Chapter 93

Sheng Hong is still very concerned about the group's first album which is also their debut album.

The balance of interests here is in a very delicate state.

First of all, Shenghong’s top priority is naturally to promote its own artists. But the group hasn’t debuted yet, so the first thing to do is to increase the group’s popularity. Therefore, Xie Xichao’s treatment cannot be bad.

Because his popularity is far beyond that of others, his upper limit almost determines the upper limit of the group.

In addition to this, there is pressure from several other companies.

All in all, no matter what the situation will be in the future, in the production of the first album, Jie Xichao knows that as long as Sheng Hong still wants the group to be popular, there will be no problems with the debut album.

This is indeed the case.

The several hit songs pre-selected by the team at the song selection meeting were all from well-known producers, and both the melody and the idea of ​​the songs showed that they had spent a lot of money.

After everyone listened to the demos one by one, Miao Haicheng started talking: "Behind closed doors, everyone can speak freely."

Ai Qingyuan spoke quickly and said first: "I think it's all OK."

"I think so too." Zou Yi said.

He is a vocalist, and pays more attention to the melody than dancing. These demos are basically catchy on first listen. Putting aside their performance, they are definitely worthy of the title of “good songs”.

Both of them expressed their affirmation, and Miao Haicheng's face relaxed a little.

He looked at Fu Wenze: "Where's Xiao Fu?"

"You are responsible for the rap part." He said, "How do you feel about the rap of these songs?"

Fu Wenze said honestly: "It's quite standard."

It's just average, meaning there's nothing wrong with it, and there aren't any great highlights either.

The rap part is quite special, so it is better for professionals to do it. Before Miao Haicheng could say anything, the team leader at the side said, "This is just a demo. If it's not suitable, you can ask the producer at the company to change it. If you have your own ideas, you can change it yourself. The copyright has been discussed, so it doesn't matter."

Fu Wenze nodded: "Okay, I'm fine."

No problem, but a decision still needs to be made. Miao Haicheng first asked Yun Pan for his opinion, and as expected, he got a favorable response. Then he turned his gaze to Li Xichao.

"Xichao, what do you think?" Miao Haicheng said.

While he was speaking, several key planners from the team looked up and stared at the young boy who had been silent.

-

Things are a little more subtle.

The deeper meaning of this sentence is that although everyone in Shenghong knows about Xie Xichao's special contract problem and knows that he is just a "guest", it is not known whether it is because the "Super New" program team was slapped in the face too hard during the game, or whether Xie Xichao himself has a special temperament -

In short, everyone is a little "afraid" of Jie Xichao.

To use the words that the general manager said to Miao Haicheng privately, "I seem to understand why Qi Er, that idiot, let a new artist ride on his head."

It's not that his aura is so fierce that it makes people kneel down, but it makes people involuntarily consider his thoughts. When doing things, they think one step further, "What would Jie Xichao think?", and even more deeply, "What if he thinks it's not good?".

...is very scary.

It seems like a real curse.

Among all people, only Miao Haicheng knew the reason.

This is not really metaphysics, it is just a person's subconscious submission to the strong.

Everyone's eyes turned to Jie Xichao, as if he was under the spotlight. Jie Xichao was originally still pondering over a very interesting bridge* in the last demo, and he raised his head when he heard this.

After a moment he said, "They are all good, these few."

Miao Haicheng smiled and said, "If you guys are like this, how many times can you come back?"

This is just a joke.

Ai Qingyuan was the first to disagree: "No, that won't work. The donkeys in the production team still need to rest. Please stop thinking about exploiting us."

He immediately turned around and said, "Xi Chao, you pick one. Anyway, your taste is always better than ours."

As if it was a matter of course.

Xie Xichao actually already had a plan. What he said just now was just a polite remark. When Ai Qingyuan said this, he said directly: "As for me, I would like the third song more."

The staff member in charge of the operation slid the mouse and called up the third demo.

The play page shows its name:

The Gap

Before Miao Haicheng could speak, Fu Wenze on the side said, "The accompaniment of this song is quite interesting."

*

Fu Wen Ze didn't say this casually.

After everyone listened to the demo again, they understood what he meant.

