FYN Chapter 85 A New Opponent
Chapter 85 A New Opponent
Three days after the first episode of "The Voice of China" aired, in the recording studio of Xiaoyi Culture Media.
Chen Mo stared at the waveform on the control panel, paused the mouse, took off his listening headphones, and turned to look at Wang Bo on the other side of the glass window, his expression as complicated as if he had just finished watching a mind-bending movie.
"Wang Bo," he said.
In the recording studio, Wang Bo had just finished recording the guitar part for his third performance song and was tuning his old acoustic guitar when he heard this. He looked up and asked, "Brother Chen, what's wrong? Is the pitch off?"
"It's not a problem with pitch," Chen Mo said, walking out of the control room and pushing open the heavy soundproof door. "It's a problem with style."
He walked up to Wang Bo and pointed towards the control panel: "A song like 'Blue Lotus' has a grand scope and profound meaning; it's clearly an award-winning masterpiece. But this one..."
Chen Mo was searching for the right adjective: "It's small, exquisitely small, charmingly small, as small as a speck of dust in the afternoon sunlight, but you can still see it and find it incredibly beautiful."
Wang Bo laughed: "Brother Chen, that's quite an artistic analogy."
"It's not that I'm being artsy, it's just that your song is too captivating." Chen Mo sat down in the chair next to him. "Wang Bo, you know what? There are quite a few composers who can write grand songs, but those who can sing folk songs with this kind of flavor are extremely rare. This song doesn't talk about any philosophy of life, nor does it discuss any ideals of freedom. It just talks about those people in my memory, those events, those scattered flowers—"
He sighed: "But it's precisely these kinds of little songs that are the hardest to write. Because everyone has experienced parting, and everyone has a few flowers in their heart. If you write something even slightly fake or sentimental, the audience can immediately tell and then criticize you for being melodramatic."
Wang Bo gently plucked the strings, and a few notes leaped out: "So, Brother Chen, what do you think of my piece? Is it fake? Is it pretentious?"
"Seriously!" Chen Mo paused for three seconds, then gave a thumbs up: "It really reminds me of when I graduated from high school. My brothers and I went our separate ways, promising to keep in touch. But ten years have passed, and we've never been able to get together even once."
He patted Wang Bo on the shoulder: "You kid, you can write both big songs and small songs, and you can write songs that touch people's hearts. You're in the bag again in this competition."
"Not necessarily." Wang Bo shook his head. "The format has changed again this time; it's a themed challenge."
"Theme? What theme?"
"It's about 'time'," Wang Bo said, putting away his guitar. "This song is about partings in time, which should fit the theme. But the other contestants must have prepared their trump cards too, especially Qin Xiao..."
"Qin Xiao?" Chen Mo scoffed. "He was outshone by you last time, so he's definitely holding back a big move this time. But Wang Bo, let me tell you, I've figured out his style—showing off, showing off, and more showing off. His technique is impressive, but music can't just rely on technique; it needs soul."
Wang Bo didn't reply, he just looked at the guitar in his hands.
The soul?
He thought of the bargoers who couldn't understand his original songs, the piles of demos in his studio, and the friends who had once fought alongside him but had gradually drifted apart.
Those memories became the nourishment for his "creation".
"Brother Chen," Wang Bo suddenly spoke up, "help me record some harmonies. I want to add some female harmonies to this part, something very light and subtle, like a memory."
"Sure," Chen Mo stood up. "Who do you want to record with? That female trainee the company just signed, her voice is pretty clean."
"No need," Wang Bo said, "I can do it myself."
Chen Mo was stunned: "You alone? A male voice singing female harmonies?"
"Okay, let's give it a try." Wang Bo walked into the recording studio, put on his headphones, and said, "I'll lower the pitch a bit, that should work."
Chen Mo watched his retreating figure as he walked into the recording studio, shook his head, and smiled.
This guy always manages to surprise people.
At the same time, at the headquarters of Starlight Media, in a conference room three times the size of Su Xiaoxiao's office.
Liu Wei sat at the head of the long table, her face so gloomy it could drip water.
Mr. Zhang and Professor Chen sat on either side, while Li Xuan sat at the very back, his back ramrod straight, but his eyes darting around.
"The ratings for the first episode..." Liu Wei pushed the tablet to the center of the table. "The peak was 2.2% when Wang Bo sang 'Blue Lotus,' breaking the record for all music programs this year."
There was silence in the conference room.
What does 2.2% mean?
This means that out of every 100 people watching TV at the same time, 2.2 were watching "The Voice of China," a number that is terrifying in a time when a variety show is considered successful if its ratings exceed 1%.
"However," Liu Wei changed the subject, "Qin Xiao's performance had a viewership rating of 1.8%, while Li Xuan's..." She glanced at Li Xuan, "...1.5%."
Li Xuan's face paled.
"What does this mean?" Liu Wei looked around the conference room. "It means the audience is there for Wang Bo, Qin Xiao can barely keep them there, but you, Li Xuan—"
She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was already clear.
Li Xuan lowered his head, his fingers clenching tightly under the table.
"Sister Liu," Mr. Zhang pushed up his glasses, "the production team says Wang Bo's momentum is too strong and is affecting the balance of the show. They're worried that if this continues, the show will become 'Wang Bo and his runners-up.'"
"Then what should we do?" Professor Chen asked gently. "We can't just not let Wang Bo sing, can we?"
"Of course not," Liu Wei sneered. "Wang Bo is the show's ratings guarantee; touching him is touching the show's purse strings. But we can..."
She looked at President Zhang: "How did your discussion with the production team go? Could you send one of our singers who became famous in their early years? For example, Wu Yi, he just released a new album and needs exposure."
Mr. Zhang smiled wryly: "The production team refused. The word 'new voice' in 'Battle of the New Voices' is the foundation of the show. If singers who have been famous for many years were to participate, the core of the show would be destroyed. They can only accept 'newcomers' who have debuted within the last three years at most."
Li Xuan felt a mix of emotions. All told, he had been in the industry for three years, almost like a re-entered veteran.
"What should we do then?" Professor Chen frowned. "We can't just stand by and watch Wang Bo crush everything, can we? Qin Xiao's investors are already very dissatisfied. They said they invested so much money, only to be crushed by someone from a small, unknown company."
Liu Wei remained silent for a while, then suddenly laughed: "Since we can't send established singers, let's find someone with less experience but strong skills. I remember... what was the name of that female singer Orange Music signed last year?"
"Xia Lizhi," Mr. Zhang continued, "22 years old, graduated from a well-known music academy abroad, has strong original songwriting ability, and already has millions of fans online, but she has only been in the industry for a year, which meets the 'new voice' standard."
"It's her." Liu Wei made the decision. "Talk to Orange Music and ask them to prepare to send Xia Lizhi to 'The Voice of China'. We can offer more favorable terms. Just say that Starlight Media has an S-level TV series OST in the second half of the year, and we can give it to her."