My daily life with the original diva

The audition room had no windows for soundproofing, so it would be dark without the lights on. When Kimura Hiroshi went in, he found that the lighting seemed to be faulty, and the room was very dim.

"Do all the singers at Ken-On have a peculiar habit of auditioning in the dark?" Kimura Hiroshi didn't quite understand. He looked around and realized something was wrong.

In the innermost corner, there was a pitch-black mass that seemed out of place with the surrounding darkness. It looked as if someone had covered it with a black cloth. Upon closer inspection, he saw a corner of a light blue skirt peeking out from under the black cloth. He recognized the color of the skirt.

"Hehe, the diva actually likes to play pranks, that's a real black mark on her history. But let's see who scares whom later." Kimura Hiroshi chuckled mischievously.

"Hello, Kimura-san? The lights in the audition room seem to be broken today. Should we wait until they're fixed before we sing?" At that moment, Akiyuki outside also noticed the problem with the lights and asked Kimura Hiroshi.

He shook his head. "Mr. Mingxing, as long as the sound equipment is good, that's fine. The song I want to sing is called 'The Most Important Thing.' If possible, I would like to use it as my debut song."

"Okay, Kimura-san, you can begin. As long as the song is up to standard, we'll consider it." After saying that, Akiyuki hung up the phone and gestured in front of the glass that everything was OK.

He took down his guitar, tuned it, and last night he chose the song he wanted—a rock song.

In this era, there are many male and female idol singers in Japan, most of whom sing love songs, resulting in severe homogenization.

Although his handsome appearance completely stands out from the crowd, he still decided to differentiate himself. His debut song could not be a love song, but a rock song. If he were an idol singer debuting with a rock song, he would definitely be the first. The combination of the two might have unexpected results.

The song he chose was "The Most Important Thing" by the band Big Events. Most people may not know this name, but the Cantonese version of it, "Red Sun," sung by Hacken Lee, became a hit throughout the Chinese-speaking world.

This is an uplifting rock song. It's impossible to fully express its essence with just a guitar, but it's still possible to capture some of its charm.

As soon as the guitar started playing, listening to the intro, Hanami He and Akiyuki Hanazawa outside the door could sense the flavor of the combination of pop and rock, and the intro was very pleasant to listen to.

"Things we can't admit defeat on."

Things that cannot be given up

There's something I can't escape.

Stick to what you believe.

When I was about to collapse,

Those are the most important things!

The uplifting lyrics, paired with Hiroshi Kimura's bright voice, instantly send shivers down the spine and make one's blood surge, as if one is suddenly filled with power.

"It's better to live a simple and ordinary life than to erect an arrogant monument. As long as you're here, there will always be people who get hurt and say hurtful things."

After the initial excitement, the song returns to a calmer tone, gently narrating and urging people to live well. This song, written by Toshiyuki Tachikawa after the collapse of Japan's economic bubble, has inspired countless Japanese people facing despair.

Even now, it's still relevant. Although incomes have reached the level of developed countries, Japan has a rigid class system, and work and life are very oppressive. The bubble economy's revelry has not yet arrived, and people have to deal with long hours of heavy work every day, with no future in sight. This song can definitely resonate with many people.

The two people outside exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with astonishment. They couldn't understand how a seventeen-year-old could create such a meaningful and inspiring song.

As the song ended, Kimura Hiroshi walked out of the audition room with his guitar and closed the door. The two people outside immediately came over. Hanami Kagami nodded repeatedly and praised, "That was amazing! That was amazing! Kimura-san sang so well! This song was also fantastic! You are simply a born male idol. I can't wait for the whole world to know about you!"

"Very good, really very good. I never expected that seventeen-year-old Kimura-san could write such rock and pop music. He's a genius!" Akiyuki didn't hold back his praise.

Kimura Hiroshi's face flushed slightly at the praise from the two people, after all, it wasn't his original work, but rather a display of his plagiarism skills.

"Thank you for the compliment. I still have many shortcomings. Please give me more guidance in the future."

Keep a humble attitude and don't be too arrogant. After all, he's still a green newcomer who needs these big shots to invest money and pave the way for him.

