Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 139: Old friends meet and their status rises

It starts with "If I Can't Have You" and ends with "In My Blood".

The medley performance of three songs ended with the whole audience singing “I live by my own”.

The moment the music ended, Shen Juan came out of his fully focused performance state, then with a smile on his face, he performed a simple knight's salute and bowed slightly to thank the audience for their praise and applause.

The audience's reaction suddenly became more enthusiastic.

There were continuous screams and cheers, some even threw their bras up to Shen Juan to prove their support and love for him with practical actions.

Damn! 36G? Ward hair!

Shen Juan really wanted to find out who the owner of this bra was and see if it was really that big, but considering that Minnesota was the sad place where Dongzi fell.

There was no other way, Shen Juan could only wait until the on-site security temporarily controlled the situation before he picked up the microphone again and started talking to the fans and audiences in the audience.

“This is Alex Shen from China! Thank you Minneapolis, thank you NFL, thank you Super Bowl, thank you the best musicians behind me, thank you all the security and staff on the scene, thank you all for your passionate screams, which allowed me to enjoy such an amazing stage atmosphere, so I sincerely hope that everyone can enjoy a happy weekend!”

"For me, this is not the end, but a brand new beginning. We will definitely meet often in the future. I promise. I love you guys so much!"

So the performance, which was not grand in stage design but made up for it in the atmosphere, came to an end.

Shen Juan returned to the backstage and packed his things to go back to the hotel. There was nothing fun in Minnesota at the moment. It was dark and cold, and the security was not as stable as in China. He was worried that if he went out to shoot the Vlog, his camera would be stolen.

However, before leaving, he met an unexpected old friend backstage who came especially for him, a senior in the music industry whom he respected and liked very much.

So we decided to change the destination at the last minute and brought everyone to a hot pot restaurant near the University of Minnesota, which has a good reputation among international students, to enjoy the special cuisine of Charis, which is rare in the United States.

Shen Juan, his agent and assistant, and David Tao sat down around a round table, enjoying the steaming hot pot served by the waiter and savoring the feeling of their bodies gradually warming up. Then everyone started chatting and laughing about the performance.

"Brother David, how was my performance just now?" Shen Juan asked for advice on stage performances as usual, just like when he participated in "Star Asia".

The difference is that he was a low-level trainee who was looking for a debut opportunity, and Tao Zhe was a judge and mentor.

And now?
Both of them have already debuted as artists.

Even to some extent, such as connecting with the world, Shen Juan has already surpassed Tao Zhe.

"Alex, your performance was really great! To be honest, three years ago I could never have imagined that the trainee named Shen Juan could perform so well three years later. Tonight, when I was watching your performance from the audience, I found that the audience around me was completely immersed in your performance. It was just like a concert. You have become a very mature and accomplished singer and creator."

As a passerby with no work assignments, Tao Zhe appreciated and evaluated Shen Juan's performance from the perspective of an audience member, and took the time to observe the reactions and attitudes of other audience members around him to Shen Juan's performance. Obviously, he saw it more comprehensively and carefully than Shen Juan who was performing on the stage.

"That's because you demonstrated it correctly, Brother David." Shen Juan took a sip of the pearl milk tea that had been specially modified to cater to local aesthetics. The taste was actually quite good. This kind of thing is delicious as long as it is not modified too much.

"Haha, you're flattering me again." Tao Zhe didn't expect the "I cooked the wrong meal" joke.

After all, he is a fifty-year-old man, and his exposure to the Internet is limited. He cannot understand and grasp the latest network trends and hot topics as quickly as young people.

"What do you mean?"

"When you were recording the show, you said that your favorite singer was me, but I saw an interview online a while ago and found that you said your favorite singer was Jay Chou."

"Brother David, you should also know that this kind of thing is used to deal with the media."

Shen Juan didn't feel embarrassed because "speaking differently to different people" is a very common thing in the entertainment industry.

It is not uncommon to use relatively exaggerated descriptions during interviews in order to highlight one's respect for predecessors.

"Okay, then I have another very curious question for you. I remember that you were also very good at dancing when you were recording the show. Why don't you dance now? As far as I know, singing and dancing singers are a scarce resource in Europe and the United States. As long as you have the strength of a second-tier singer, you can generally get the popularity of first-tier fans."

This is also the core competitiveness of Kpop in the US.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, there are very few boy bands or girl bands here, and most of the groups just sing or perform as a band, with basically no dance parts.

Therefore, the emergence of Kpop idol groups just fills this market gap.

Of course, most middle-aged white men cannot appreciate this kind of culture. They think that BTS and the like are just effeminate gays with heavy makeup. There are too many videos online of people retching to express disgust when they hear BTS songs or see BTS.

