Chapter 46: A Grand Entrance
When it comes to venues in Hong Kong suitable for concerts, regardless of the merits of other venues, exhibition halls, hotels, and nightclubs, there is one place that holds special significance for singers.
The first place is the well-known Hong Kong Coliseum, the ultimate "holy land" in the hearts of all singers and Hong Kong music fans.
The Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall is associated with the legendary Cantonese singer known as the "God of Songs." He held his first solo concert there, making him the first Hong Kong singer to hold a solo concert. Ten years later, when the Hong Kong Coliseum, a sacred venue for Cantonese pop music, was completed, he was the first singer to hold a solo concert there. All these factors combined have given the City Hall Concert Hall a special place in the hearts of singers, making it a place where "dreams take flight."
Even if one cannot become a superstar in both singing and acting like the original God of Songs, starting at the City Hall and reaching the pinnacle at the Hong Kong Coliseum is enough to inspire countless people with dreams in music to strive and fight for it.
As for the Hong Kong City Stadium, which flashed by like a shooting star, it was banned from holding concerts there due to complaints of "noise pollution"—but whether it was really noise pollution or there was another reason is unknown to ordinary people like them.
After all, the surrounding area is a well-known luxury residential area, and the rich often have more tricks and confusing ideas than the poor.
The government initially had high hopes for the stadium to generate revenue when it was allowed to host concerts, and the first applicant to be approved was the well-known singer and music icon, Anthony Lun.
Neither team was going to back down, and after the dispute and investigation, the venue rental procedures had already been agreed upon and completed—who would have thought that this matter would cause another upheaval later?
This is also a relatively famous "accident" in the history of Hong Kong singers' concerts. Even a top singer like Lun Yongnan could only helplessly accept this outcome: the pure gold song concert that he had spent a lot of money to prepare for a long time and originally planned to hold six shows in a row was ultimately only half of the planned number.
And what's most absurd is that a reporter photographed the wealthy man who reported him for noise pollution, who had attended his concert with his whole family the night before...
Is this the legendary "eating noodles from the bowl and turning the bowl upside down"?
Although the unexpectedly halved concert infuriated Lun Yongnan and his fans at the time, and he was overcome with emotion and shed tears several times during the performance, it gradually evolved into a struggle between the entertainment industry, ordinary people, and the wealthy class; but
Undeniably
Lun Yongnan's concert at the Grand Stadium was the "most spectacular concert since the opening of the port" in the history of concerts in Hong Kong. It was also the concert in which Lun Yongnan was in the best condition and was of milestone significance in his performing career.
So, in this era of frequent bizarre incidents, even a top-tier artist like Bao Yi Yin can be treated like this. For Li Si Shi, a newcomer, encountering a situation where her song was temporarily taken away seems like a "minor matter."
After all, her company has a long history of engaging in "fighting," from Zhao's films to TBL TV and Huasheng Records, they are very effective at fighting external enemies and also quite forceful when fighting their own people...
Especially in the television industry, TBL, which has rivals but still dominates, has been plagued by factions and internal strife for many years. Contracted artists can only choose sides selectively. Not to mention whether they will become orphans when a faction collapses, if they don't find a faction to rely on, they will easily become a thorn in the side of all factions.
Once you become a thorn in the side of all the factions, resources are practically nonexistent; you should be secretly laughing if they don't find an excuse not to renew your contract.
Under these circumstances, this concert, featuring a compilation of new songs by all the new artists from Huasheng, was fraught with suspicion: from the very beginning, under the guise of a "surprise," only the singers' names were announced without a detailed program; then, during rehearsals, staff were arranged to coordinate so that the singers would come in order, sing their own songs, and leave to a quiet dressing room on the other side after their performances, so that they would only have a general idea of the order of appearance and the types of songs performed by others...
Outsiders would think there was something wrong with this operation, but it just so happens to happen in a company of this caliber. And to be honest, this level of mutual distrust is not a big deal here. On the contrary, the various factions on the TV station are openly and covertly attacking each other's artists, which is even more interesting.
Those who are clearly talented but have never won an award, and those who are so incompetent that they leave the audience bewildered, are the products of this kind of struggle and conflict.
Given this situation, Li Sishi had only seen the other people in this scene during the initial rehearsal when they were all together.
