Chapter 13 Audition Initial Rating Stage Recording (2)
"Wow... Another handsome guy. Didn't they say the production team only recruits amateurs? With so many handsome guys, how can this guy compare?"
"Do you think he looks familiar?"
"Now that you put it that way, it seems a bit like that."
"Maybe he looks like some celebrity..."
"Who does it look like?"
"Hmm...I can't remember."
Death is like the extinguishing of a light. Even if a star was a top star 20 years ago, he or she will not be remembered by most young people in this era.
The contestants just looked at the cool and handsome boy in the distance curiously for a while and then turned around and chatted among themselves.
Of course, only a small number of people felt relaxed. The vast majority of people were still very nervous about the upcoming preliminary evaluation stage.
Especially after the guest judges and host arrived, the originally relaxed atmosphere suddenly became extremely tense. Even the chatterboxes from before suddenly shut up.
"Welcome everyone to 'Youth Project'. I'm your old friend Zeng Yu."
The host on the stage was wearing a colorful sequined suit and a shiny bald head. He was like a shining disco ball in the silver-white studio, and was particularly eye-catching.
Mo Bei was not familiar with the host named Zeng Yu, so he just silently clapped along with the other contestants.
After briefly saying some of the usual opening remarks for variety shows, Zeng Yu began to introduce the guest mentors of the show.
In fact, before coming here, Mo Bei had already heard about the identity of the program mentor from Lu Yu.
On the far left is Ai Yao, who was born in a talent show. She debuted as the center in the popular "The Most Beautiful Girl" ten years ago and has now switched to acting. However, according to Lu Yu, her acting skills don't seem to be very good.
Although she was chosen by the program team as a dance instructor, she has been neglecting practice for many years and now has difficulty doing a split. Therefore, her actual role in the program is probably just a vase to attract attention.
Next to Ai Yao is singer-songwriter Lu Ye. Because he has sung many theme songs for popular TV series, netizens nicknamed him the Little Prince of OSTs.
On the other side of the road is An Junze, the former captain of the idol boy group AIM. After going solo, he is still engaged in the music industry and is now a solo singing and dancing artist.
Unlike Ai Yao, who was used by the program team to attract more viewers, An Jun is not only a professional singer and dancer but also a songwriter, making him an all-rounder. Of course, he also has the highest number of fans among all the mentors.
As for the last mentor, he is the champion of a rap show on Pineapple Video five years ago - Rapper Li Zhaokai.
Because rap music doesn't have a wide audience, his online presence isn't as strong as the other three mentors. However, due to his active participation in various music festivals, he has accumulated a lot of loyal fans who love rap music.
The cast of "Youth Project" consists of four mentors and a host. Of course, some guests will be invited to join the singing session in the middle and later stages of the program.
Of course, these are still a long way off for these 100 contestants. Their first challenge is the first stage performance.
This is related to their first impression in the minds of the audience, as well as online voting and promotion issues.
Therefore, after the host introduced the process, most people present were nervous and ready for action.
In the tense atmosphere, Mo Bei, with his expressionless and icy face, did not seem so abrupt.
Although it is under the banner of pure amateur selection, in fact only half of the 100 contestants are amateurs with no company background. The remaining half have either been trainees or have signed contracts with companies.
After all, it is impossible for the program team to really take the risk of offending the platform and the industry by not recruiting any trainees. After all, pure amateurs are just a gimmick.
What's more, resources need to be exchanged between the platform and major brokerage companies, and the relationship is complicated, which cannot be influenced by a small talent show.
Although the promotional slogan of "pure amateurs" is half-watered, 50 amateurs is already a big change compared to the scene of trainees from major brokerage companies gathering together in the past.
What's more, the voting rights lie with the audience. Even if you have a background, it will be useless if the audience doesn't buy it.
Of course, the contestants are unaware of the twists and turns behind the show.
After hearing the host call his name, the first contestant to perform on stage clenched his palms and walked onto the stage with a fearless look on his face.
"Oh my god, isn't this Chang Jun?"
"Who is Chang Jun?"
"He's the actor who played the male lead's younger brother in the popular youth campus drama 'Youthful Sky' two years ago!"
“Um… I haven’t seen it.”
"Why is a child star like him here? This is a boy band audition, it has nothing to do with acting."
"What do you know? Talent shows can help you improve your looks. If you can attract some traffic, won't it be easier to get roles? It's not like no one has done that before."
"That's true. But doesn't the program advertise that all the contestants are amateurs?"
"You really believe it? This is all just a gimmick."
Listening to the whispers of other contestants around him, Mo Bei turned his gaze to the stage.
The boy before me was about sixteen or seventeen, with regular features. While not the type to instantly dazzle, he was quite endearing. In the jargon of the industry, he had the look of a true actor.
He held the microphone tightly in his hand and bowed respectfully to the judges in front of him.
"Hello, teachers. I'm Chang Jun."
Seeing the person coming, Ai Yao widened her eyes in surprise, "Xiao Chang, why are you here?"
Ai Yao and Chang Jun had played siblings in the past, but she hadn't expected to see them again after several years, not on a set or at an awards ceremony, but on a boy band talent show. This was truly beyond her expectations.
Perhaps because he saw a familiar face among the instructors, Chang Jun's fingers, which were tightly gripping the microphone, relaxed slightly.
