Huayu 1992, my entertainment era

"Now, everything is ready except for the east wind. Who are you going to use as the newcomer?"

Both Leslie Cheung and Leon Lai were very curious about which newcomer Zhou Ziheng planned to find to join the group.

“Do you have anyone to recommend?”

As for which newcomer to join, Zhou Ziheng actually had a candidate in mind, but he still wanted to hear the two people's recommendations.

"How about Leo Ku?" This was recommended by Leslie Cheung.

"That's true, but I don't have a good relationship with Yineng Dongyin." Zhou Ziheng spread his hands.

Leo Ku is one of the few talented new singers in Hong Kong in recent years.

Zhou Ziheng also listened to his songs privately.

But! The bad thing is that he is now an entertainment music person.

Zhou Ziheng and ETtoday had a strained relationship because of the record release issue. Even if he chose a newcomer from another company, he would not choose ETtoday.

"I feel the one from Huaxing named Eason Chan is good." Leon Lai also recommended:
"The new member of Yinghuang, Xie Nicholas Tse, is also okay. He is the son of the fourth brother."

Zhou Ziheng nodded. Nicholas Tse was indeed good and a rare potential stock in the future of Hong Kong music scene.

However, Zhou Ziheng was still not satisfied.

"You must have a choice in mind! Just say it!"

Seeing Zhou Ziheng shaking his head repeatedly, Li Ming couldn't help but be speechless.

He could see that Zhou Ziheng already had a candidate in mind.

"Our company signed a newcomer in Formosa in September. He's not very old, only 18 years old, but he has great talent."

"So you want to use the newcomers in your own company." Li Ming said speechlessly.

"Haha, you must use newcomers from your own company! I always feel it's not worthwhile to promote newcomers from other companies."

After a pause, he looked a little serious and said, "Since our group has been named epoch-making.

Members, especially new members, must not be careless.

You have to choose someone who is capable.

As for singing skills, there is no point in choosing a good one among the three of us. It would be better to choose one with more talent.

This new employee in our company is very talented.

I think he will achieve great things in the future.”

"I'm actually a little interested in being praised for my talent by you. When can we meet?

Let me make it clear first, if he doesn’t satisfy me, I won’t care whether you recommended him or not, I will vote against him.”

Leslie Cheung looked interested, but he still gave Zhou Ziheng a warning.

In [Era-Landing], Zhou Ziheng is indeed the most popular.

But since the three of them have chosen to jointly own the copyright of the "Era-defining" brand, the rights of the three are the same.

In order to maintain the brand, Leslie Cheung did not want the people recommended by Zhou Ziheng to be ordinary people.

Although he felt that Zhou Ziheng would most likely not do so.

But who can guarantee this?

After all, he had never even heard of the name of this newcomer, and it was obvious at first glance that he was a complete newcomer.

Unlike the others he and Leon Lai recommended, they have already shown their talents in the music scene and are already recognized by many as potential newcomers.

"He won't let you down. Let's meet the day after tomorrow! He's still in Formosa now. I'll have him fly to Hong Kong from Formosa tomorrow."

"Just arrange it!"

Both Leon Lai and Leslie Cheung agreed.

"Okay, let's put the newcomers aside for now and finalize the plan for our group.

The three of us are forming a group together, so we definitely can't do it quietly, or it will be picked up by the media sooner or later.

So what I thought was, instead of being exposed, we should just be honest with the public.”

Zhou Ziheng made a suggestion.

“I think we can release some information to the media first, and then hold a press conference directly after the new people are in place.

Also, it certainly takes some time for a new company to be established.”

"That's no problem. What I'm thinking about now is, after the group is formed, should we start with activities first or after we release the album?"

"It's totally possible to do both at the same time. After all, you and I both have works, and we are not complete newcomers."

“Let’s hold a few concerts under the name of [Era-changing], and we’ll be singing a lot of our classic songs.

Then when you are free, Ziheng, please prepare the songs for the album and we will find time to record them."

"Yes, I think so too. Even though we all say that we are just having fun, we can't really do it. We still have to do the necessary business.

Rather than just playing around, I am now looking forward to how much money our group can make."

……

The four companies worked together and the preparations for the new company were quickly completed.

The new company, called Superstar Records, was located in Hong Kong and its business included record production, concert planning and record distribution.

