing and dancing had finished in the practice room.

Sure enough, Bruno Mars' enthusiastic personality led him to take the initiative in talking to Eric.

After chatting for a while, Eric gestured for Mike and Jenny to come outside with him to discuss something; a heads-up was necessary.

(End of this chapter)