"Alright, please come to my office next, Mr. Kimura. I think it's necessary to discuss the contract." After saying that, the two of them led Kimura Hiroshi outside.

But after a while, Kimura Hiroshi returned, quietly hiding outside the audition room door. He even cut two holes in a piece of paper, stuck it to his face, and then squatted down.

Seemingly confirming that the people outside had left, rustling sounds and soft murmurs came from the audition room: "Wow, that was fantastic! You sang so well."

She originally planned to jump out of the darkness after the newcomer finished his audition and scare all three of them, but she didn't expect the newcomer's song to be so impactful that she became so engrossed that she didn't even notice when the song was over.

As she opened the door, her mind wandering, she didn't notice that someone was hiding at the door. Suddenly, she saw a faceless creature with only dark eye sockets appear. Nakamori Akina, who had opened the door, was so frightened that she backed away.

Behind her was the black cloth she had thrown into the audition room. Her footsteps were erratic, and the black cloth wrapped around her ankles, causing her to lose her balance and fall backward with a scream.

Kimura Hiroshi, who originally just wanted to get revenge, didn't expect that Nakamori Akina would be so frightened by him that she almost fell. He quickly rushed forward, grabbed Nakamori Akina's hand, and put his arm around her waist to prevent her from falling.

This is the future original songstress. If she gets scared by him and falls down badly, wouldn't he be a huge sinner? I bet Tsai Ing-wen's fans would tear him apart alive.

With just one hug, Kimura Hiroshi discovered a huge secret: Nakamori Hiroko, who still looked a bit chubby, had an incredibly thin waist. He suspected he could wrap his arm around it. No wonder some people in later generations called her the "Millennial Waist Fairy." She was already this thin now; when she grew up and lost her baby fat, her waist would be deadly if she twisted it.

Just as she was about to fall, the pale-faced man who had scared her suddenly hugged her. Nakamori Akina breathed a sigh of relief, and the white on the pale-faced man's face fell off, revealing him as the excessively handsome newcomer. She could clearly smell the faint scent of soap emanating from him.

This made her blush slightly, and she said in her characteristic soft voice, "Arno, can you let go of me and let me stand up?"

Chapter Four Contract Confirmation

They let go of each other's hands and each took a few steps back. The atmosphere was extremely awkward, and neither of them spoke, remaining silent.

"Um, Ms. Nakamori, my name is Kimura Hiroshi, and I'm a newcomer here for the interview today. Mr. Akiyuki is still waiting for me, so I'll be going now." Not knowing what to say, Kimura Hiroshi prepared to slip away.

He had only taken two steps when he heard Nakamori Akina's distinctive voice behind him, "How did you find me, Mr. Kimura?"

"Ah, perhaps it's because Ms. Nakamori's radiance is too dazzling, and that cloth couldn't block it out." Kimura Hiroshi didn't hold back in flattering him.

However, Akina Nakamori completely ignored the flattery and instead said thoughtfully, "It seems that my ability to hide my true feelings is not good enough. Next time, Mr. Kimura, you won't be so lucky."

After saying that, she deliberately stared at Kimura Hiroshi with a mischievous look, like a delinquent girl preparing to tease a poor, well-behaved student.

“Then I look forward to it, Ms. Nakamori. I just hope you won’t be so scared next time that you can’t stand up straight. Although I wouldn’t mind hugging you again, Ms. Nakamori. Also, your waist is so slender.” Kimura Hiroshi retorted, before retreating.

Akina Nakamori was shocked that Hiroshi Kimura would say such bad things. After all, she was just an eighteen-year-old girl. Her face flushed slightly as she ran out of the audition room, muttering "Baka, you delinquent Kimura brat!" at his retreating back.

When Kimura Hiroshi returned to Hanami Kaku's office, he saw that the contract was already prepared on the table. It was clear that the two of them were afraid that things might go wrong if they waited too long, so they were prepared to have Kimura Hiroshi sign the contract today.

Since it's time to talk about contracts, Kimura Hiroshi won't be so humble anymore. This is all about how much money he can make in the future. He has to make a big profit before the bubble economy arrives and then speculate on land prices in Ginza.

He might not feel guilty if he were speculating on housing prices in his own country, but in Japan, he only hopes that the speculation will be as rampant as possible so that he can make more money, and then sell at the peak of the frenzy, and buy back at the bottom when the bubble bursts.