"Well... I've loved singing and dancing since I was a kid, so when I saw this opportunity I wanted to challenge myself."
An Jun glanced down at his profile and raised his eyebrows, "You want to sing 'Electric Current'?"
"Electric Current" is a hit single from An Junze's former group, AIM. It's an intense dance track, featuring not only the deathly high notes at the end but also extensive rap sections. This requires extremely high basic skills and physical fitness from the singer.
The original song was shared by three members, but Chang Jun wanted to perform the entire song alone, which made the difficulty much higher.
What's more, as an actor, Chang Jun has never received professional singing and dancing training, so he has no idea how he will perform this song.
In fact, not only the original singer An Junze was not optimistic, but other contestants present also thought so.
It was not until the accompaniment sounded that the nervous boy on the stage changed his previous shyness and began to dance vigorously.
Contrary to the expected disastrous performance, the boy's dance moves were well-formed, and it was obvious that he had put in a lot of practice. Although his basic skills were not very good, it was clear that he was a promising talent with a good dancing sense.
As for singing, since I haven't received professional training, I can hear obvious flaws in my breathing. But for someone who has never received professional singing and dancing training, it's already pretty good.
In addition, his identity as a child actor has made him accustomed to facing the camera since he was a child, so his performance in the picture is very eye-catching.
To everyone's surprise, this underappreciated child star ultimately received a B. The mentors had originally intended to give him an A, but considering there were still 99 contestants left to perform, they decided to raise the bar. Furthermore, Chang Jun's performance wasn't flawless, so a B was a reasonable grade, as it would have been unfair to the other, more talented contestants.
In the director's room, director Zhuo Yanbin couldn't help but smile as he looked at the surprised faces on the screen.
Almost all the contestants present were carefully selected by the program team. If you judge them by their appearance, you will definitely be slapped in the face.
However, for their program team, the more scenes like this the better, so they don't have to worry about having no materials to use.
After Chang Jun left the stage, several other contestants came on stage. Perhaps because of the younger but potentially more promising Chang Jun, or perhaps simply because of their image and song selection, their performances didn't leave a particularly deep impression.
Until the next contestant comes on stage.
This is a very beautiful boy.
Not handsome or cool, but beautiful.
His androgynous face and shoulder-length hair make him look like a weak and beautiful boy who walked out of the apocalyptic comics of the last century.
"Hello, teachers. My name is Bai Li."
The boy named Bai Li had a nice voice. As soon as he opened his mouth, not only the other contestants around him, but even the mentors and hosts couldn't help but hold their breath.
Such a handsome man, with such a perfect voice, his next performance will surely shock the audience.
Thinking of this, many contestants showed envy and jealousy.
This is really the case of comparing yourself to others. It's okay that she's just good-looking, but her voice is also okay.
But they soon realized how wrong their perception was.
The moment the accompaniment sounded, the handsome man in front of him spoke.
Then, faces full of expectation froze in an instant, and were immediately filled with shock and disbelief.
Unlike the mentors and other contestants in the audience who were doubting their lives, Bai Li on the stage was singing with all her heart.
Looking at the dull faces in the picture, Director Zhuo behind the camera couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Although the production team pays great attention to talent when selecting contestants, not all contestants are equally talented. After all, if they were all of the same standard, how boring would the show be?
Everything needs comparison.
As a director, he always has to consider the ratings of the show.
Although Bai Li's vocals are truly horrible, he possesses an incredibly beautiful face. Placing someone like him on a show would certainly generate quite a bit of buzz. Not to mention his incredibly poor vocals.
When the show airs, his first stage performance might even be edited by netizens into a ghost video and widely circulated on the Internet. Wouldn’t that bring in traffic for the show?
Unlike the director who was happy to see it happen, the mentors and contestants on the stage had to endure nearly three minutes of piercing music.
I finally made it to the end of the performance without saying a word. The four mentors present all gave me an F.
However, Bai Li did not seem to be affected at all. Even after receiving an F, he still thanked the judge calmly and left the stage.
Seeing this, a contestant sitting to Mo Bei's left couldn't help but sigh, "This guy has a really good mentality. If it were me, I would have wanted to dig a hole right here and lie down in it."
Mo Bei, who had really lain in the pit, subconsciously glanced at the other party when he heard this.
The boy in front of me was not very old, probably around 20 years old. He was wearing a sporty outfit, a red headband on his head, and a pair of innocent puppy dog eyes, making him look like a naive college student.
Feeling Mo Bei's gaze, the boy turned his head. When their eyes met, he was startled suddenly -
"Oh my god... I remember now! You look like Mo Bei!"
Hearing the boy's sigh, the other contestants around looked over. Then they began to whisper:
“It seems a bit similar.”
"They're not just a little bit similar, they're exactly the same!"
"Although, who is Mo Bei?"
"He was an idol singer who passed away unexpectedly 20 years ago. My mom loved him back then. We still have his posters hanging in our house."
"My aunt too."
"I didn't expect there would be such similar people in this world."
"Indeed. I'm afraid even Mo Bei himself couldn't give birth to someone so similar."
"Do you think he has any blood relationship with Mo Bei?"
"How is it possible..."
Listening to the discussions around him, Mo Bei felt very uncomfortable. At this moment, the voice of the host on the stage saved him.
"The next contestant is Jiang Mo Nan."
"Please come on stage and perform."
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