And let's not forget, the once-glorious Huasheng is now truly nearing its end. Apart from a few top figures holding the fort, everyone else is just a nobody. There isn't even a single familiar face who, according to Huasheng's tradition of fading into obscurity, will be playing a supporting role in the future of projection television...
The most familiar one has to be Guo Luyun, her competitor.
As the "top female" among the newcomers, Guo Luyun was only born earlier than Li Sishi, who was heavily promoted by Ms. Zhuang.
This approach, which saves the most important performers for last, is a classic example of "putting the best last." A classic example is when the four Heavenly Kings performed together in recent years; top stars like Lingchen were usually placed first or last, otherwise, if he finished singing early, a large group of fans who came for him would leave in a flash...
Unexpectedly, it was under such favorable circumstances that Guo Luyun made this shady move of stealing songs by taking advantage of the order of performance.
The two people behind her... surely they weren't that stupid?
Otherwise, how could he have fought with Miss Zhuang for so long before withdrawing?
"It shouldn't have been done by that couple surnamed Chen, but rather she did it herself in private. Once people are blinded by jealousy and anger, they might do things they never thought they would do," Lu Yiting said while arranging the cooperation. "I roughly know why she would do this..."
"Because Guo Luyun always thought that the song 'My Beloved' was hers for the taking, but then you suddenly appeared—in the absence of a tiger in the mountains, she had already been praised a bit too much, after all, among the newcomers signed by Huasheng in recent years, she was the only one who had barely made it."
If Guo Luyun's other identity is not that of a younger relative of the Chen couple, and not one of their natural "insiders", how could they have given such an unintelligent person the best resources and promoted her to the top when compared to other newcomers who signed at the same time and whose abilities were roughly equal?
It was precisely because of this unbreakable bond of being one of their own that even though Guo Luyun did many foolish things, the Chen couple still protected her wholeheartedly. Li Sishi, a newcomer to the industry, didn't know, but Lu Yiting had heard that Guo Luyun had previously done things like relying on the Chen couple's backing to bully younger artists, and that she had taken a fancy to songs that others had obtained through other channels, so she had the Chen couple use their power to force her to exchange the songs.
Guo Luyun's actions this time, besides being an irrational outburst of anger, also seemed to be a gamble: Li Sishi has been promoting herself as a beauty and a brain since the Miss Hong Kong pageant, and her recent EP has received good reviews, but unfortunately she has not yet tried performing live.
This isn't the kind of a cappella or backing vocals that you learn in class; it's a real live performance on stage, which will test whether she can hold concerts in the future and how well they will be performed.
Some people are talented and good at creating a lively atmosphere; these are the most sought-after and can be nurtured with significant resources. Others are talented but lack social skills; however, they work hard to learn how to create a lively atmosphere and gradually improve, showing promise and potential. As for those who are talented but lack social skills… sorry, the market is only so big.
If your concert doesn't perform well and subsequent ticket sales are low, your career is probably over.
Back then, Shang Hanyou and his partner, who was a kept man, were initially about the same level in terms of ability.
However, the former knew that singing alone wasn't enough for a concert, so he worked hard to learn to sing fast-paced dance songs, create a lively atmosphere, and design a well-paced rhythm, which is why he is now a superstar. The latter, on the other hand, still insists that being able to sing well is the only truth, and his concerts are just about singing on stage for hours. In the end, people say, "Instead of going to his concert, it's better to just buy an album and listen to it."
Now that Guo Luyun has forcibly taken Li Sishi's song, if Li Sishi can't mount a strong counterattack, then tomorrow we'll see the Chen couple resorting to their usual tactic of "exposing dirt on Guo Luyun" to cover for her.
—For example, Li Sishi is actually a master of fabrication, claiming to be a studio singer, to have a live performance that goes silent, to have an ultimate disaster performance... Even though discerning people can hear the difference between a studio singer and a truly talented singer, there will always be ignorant people in the world who will believe these fabricated rumors.
To say Guo Luyun isn't stupid is an understatement; she's foolish enough to openly set a trap for Li Sishi and pit her against Li Sishi in the competition. But to say she's stupid is also an understatement; she deliberately and systematically stole a slow song, putting Li Sishi, who went on stage after her, at a great disadvantage. Even if they could find a new song to fill the gap in time, the audience's patience, worn down by the ten or twenty minutes of interruption—watching the dance performances and the stage setup—would be insufficient to allow them to quietly listen to Li Sishi sing a sentimental ballad.
