Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 392 Sweeping the Grand Prize, Dominating the Crown

If Shen Juan's sweep of the awards season this year with "Leviathan" means that he has completely gained the respect and recognition of the mainstream music scene, then the comeback of "Circles" to win the top spot six months after its release means that Shen Juan has a stable fan base and market influence that can consistently produce number one singles.

From now on, the general public in Europe and America will regard him as a mainstream singer like Taylor Swift.

Unlike outsiders like BTS and BLACKPINK, who are discarded after losing their novelty, they are not.

Although non-mainstream singers like them often receive preferential treatment in terms of public opinion, after all, no matter how bad American entertainment is, at least the official slogan is diversity. In addition, East Asian fandoms are often very good at generating data, which can bring a lot of clicks to the media reporting on their idols.

Therefore, American media outlets are happy to praise them in order to gain public relations fees and fan traffic.

Universal Music spent a lot of money on media and well-known music review magazines like Rolling Stone to promote Shen Juan in order to quickly enter the North American market. As a result, many music review websites either rated his albums as perfect albums or touted him as the JB of Asia or even the new generation of MJ.

Some even went so far as to haile him as the Beatles of the 21st century, claiming that his meteoric rise not only injected vitality into Asian artists but also influenced all Gen Z artists. They argued that he represented not only the music industry but also the ultimate form of artist development in the current streaming era.

Just go for the most exaggerated way possible.

Although he attracted a lot of criticism and controversy, with domestic haters jokingly calling him "Pijiantu" and "Industry Bro," it also brought him and his new album a lot of extra attention.

At the very least, it makes many people want to see if the "New Era MJ" and the "21st Century Beatles" really have the ability.

To some extent, this foreshadowed Shen Juan's rapid conquest of North American audiences after Leviathan's release.

After all, when someone you previously thought was just bragging and then actually produces an album that is groundbreaking and captivates your ears, all your previous slander and insults will turn into guilt, and further fuel your fanatical conversion, gradually turning you into his fan or even a devoted follower.

Undoubtedly, turning excessive praise and malicious flattery into nourishment is one of Shen Juan's proudest abilities.

Moreover, according to street survey data in the United States:
Across all age groups, nearly 75% of respondents said that Shen Juan was the Asian who impressed them the most.

97% of young people under the age of 25 said that when they think of Asian stars, Shen Juan is the first one that comes to mind.

91% of young girls chose Shen Juan over the healthy and sunny Shen Juan and the disgraced Justin Bieber.

Even those who, after falling into the fanaticism of converts, look down on their compatriots the most and can't stand seeing them succeed, are embarrassed to openly say they hate Shen Juan. After all, he has not only become the "Pride of Asia" in the media, but also the "Pride of Minorities" in the hearts of many Asians.

Two years, two full-length English albums.

截至目前
Six number-one singles: ranked fourth among all new/super-generation singers, and second among male singers, tied with Bieber.

Eight singles with over 10 billion plays: He is the undisputed number one male and female singer of his generation, with no one even coming close to him.

(Sound of the Sky has only really developed in the last two years, so Shen Juan didn't suffer too much in terms of time accumulation.)

The world tour, which has already secured the year's box office crown, is aiming to break historical records and reach a billion US dollars in box office revenue.

It has physical sales, streaming media, tours, and star power.

There's a popular pairing with "A Copycat of A Copycat" Alexana that has short-term popularity comparable to "North American Unforgettable" Jelena.

Some people have a charitable persona that involves frequently going to minority communities to do charity work and taking the lead in initiating donations.

Thanks to the rhythm of the race knights and the grass-cutting eyebrow boat a while ago, there was drama, and now there are awards.

He also maintains a public, close friendship with top singers like Marlon, Bieber, and Taylor.

Even the Kardashian family, North America's largest influencer community, maintains a fairly good personal relationship with him.

He did almost everything that would positively benefit his career and that he was currently able to do.

This is the answer sheet that Shen Juan submitted.

Although it seems a bit too comprehensive and too difficult.

But this is a necessary measure.

After all, if one wants to firmly grasp the ecological niche of "high-quality idol," monopolize all the benefits of the persona, and become the opinion leader and spiritual sustenance of Generation Z in the United States, one must do as much as possible and occupy a place in the hearts of Generation Z through various means and methods.