He is the rap leader and is more sensitive to rhythm. The difference between this song and the others lies in the use of drum beats in the accompaniment. It’s not that heavy, but it has definitely been processed because it’s very obvious in the hearing.

The clear drum beats will enhance the sense of rhythm to some extent, and it will also be easier to choreograph male group dances.

Of course, this is just a demo, so the accompaniment production process is definitely rougher than the official song, which also means greater plasticity.

Zou Yi's focus is on another part.

“This song…” he said, “has a very strange feeling.”

He felt that this description was not quite right, it was too abstract: "It's not that kind of weird style, it's just..."

"Smart." Xie Xichao said.

He said the word that could not be found on behalf of Zou Yi.

"Because the accompaniment doesn't use heavy instruments, the arrangement is more lively." Xie Xichao knocked on the table, "It should be because a lot of rests and ornaments are used, so it seems very smart."

He paused. "Like, hopscotch?"

He gave a very common analogy.

Everyone was cheered up.

Just right.

"Rather than saying it's weird, it's more like a sense of fantasy." Xie Xichao continued, "It should be... well, let me explain it in a more understandable way. When writing a melody, more black keys on the piano are used. The melody written in this way will have a 'weird' feeling."

Not everyone present understood music, so Xie Xichao tried his best to express his ideas in simple and easy-to-understand terms.

"I think I understand." Miao Haicheng said, "It's just that the style of this song is quite special. Is that right?"

Xie Xichao nodded.

A planner nearby had quickly found out the lyrics, composition and arrangement of this demo. The arranger was a new domestic artist, and his style is indeed known for its boldness and cleverness.

Although it is not very famous, its style is indeed novel.

"If it's this song," the lead planner said, "the core concept of the main song will be closer to nature, because the composer said that the inspiration was taken from the moment of light and shadow changes, and the word 'gap' also describes this moment."

She paused and said, "The choreography is easy to come up with. It should be a refreshing and simple style."

"but……"

"Do you feel you can't support the main hit?" Jie Xichao asked.

The chief planner looked at him in surprise: "Yes."

In fact, the order represents the preference. There are a total of four main songs to be determined, and this song is ranked third. In the eyes of the planning team, this is not the most suitable choice.

She thought for a moment, "It's popular to create concepts now. Your band name is Phoenix, which means rebirth from the ashes. The concept itself is very grand and heavy, and it doesn't fit this song very well. It might be more suitable to be a sub-song."

She paused, "Our idea is that the first album is used to set the tone. The main theme of the debut album is the concept starting point of all the subsequent albums, so it is better to choose a concept route with more room for development."

After she finished speaking her mind, the surprise in her heart had not yet dissipated.

Generally speaking, newcomers basically follow the company's planning. Many groups debut by directly buying finished songs, or simply giving the entire album to the artist and letting them adapt to the style.

They originally thought that today's song selection was made for Ai Qingyuan's sake——

Perhaps this was what the company originally meant, but gradually, the focus did uncontrollably shift to another person.

However, she didn't expect that there was more to surprise her.

What she said made sense, and many people in the room fell silent, lost in thought.

Xie Xichao is no exception.

But after thinking about it, he spoke.

"You just said," he said, "that it can be changed, right?"

All of a sudden, the chief planner, who was already a little nervous, heard a skip in his heart.

Her premonition came true.

-

The meeting ended, and Xie Xichao and Zou Yi walked last.

Zou Yi hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Actually, the first hit song is pretty good too."

Jie Xichao slowed down and walked beside him.

He really hated this kind of meeting. In the previous commendation meetings held within the system, he was clearly the one receiving the award, but he always found a chance to lie low.

I can't lie down now, and I feel very exhausted.

He sipped his milk tea: "Hmm."

Zou Yi: “…”

This means you are not listening at all.

As it turned out, his estimate was wrong.

Xie Xichao swallowed the milk tea and finally found time to reply him:

"Brother, I know what you mean."

Of course, Zou Yi didn't think he was troublesome, he just habitually stood in his perspective.

It doesn't matter which song you choose to hit the main track. To be honest, good songs are hard to come by nowadays. Compared with the quality of the songs, it is not impossible to make money by taking shortcuts like Newstar did.