He learned this trick from none other than the famous real estate developer Li Huanggua, which would definitely make him a fortune.

However, agencies in that era were not friendly to newcomers. Newcomers could only earn between 60,000 and 100,000 yen per month, while regular employees in Japan earned nearly 300,000 yen per month at that time.

This amount of money is far from enough to support oneself, so many newcomers in the entertainment industry need to take on part-time jobs, such as washing dishes, running errands, and so on.

However, Ken-On did not intend to exploit Hiroshi Kimura in this way, and offered him a fixed salary of 500,000 yen per month. If he became famous, he could receive 1% of the royalties from his records.

This offer is already quite generous, on par with the current status of Akina Nakamori. Keep in mind that she is already very famous, just one step away from becoming a top star, yet she still can't get royalties.

It wasn't until next year, 84, when she truly became a top female idol singer, that Ken-On started paying her royalties, making her a wealthy woman with royalties exceeding 5000 million yen, not including other income.

However, Hirokazu Kimura couldn't wait that long. He said directly, "Thank you both for your concern, but all my records are self-composed, so I must receive royalties. At least 5% of the lyrics and music should be given to me."

For a single album, the composer gets 3%, the lyricist 2%, and the singer 1%, which is 6%. The rest is divided between the management company and the record company. There's no way around it, since the creators don't bear the costs of album production and promotion.

This request is quite audacious; no newcomer has ever asked for royalties before, and such a thing has never happened in the entertainment industry. However, what Kimura Hiroshi said does have some basis, since he wrote both the lyrics and music, while generally newcomers are provided with their debut songs by their management companies.

However, the two were hesitant to make a decision regarding this unconventional contract, because if they broke the rule, would newcomers make the same demands, and would they be attacked by other competitors? The relationship was of great importance.

“Um, Kimura-san, your request is really beyond our expectations. However, considering Kimura-san’s special circumstances, please give us some time to consider it. It’s already noon, so please go and have lunch first,” Hanami Kagami said.

Knowing that the two wanted to discuss and decide whether to agree to his request, Kimura got up, gestured, and went out. A short while later, a young assistant led him to dinner.

In the office, Hanami and Akiyuki were both deep in thought. After a while, Akiyuki finally spoke up and said, "President, our demands are already quite generous. I think the most we can offer is a fixed monthly salary of 500,000 yen and a 1% royalty on the performances."

With his fingers tapping incessantly on the table, Hanami asked, "What do you think Kimura-san's future prospects will be?"

"He's an absolute super idol singer, and definitely more than just an idol singer. His looks and the talent he displays are truly amazing. He's only seventeen years old, which is unimaginable. His future achievements will definitely be extremely high," said Akiyuki Yoshizawa with great certainty.

"That's it. We already have Akina Nakamori. She will become our future idol queen at Ken-On. Now we are missing an idol king."

"If we, Ken-On, had an idol queen and an idol king, what would our future be like? What kind of influence would we have in the entertainment industry?"

Hanami Kaku said excitedly that the future he described was too terrifying. Even Akira felt his body agitated when he heard it. Just thinking about it, Ken-on having both Matsuda Seiko and Saijo Hideki at the same time was enough to make one tremble with excitement.

Gritting his teeth, Akiyuki Yoshizawa said, "In that case, why don't we just give him 6% of the creative work, but require him to sign a contract for at least five years, and then have priority to sign a new contract?"

"Clap, clap, clap!" Hanami Kagami couldn't help but clap. "We at Ken-On are going to break the rules. If we follow the rules, we'll just be a small Ken-On forever."

When Kimura Hiroshi returned after dinner, Akiyuki immediately took him to his office and said that he would receive 6% of the creator's royalties. This surprised Kimura Hiroshi. He never expected that these two people would have such great courage to give him a contract that even top idol singers didn't have. No wonder they were able to turn the small Ken-On into a behemoth in just one or two decades.

With his request fulfilled, Kimura Hiroshi naturally became more amiable, rising to bow and saying, "Thank you both for your care. I promise I won't let you down. Ken-on and I will both become incredibly powerful."