To break the deadlock beautifully, you need a catchy and energetic song to liven up the dull atmosphere, leave a deep impression, and truly bring the treasure back to the bottom.
After discussing the general revisions with her backup dancers, Li Sishi's gaze returned to the sheet music in her hands: "I was just trying to compete with you in terms of seniority, connections, and resources, but you turned around and thought I was in your way, stealing my chance to shine..."
So, let me show you what it's really like to sing and dance, thanks to the energetic singing and dancing of the "Hong Kong Coliseum Fitness Coach"!
Tonight, they are both unfortunate and fortunate.
Upon seeing the song that Li Sishi had treasured, Lu Yiting, who was usually calm and composed, was unusually excited: as long as the backup dancers and accompaniment did not falter and kept up, and if Li Sishi had the ability to sing the song well, she would definitely make Miss Zhuang see an extremely beautiful comeback tomorrow!
Seeing that the staff had come over to signal them to prepare to go on stage, Lu Yiting looked at the beautiful and lovely girl in front of her, whom she had spotted at first glance when Miss Zhuang brought her the photo, and felt a sense of pride, as if she were witnessing her daughter's blossoming youth.
Cheng felt both relieved and worried.
However, Lu Yiting didn't say anything in the end, but just nodded encouragingly to Li Sishi.
Li Sishi, who was all ready to go, nodded in response and then led the remaining dancers forward in the formation they had agreed upon earlier.
According to tonight's stage design, there will be no lights when the singers come on stage. They will have to find their place by themselves, trying their best to ignore the already considerable noise from the audience, and wait for the accompaniment to start before the spotlight shines on the center of the stage.
"Next, please enjoy the last song of the evening—Li Sishi's 'A Grand Entrance'!"
The noise in the audience subsided, and the next second a highly rhythmic melody began to play, like a fiercely burning bonfire. Every note seemed to strike one's heart, and every spark seemed to scorch one's spirit!
oh?
Hearing the exhilarating intro and the singer's name, many in the audience became interested in the last song that was being kept under wraps: Were Huasheng's two most promising newcomers exchanging their signature styles to release new songs tonight?
Guo Luyun's previous performance was not bad, but it lacked emotion. The song was a typical gentle love song. Ordinary people might not be able to hear it, but industry insiders could immediately hear the stagnation that, although it sounded good, always felt like it was forced and unconvincing.
Guo Luyun's previous attempt at a career change didn't work out, and her live performances aren't great either. Everyone with a discerning eye thinks she should first solidify her original image before having her record label seriously consider a career change... but unexpectedly...
Li Sishi, who has never performed live in front of an audience before, surprised everyone with her debut performance tonight by switching to an even more "difficult" singing and dancing routine.
When the beam of light shone on the center of the stage and illuminated the figure who was slightly bowing and facing the audience, a feeling of being amazed and deeply moved quietly arose in the hearts of many.
"Be careful, sit tight, the fighter jet is about to take off/launch will be in tens of seconds..." In the extremely exciting accompaniment, Li Sishi's singing voice seemed simple to the point of being pure, and it was as if she always wanted to take a ride to tens of millions of feet in the air to appreciate the beautiful scenery at high altitude and to receive the ultimate baptism of dawn and clouds.
"Don't be impatient, my vocal cords have already been warmed up / This song is about to bombard us like a bomb..." As the chorus of the ** part was about to arrive, both Li Sishi, the singer, and the dancers increased the intensity of their movements, bringing with them the song's overwhelming power and propelling the entire song onto the desk of the important person in charge.
Without a doubt, Li Sishi completely mastered this brand-new dance song, and even the difficulty of the dance moves was much greater than that of the other performers.
As for the design and power of this energetic song and dance performance, it is a level that Guo Luyun, who is currently taking the singing and dancing route, may find difficult to reach for a long time.
The audience at the scene also began to follow the progress of the song, letting those moving notes transform into a fiercely burning bonfire in their eyes and hearts, and gradually adding more and more firewood to fuel their passion and enthusiasm!
"I'll perform until you see me in a new light, releasing my suppressed energy on stage / Conquering this hall and revealing my brilliance / Let me be the queen tonight..."
The moment the beautiful princess dons her battle armor is the moment the new queen makes her grand entrance.
"Millions of songs take turns to appear on the charts, recording countless glorious moments / No matter who reigns supreme or rules in the future..."
"Nothing can compare to my impressive display tonight!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