After the company was established, Zhou Ziheng and three others immediately arranged for someone to register the brand name "Era-defining".

At the same time, Leslie Cheung and Leon Lai also met the newcomer that Zhou Ziheng mentioned.

Jay Chou.

Yes, the newcomer Zhou Ziheng was talking about is him.

In recent years, as Hengdong Records has grown gradually, the company has established offices in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Jay Chou was discovered by people from Hengdong Records’ Taiwan office on a show called “Super Newcomer”.

When Zhou Ziheng learned that the company had signed a new artist named Jay Chou, he took it very seriously and immediately asked for his information.

After finally confirming that it was the Jay Chou that I knew, I decided to choose him as the new member of the "epoch-making" group.

……

"Hello, teachers. I am Jay Chou."

At Superstar Records, Zhou Ziheng and two other people are interviewing Jay Chou.

Maybe it was the first time he faced three superstars of the Chinese pop music scene, he seemed very nervous and even stuttered a little.

Seeing this, Leslie Cheung and Leon Lai looked at Zhou Ziheng one after another, probably saying, "That's it?"

Turning back, Leslie Cheung said, "You should have listened to what your agent told you, your boss formed a group with the two of us.

The group needs four people, and we will select them from among the newcomers.

You are recommended by your boss.

He said you are very talented, but that was just his words and we felt it was not enough.

If you want to be part of the group, bring your stuff.”

Leslie Cheung is playing the bad guy.

Speaking of which, Leslie Cheung felt that he was really unlucky.

I have always been a good guy, always the good guy.

Today, Zhou Ziheng cannot interfere, and Liming doesn't even want to say any harsh words.

There is no other choice but to let him be the red-faced judge.

"Don't be nervous. Show us your abilities. What are you good at? I heard you can write songs. You can show us a song you have composed. There is a piano over there. Play it for us.

If you are really qualified, then you can become a member of the [epoch-making group].

Although it may sound a bit self-boasting, I still want to say this.

After our trio is formed, it should immediately bring quite a stir to the Chinese music scene.

Joining in will bring you benefits.

Apart from anything else, even if your share of the profits after joining the group is the lowest, it will still be a huge income.

You may not even imagine how many there are.”

Dawn spoke gently.

Zhou Ziheng kept his mouth shut and watched.

Today's assessment is an interview between Leslie Cheung and Leon Lai with Jay Chou.

If he passes and enters Landmark Records, and if they are not satisfied, then sorry, even if Jay Chou was recommended by Zhou Ziheng, he will have to go back to Hengdong Records.

"Huh!" Jay Chou nodded.

He is not a fool, he knows better than anyone how rare this opportunity is. A newcomer, who was still studying in school in the first half of the year and had just entered the entertainment industry, suddenly had such a big surprise befall him, which made him feel a little unreal.

After taking a look at Zhou Ziheng who had been silent behind the interview table, Jay Chou took out the song he had prepared in advance and handed it to Leslie Cheung.

Then he walked over to the piano next to him and sat down.

As soon as he sat down, the reserved feeling in him disappeared and he became confident.

He pressed his hands together, and a smooth melody jumped out from his hands.

Zhou Ziheng tapped the table lightly with his fingers following the rhythm of Jay Chou's music.

Among Jay Chou's songs, Zhou Ziheng's favorite is the tune.

The melodies of his songs are all very good, which may be related to his absolute pitch.

Although Zhou Ziheng had never heard the song Jay Chou was playing, from his professional perspective, it was actually a mature song.

Although Leon Lai and Leslie Cheung next to them are not famous for their creations, they still have the necessary musical qualities.

Especially Leslie Cheung, he also wrote some very good songs himself.

When they heard Jay Chou's song, they looked at each other and nodded silently.

"Anything else?" Leon Lai asked after Jay Chou finished his song.

Jay Chou lowered his head and thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, I have another song here that I think is pretty good. I just wrote it a few days ago."

"Play it and listen to it!" Leslie Cheung signaled.

Hearing this, Jay Chou did not hesitate and began to move his fingers quickly on the piano.

"what!"

Zhou Ziheng, who had not cared much about it, looked up in surprise when he heard the music.

It turned out to be "Ninja".