This can be considered a declaration of allegiance to Ken-On. Hanami Kaku and Akiyuki were very satisfied, and the two parties quickly signed a five-year contract. Kimura Hiroshi would receive 6% of the royalties from each record and an income of 500,000 yen per month.

Happy signing! Kimura Hiroshi's management company signed him to Ken-On, and his record label was Warner Pioneer, just like Nakamori Akina.

According to Japanese tradition, once something is accomplished, the next thing to do is to find a place to celebrate in the evening, and have some drinks. However, Kimura Hiroshi refused, as he has never touched alcohol in his life.

He still wants to become a man who is durable and strong. At seventeen, he can't be too reckless. Even when he grows up, he still needs to be careful.

Chapter 5 Scarcity Marketing Strategy

In his past life, he desperately wanted a chance to debut but was blocked at every turn. Now, with such a handsome face, he can debut easily and even get a contract that only top singers get.

"I am now a creation of the goddess Nuwa, but before I was just a speck of mud that she casually tossed around. Sigh, handsome people always receive more favor." Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but sigh, which made him somewhat distracted.

This was immediately noticed by the photographer who was filming him, who shouted, "Kimura-san, focus, look this way, okay, raise the baseball bat, yes, that's it, what a perfect man!"

This is a photo shoot for him to submit to a magazine as a form of promotion. In this day and age, promotion is very important for debuting, mainly through three channels: magazines, radio, and television.

However, his debut song was still being arranged and could not be sent to the radio or performed on stage. So the initial promotion was to submit it to magazines. Once the single was successfully recorded, he would try to appear on TV and radio to make a name for himself.

Because of his good image, his active cooperation, and his excellent demeanor and posture, the filming went very smoothly. Now, the person in charge of him is a big shot at Ken-On, Terahashi Akira, who is in charge of Ken-On's artist publicity.

When he saw the finished photo in the photographer's hand, he couldn't help but clap his hands and say to Kimura Hiroshi, "That's amazing! You're truly a national-level man. I've decided to buy every magazine cover and put your photo on it. You absolutely deserve this treatment."

"Crazy," Kimura Hiroshi sensed from this guy. It was his idea back then that he bought the entire debut song magazine to ensure Nakamori Akina's smooth debut, and it was full of Nakamori Akina's image. Now he's gone even crazier, actually wanting to buy all the magazine covers.

"Handsome men always get more attention, and they're even more intense with me, but I don't want that. If I buy all the magazines, I'll probably die very quickly."

Buying all the magazine covers might seem like a great way to get more publicity, but too much of a good thing can be bad. This kind of publicity will not only offend your peers, but also make the public dissatisfied. Even if you are incredibly handsome, people don't want to see the same face in every magazine.

"Thank you for your concern, but please don't do that."

"Sigh, doesn't Kimura-san want more publicity?" Terabayashi asked incredulously. These days, which newcomer doesn't want the maximum amount of publicity?

This was too crazy. Kimura Hiroshi felt that perhaps another plan was more suitable for him, which was scarcity marketing. In later generations, the band ZARD was known as the Ghost Band. Because lead singer Izumi Sakai didn't like facing the camera, and the management company wanted to create a sense of mystery, ZARD didn't appear in magazines and TV programs as frequently as other bands.

This led many people who had heard their songs to believe that the band did not exist, like ghosts, where you could only hear their songs but never see them.

Such publicity has been incredibly effective, and more people want to see her. In a poll of who Japan most wants to see, Izumi Sakai ranked second, only behind that nobody, Tenko.

Of course, Izumi Sakai's long, beautiful legs and her unadorned, beautiful face are also attractive enough to make many old SPs drool and want to take a second look.

“Mr. Terahina, everyone yearns for beautiful things, but when beautiful things are everywhere, they seem cheap and tasteless. Do you understand what I mean?” Kimura Hiroshi said.

It was immediately clear to Terabayashi Akira that Nakamori Akina had difficulty debuting because she debuted much later than other idols of her time, and her debut song was too similar to those of other young female idols at the time. Although she was highly skilled, she still had to resort to special methods.

But Hiroshi Kimura was different. He was too handsome, more captivating than any male idol he had ever seen. If such a face appeared everywhere, it would seem cheap and vulgar.