Shen Juan thought for a moment and replied with a smile: "Actually there are two reasons, a direct reason and a fundamental reason. Which one do you want to hear first, David?"

"The root cause."

"I don't like dancing, and if I choreograph and design the stage as a singer and dancer, they will mention my previous trainee status and attribute my success to the successful output of the K-pop idol training system. I don't like being confined to a certain framework, and I don't want to be associated with K-pop."

It’s no big deal for a Korean to say he has South Korean ancestry, because everyone knows it’s impossible and will just treat it as a joke.

However, if you say that he is an artist trained by the Kpop system, then he really can't find any reasons to refute it, because he does have some experience as a trainee.

Even though he follows a completely different path from Kpop artists, his fans don’t care about that when they start quarreling.

"What about the direct cause?"

"I don't know who spilled water on the stage, so I couldn't walk too fast because the ground was full of water."

Tao Zhe felt vaguely that this sentence seemed a little familiar, but after all, he was old and his memory was not good, so he just thought it was his illusion and didn't think about it anymore.

"Then Alex, why do you want to make music? I mean, how did you suddenly want to become an idol trainee?" He then asked a question that he was somewhat concerned about. He was very interested in Shen Juan, so he was curious about Shen Juan's core driving force.

"To be honest, I don't know. Maybe it's because I like the feeling of standing on the stage and being greeted with cheers and screams. Or maybe it's because I admire those singers and idols shining brightly on the stage."

Shen Juan thought for a moment, then answered seriously: "So I just put it into action. In fact, I don't really like music creation that much. I just like the feeling of the world focusing on you. I am a very utilitarian person."

As an artist, there are only three paths.

Acting, being an actor.

Sing, be a singer.

Record variety shows and be a variety show star.

As for acting, although all the directors he has worked with say that Shen Juan has great acting talent and a promising future, he doesn’t really feel that he likes this job. Rather than getting into other people’s emotions and experiencing other people’s lives, he prefers to live his own life.

As for variety show hosts, it is important to know one's own limitations. He is not good at being funny, and he knows this very well.

So on the whole, only relying on the memory of the past life to go the music route is more in line with his current actual needs:
Not only can you make a lot of money to improve the material living conditions of yourself and your family, but you can also achieve your goals and ideals and become the object of many people's admiration on the stage.

"Wow." Tao Zhe was a little surprised. He never expected that Shen Juan's answer would be so honest.

Because as an original musician who makes a living by writing and singing songs, even if he really has other purposes, he should at least say some decent-sounding words to fool his fans and listeners. After all, this is the trend of the entire circle, and he has been doing this all these years.

So it was inevitable that I was a little surprised for a moment when I suddenly heard such an unconcealed and honest answer.

However, Tao Zhe has been in the circle for nearly 30 years and has been in the industry for 20 years. He is a veteran. What kind of people has he not seen?
To a certain extent, Shen Juan even became his substitute, saying many things and attitudes that were difficult for him to say and express.

He also thinks Shen Juan's attitude is actually quite cool and very hip-hop-like, and he likes it very much.

The entire Chinese hip-hop community is scolding him for being shameless and ungrateful, but it is he, who is called the "hip-hop traitor", who has the most hip-hop spirit.

I don't know whether to feel sad or funny.

After calming down a bit, Tao Zhe said to Shen Juan very seriously: "In this case, you should remember your current feeling and ideal. The purpose of every performance in the future should be this. Try to make the audience cheer and scream for you, and make yourself the goal and object of their longing in their hearts."

"Actually, a few days ago, when I was on the plane to the United States, I was still thinking, I will be fifty in another year. In fact, in my life, I still have many dreams to fulfill and many things I want to do, so I feel that I am really racing against time, and I have been losing because I am afraid that I don’t have enough time."

"But you are different. You still have plenty of time and opportunities, so do whatever you want to do now. You just need to know not to regret it."

"What about you, Brother David? Is there anything you regret?" Shen Juan put down the milk tea in his hand, restrained his smile, and looked at the senior sitting right in front of him.

"Now I can face myself calmly." Tao Zhe did not give a direct answer.

"Yeah." Shen Juan nodded silently, as if he understood, and said no more about it. So this slightly heavy and sad topic was just brought to an end.

Meanwhile, it was morning in the country.

The news media that received first-hand information about the end of Shen Juan's performance naturally began to make efforts and wrote articles promoting Shen Juan in order to attract netizens to click and discuss.