The most important thing is that Xie Xichao is not Sheng Hong’s artist.

He is not Sheng Hong’s artist, and they are somewhat competitive. To be honest, the situation is quite embarrassing.

He felt that it was better for Jie Xichao to have less trouble than more.

But Xie Xichao said: "Brother, just think of me as someone with obsessive compulsive disorder."

He really couldn't stand the fact that the album he was going to participate in was just "okay" or "not bad", and he didn't care about other people's opinions. He also knew that, except for management, everyone was a worker, and as long as they didn't cause any trouble, it would not be easy to generate prejudice and resentment.

After returning to the dormitory and having a meal together, Jie Xichao went into the composition room.

Instead of opening the notebook directly, he picked up a notebook for recording inspiration and wrote a few key words on it. Then, he clicked on the demo which made him feel quite amazing.

The demo looped for the third time and someone knocked on the door.

Xie Xichao said "Come in", and the other party pushed the door open. As expected, it was Fu Wenzhe.

*

Fu Wen Ze closed the door.

Xie Xichao was in the habit of taking a shower before work. Fu Wenzhe was probably infected by him and also got into the habit of washing up early. At this moment, both of them were wearing home clothes and looked very homely.

Xie Xichao pulled a chair for him and said casually, "Sit down."

Fu Wenze sat down: "I'm just passing by and will be leaving soon."

Tsk.

Xie Xichao said: "Now that you say that, I'm going to lock the door."

Fu Wen Ze laughed.

He didn't tease Jie Xichao anymore, since it was useless anyway.

So, he simply asked, "What step have you thought of?"

Xie Xichao pushed the draft to him, and Fu Wenzhe took it and looked through it carefully.

If one were to ask who in the band could discuss creative matters with Jie Xichao, Jie Xichao knew that the only one left was Fu Wenzhe, who had always produced and sold his own rap. Of the other three, two were in the same group with him and wrote lyrics at most, and the remaining one was Ai Qingyuan...

never mind.

Moreover, at the song selection meeting during the day, he could see that Fu Wenzhe was a man with ideas.

So Fu Wenzhe's coming was completely within Xie Xichao's expectations.

There weren't many drafts, so Fu Wenze simply glanced through them and asked, "Are you planning to make major changes?"

"Not really." Xie Xichao thought for a moment, "The music remains the same, the lyrics are slightly tweaked to fit the concept, and the arrangement is remade. I feel like it's half and half?"

Fu Wenze: “…”

He didn't know how to comment, so he could only say:

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes." Xie Xichao said, "Help me sort out my thoughts."

Fu Wenze paused and said, "Let's start from the beginning."

Xie Xichao nodded.

He turned to the first page of the draft: "First of all, I think the original version of this song is indeed a bit monotonous in terms of concept and the level of the song itself. No, it can't be said to be monotonous."

He used a milder term, "not quite suitable for a main hit."

Just like the main planner said, it is more suitable to be a sub-hit song, or be put directly into the album.

"But it does have an interesting melody," said Fu Wenzhe. "It's a relatively rare type on the market. I think its highlights lie in its listenability and the sense of strangeness that Zou Yi said. The content of the lyrics is still the same old three things."

He agreed with Xie Xichao's choice. Of course, he himself is the type who does not follow the beaten path.

As for the lyrics, the lyrics of this song ultimately focus on love, or the youthful impulses of this age. The lyricist started with the concept of the gap between light and shadow, and eventually wrote about the gap in the heart, using it as a metaphor for the beginning of heartbeat.

There is nothing wrong with this.

As an idol boy band, or to expand it a little, as an idol group that relies on fans for their livelihood, love is a very common and very safe conceptual element. The words "hazy heartbeat", "first love", "passionate love" and "broken love" have basically been used in a variety of ways.

Considering that this is their debut album, it's normal for the producers to want to choose a safe concept.

but……

In the words of Fu Wenzhe.

A bit old-fashioned.

Xie Xichao decided to talk about the content of the lyrics later. He just asked: "What do you think the styles of us are? Or, what style should our group go for?"

-

After a moment of silence, Fu Wenze said, "Maybe we need to classify them."