He didn't expect the song "Ninja" to come out so early.

But if you think about it carefully, it seems to have come out around this time.

It is said that Jay Chou submitted this song to A-Mei in 1998, but it was rejected.

Speaking of the music, "Ninja" is definitely an excellent song.

This song has a very strong sense of rhythm, and is the kind that is very catchy.

"Okay, that's enough, we recognize your ability.

Sing a song and let us see your singing skills and voice!"

After Jay Chou finished playing, Leslie Cheung spoke.

Perhaps it was because the performance just now gave him confidence that Jay Chou did not seem nervous at this moment.

He nodded and said, "Then I will sing a song "Blue and White Porcelain"!"

"Sure!" Li Ming nodded, then looked at Zhou Ziheng, "This song seems to be yours! I remember it's still on the charts."

Zhou Ziheng nodded and asked Jay Chou for the first time, "Do you need accompaniment?"

Jay Chou nodded.

Seeing this, Zhou Ziheng stood up and walked to the piano and sat down.

He started playing only after Jay Chou nodded.

"March walks by and the catkins fall"

"Lovers in a Hurry"

"My love is unmoved"

“Looking back at yesterday, it still feels warm”

……

Compared to his creations, Jay Chou's singing style is obviously not so easy to be accepted by people.

His pronunciation was not clear, so it was difficult to hear the lyrics he was singing.

Leslie Cheung and Leon Lai frowned because of this.

Actually it is not surprising.

In the early 2000s, Jay Chou was still criticized for his unclear pronunciation and was criticized by professional music critics.

Not to mention now.

But you have to admit that the way he sings makes the songs taste different from others.

Those who like it will like it very much.

After the performance, Leslie Cheung and his friend asked Jay Chou to wait outside while they discussed something.

“His writing ability is first-rate, and the two pieces he played were very good.”

“It’s good, but it feels different from mainstream music.”

"From the perspective of musical literacy, I agree that he should join the group, but the way he sings..."

The two discussed it and were somewhat hesitant.

"Everyone has their own style, right? Don't you and I have the same style?
His style may indeed be different from the mainstream, but who can be sure that he will not be successful in the future?

Besides, we are a group of four people, and his singing does not account for a large proportion of the performance.”

Seeing the two people hesitating, Zhou Ziheng interrupted.

"Then..." Leslie Cheung looked at Leon Lai.

"Let's choose him!" Leslie Cheung nodded in agreement.

"What about his share?" Leslie Cheung looked at Zhou Ziheng again.

"First give him 2% of the group's share, and then increase it if he performs well.

His share, whether it remains 2 percent or increases in the future, will be shared by the three of us.

You guys have no objection to this, right? "

Zhou Ziheng looked at the two of them.

"can!"

"I agree."

They both nodded in agreement.

"Then sign a contract with him in the name of the group!"

Seeing that both of them agreed, Zhou Ziheng made the final decision.

After confirming, the three of them walked out of the room.

At the door, Jay Chou was waiting there nervously.

Next to him was the agent assigned to him by Hengdong.

Seeing Zhou Ziheng and the other two coming out, Jay Chou, who was originally sitting, immediately stood up and looked at them expectantly.

"You passed, get ready to sign the contract!"

Zhou Ziheng walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Passed!" Jay Chou's eyes lit up, and he looked very excited. "Did I really pass? I'm going to form a group with the three most popular kings in the Chinese music scene?"

"Yes, this is not a dream!" Liming came over.

"The performance was very good. I look forward to our cooperation!" Leslie Cheung also said with a smile.

The four of them will play together in a group in the future, and they don’t mind leaving a good impression on Jay Chou.

"Go sign the contract first!"

Zhou Ziheng understood his excitement.

He thought he would have been more excited if he could have formed a group with Alan Tam and Leslie Cheung when he first debuted.

After all, this is a combination that is destined to attract huge attention once it is established.

It is no exaggeration to say that the moment Jay Chou became a member of this group, it meant that he would receive huge attention.

This kind of attention is almost as much as that of a first-line star.

Of course, he will definitely face some doubts in the early stages.

But these doubts are nothing compared to the attention it has brought.

If Jay Chou wants to prove himself, with this wave of support, he will enter the ranks of superstars faster and earlier than in his previous life.

(End of this chapter)