[What is the quality of the "American Spring Festival Gala" performed by Shen Juan? Also on the "international dream" of domestic artists]

[The first Chinese to appear in the Super Bowl, do you know this person? ]

[666! He is the first Chinese star to appear on the US Spring Festival Gala! ]

[What do you think of Shen Juan's performance at the Super Bowl Live? ]

There are quite a few media outlets that use relatively exaggerated article titles to attract traffic from netizens, but that's normal. After all, this news is indeed worth exaggerating.

Shen Juan is the undisputed number one.

Of course, it cannot be said that stars who are very popular abroad and who improve the overall image of Chinese artists abroad will definitely become extremely popular after returning to China.

After all, in this era, with the significant improvement of living conditions, the vast majority of people just want to live a good life in their own little piece of land.

Exporting and changing the international image is not our duty, nor is it our responsibility or obligation.

Therefore, the most popular figures in the domestic entertainment industry at this stage are still the three little Cheer Boys who precisely cater to the needs of the fan circle.

But it cannot be denied that there is a large group of netizens in China who did not pay much attention to the entertainment industry before. After this incident, they all have a higher opinion of Shen Juan, a top star who has mixed online reputation (he is okay in the sinking market, but has very bad reviews in the fan circle). They think this young man is very good and has allowed foreigners to see the vigor of Chinese youth.

Especially when they saw the fan-shot videos shot by fans at the scene and sent back to China, and saw the group of foreign fans who were fascinated by Shen Juan and screaming like crazy, they were filled with admiration and immediately felt a sense of honor.

If this happened in China, they would say they need to practice more and that they can create such a scene by just pulling out some traffic.

But this happened abroad, and being able to make all these white and black people in the audience excited to the point of blushing was a remarkable achievement.

Because the only Chinese people who could make foreign people so crazy about chasing stars can probably be traced back to Big Brother Cheng.

Therefore, for Shen Juan himself, this "national debut" stage is not only a good start to enter the North American market, but also a leap forward in all aspects in China.

Moreover, he unknowingly represented the will of many people and took on responsibilities that he originally did not want to take on.

If the entire country and the entire market are complacent and have no intention of going global, then don't blame others for not knowing and understanding you, and for misunderstanding you.

There was no way before because the soft power of cultural output was insufficient and there was a lack of young talent in the entertainment industry. After Jackie Chan, there have been no more movie stars or singers who have the qualifications and ability to go abroad.

But it's different now.

Now there is a younger Shen Juan with a future full of more possibilities.

Relevant departments naturally also noticed the emergence of this new-age entertainment talent.

Therefore, more interesting or more exciting things also came out.

Many mainstream media that were previously isolated from entertainment news, even including the most prestigious and valuable News Broadcast, gave Shen Juan ample face, allowing him to appear gloriously in front of the people across the country, as if they were cultivating him into a high-quality idol of the new era.

As a result, the online reviews about Shen Juan seemed to have suddenly become better.

【I burst into tears when I heard Shen Juan say “This is Alex Shen from China.” As an old lady who has studied abroad and followed the Korean entertainment industry, I really understand that when working hard abroad, because you miss your hometown and love your country deeply, the words “I am from China” really give you strength. Shen Juan, you said what a Chinese person should say abroad. Your presence and words and deeds will definitely give local international students unparalleled strength. You are really great! 】

[Although I am not his fan and I don't chase stars, I do know that his number of fans on Instagram is almost the same as his number on Weibo, which means he has a lot of fans abroad, even as many as those in the domestic entertainment industry. Considering that our country's reputation overseas has always been not very good, the value and significance of such a star is still quite large.]

[As a man, I have to admit that I am attracted by Shen Juan's handsomeness. I feel that his fans are the type who dare to say loudly that they like Shen Juan without being laughed at by people who don't chase stars. It is indeed a blessing to be his fan.]

[From an unknown trainee to an idol who set off a talent show storm in South Korea, to a rapper who triggered a hip-hop craze in China, and now to the all-around singer who makes Americans scream, Shen Juan has experienced a lot, but his original intention has never changed. I really suggest that other stars in the domestic entertainment industry learn from him. I don’t ask you to go abroad, but at least you should fulfill the most basic social obligations of a public figure in China! ]

While expanding their popularity and building influence overseas, they are also leveraging their achievements overseas to achieve a leap in artist status in China.

What he is doing now and the achievements he has made can no longer be summed up in a simple sentence like "going abroad to gain experience so that he can reap profits when he returns home".

　The Mid-Autumn Festival is over and it’s time to go back to work. Since I have to go to the movie "Grandma's Grandson" with a friend in the evening, there is only one update today (I will write more in this chapter). Thank you all for your recommendation votes, monthly votes and subscription support!
　　BTW: I heard that this movie has received very good reviews and is very tear-jerking, a high standard that domestic movies of the same theme cannot reach. I'll go and see what's going on.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)