"I'm on a similar path as Ai Qingyuan." He said very objectively, "I guess the company's character design at the time was similar, nothing more than hormones, sexual tension, and boyfriend feeling. As for the rest, Panpan and Mr. Zou can be put in the same category, both of them are relatively gentle and harmless.

Your words..."

He paused.

Xie Xichao said: "There are two categories, me, Teacher Zou, and Panpan."

Fu Wenze shook his head: "I think you should be in a separate category."

Xie Xichao:.

There were disagreements at the very beginning of the discussion, but he really liked the feeling of this collision of ideas.

He humbly asked: "What type do you think I am?"

"It's hard to say." Fu Wen Ze said honestly.

Is Jie Xichao gentle?

Without a doubt, it is very gentle.

But at the same time, he had a very lustful feeling, which Fu Wenzhe couldn't put into words. If I have to say, the style of the magazine shot during the competition is very suitable for Jie Xichao. He is very suitable for the abstinence style. The abstinence here needs to take into account both "abstinence" and "desire".

It’s just that the black and white background used by the magazine is too cold. Fu Wenzhe privately feels that Jie Xichao’s sexual aura is more suitable for warmer tones.

He tapped the joints of his chair and paused.

Thinking of Jie Xichao, he suddenly asked, "What do you think of the concept of the Sun-Moon Gap?"

Xie Xichao was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "I have become your source of inspiration, right?"

Jie Xichao.

Between morning and night, early in the morning and late in the evening.

It is either dawn or dusk, which is exactly the time when the sun and the moon alternate.

This concept is indeed more grand than the original Gap of Light and Shadow, and is closer to Jie Xichao's ideas. He asked, "Do you want to do a theme about life and time?"

Fu Wenze did think so. He said, "I feel like it will be very powerful and meaningful."

Xie Xichao paused and said, "How about going a little higher?"

Going up further…

Fu Wen Ze thought of the draft he had just seen and his mind moved.

He looked into Jie Xichao's clear eyes: "You want to..."

"The Phoenix, the Phoenix Nirvana." Xie Xichao said slowly, "It is indeed a good concept. No matter what our personalities and paths are, they all match this concept.

So I think that no matter what main theme you choose, you should not abandon the elements. ”

What element?

A grand and magnificent myth.

Above the holy and inviolable clouds.

Fu Wen Ze looked at the sun and the moon from the perspective of light and shadow, while Jie Xichao looked at the sun and the moon to a higher place.

His voice was very leisurely, as if it really came from the distant horizon: "Jehovah created Adam and Eve, but even in the carefree Garden of Eden, there was temptation from the snake. Everyone thinks that God is high above and perfect.

It is indeed a good thing to have a complete and indestructible divinity. but--

Is divinity really indestructible? ”

He looked into Fu Wenze's eyes, and there was obvious shock in the latter's eyes. He said, "You want to do the theme of God's Fall?"

Jie Xichao shook his head.

"I don't think this is a 'fall'," he said.

Fu Wenze exhaled: "I understand what you mean."

It was not until this moment that he finally realized that Jie Xichao was telling the truth.

He really didn't change it much.

The lyricist's core concept of "love" remains unchanged; it becomes the key to pry open the gap to divinity. The composer's light and ingenious style has not changed, but this agility has been elevated to the level of sacredness and grandeur.

Holiness fits the mythological concept represented by the phoenix when they debuted.

What about them themselves?

This is exactly the change that suits their own style.

Tenderness and sensuality, purity and desire.

The high God loves all things in the world with compassion and equality, but occasionally, he will suddenly feel his divinity wavering at a certain moment. This hesitation can certainly come from simple and pure emotional throbbing, but...

There’s more to it than that.

Fu Wen Ze suddenly thought of his debut night.

The field was filled with a sea of ​​stars, colorful ribbons fluttering in the sky, and shouts from people whose faces couldn’t be seen clearly.

He was a very cold and aloof person, but at that moment, he truly felt for the first time the deepest emotional connection that could exist between an idol and his fans.

What touches people is never emotion.

But it's sincere.

This is the Divine Gap.

This is... the real concept that Xie Xichao wants to do.