(Shen Juan's debut persona was that of a sunny, handsome, and talented young man like Shawn Mendes, as well as a playboy heartthrob who is very popular in Europe and America. This meant that he was competing with many people for a living. However, after transforming into a high-quality idol that is rare in the market and starting to output a lot of values ​​this year, he has become a one-man show.)

In short, he has laid a solid foundation for developing into a well-rounded, all-around warrior over the past two years.

As long as there are no major upheavals, as long as the quality of his works does not decline significantly, and as long as there is no major scandal, his future development can definitely be described as bright!
Once you wear the title of "World's Number One Male Player," a symbol of honor and glory, you won't easily take it off.

From the 25th to the 27th, they performed at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, which can hold 80,000 people.

Shen Juan also took this opportunity to show off his excellent language skills, interacting with the audience in Spanish throughout the event. He then shouted out "Hala Madrid," a phrase he usually couldn't say due to Nana's status as a promotional ambassador, which caused the 70,000 audience members to erupt in cheers and screams.

Ironically, because Shen Juan shared a backstage photo with Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez and several Real Madrid stars on Instagram, many netizens joked that Pérez was about to trigger the release clause, forcibly bringing Shen Juan's talent from the cold and damp North London to the warm Madrid.

If true, then Nana's viral jokes will increase again, and Nana's fans will be teased to the point of breaking down once more.

Immediately after
Shen Juan then rushed to Hungary to accompany Cheng Xiao to complete the second half of the recording of "Wandering the World".

(Specific details will be available when the program airs.)
After a night of thick peach tea, Shen Juan and his group boarded a chartered private plane on the last day of October and flew to Mexico, the next stop on Leviathan's world tour.

"The East Asia tour will officially begin after the Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro concerts next week."

As is customary, Yangyang Jin used the flight time to communicate with Shen Juan and confirm the specific work matters for the next step.

"First of all, in addition to the scheduled concert schedule, you also need to find time to complete the remaining production work of the Japanese EP, as well as the pre-recording of the 18 Festival stage and the Kohaku Uta Gassen stage."

As Yangyang Jin spoke, she pointed to the corresponding items on the screen with her finger. "So the schedule will be very tight. You may have to wait until the end of the year to go back to China for your tour before you can relax a little. Because I have turned down all the award ceremonies and fashion events at the end of this year, except for Tencent's Star Awards and Tao's iQiyi Scream Night."

"What about Sina Weibo Night?"

"It clashed with the Singapore concert."

"Ok."

Shen Juan pinched the bridge of his nose and began to think about how to squeeze out time from his busy schedule to complete these tasks.

Aside from China, the Leviathan Era East Asia tour only has two stops: Tokyo and Seoul, South Korea.

They're playing the scarcity marketing game, not feeding the market too much.

Then, in between, there were two concerts held in Santa Clara while attending the AMA awards ceremony in the United States.

He plans to release this Japanese EP at the end of the year, so that it will be released at the beginning of next year, thus maintaining the momentum and keeping fans entertained at all times.

So we really have to work overtime to finish it.

As for this pre-recording of the Red and White Song Festival, Shen Juan actually did this last year after he became a sensation in Japan.

The organizers recognized Shen Juan's influence among young people in Japan and made an exception to invite him to participate.

Therefore, with global development reaching new heights this year, the few remaining obstacles from all sides have naturally vanished.

The Japanese are begging him for help! How could they possibly give up real benefits for the sake of so-called national dignity?
"Then there's the concert performance guest. Actually, many artists and groups want to get this opportunity. Do you have any ideas?" Yangyang Jin looked at Shen Juan with a questioning look in her eyes.

Shen Juan pondered for a moment.

Several names came to mind.

The confirmed acts are King Gnu from Tokyo Station and YOASOBI, who will be officially debuting with a single soon.

Both of them are signed to the Starlink label, they are on the same side, and they are also an important part of Starlink's reach across the Asia-Pacific region.

As for Seoul Station.
BLACKPINK, which Kim Jisoo belongs to; (G)I-DLE, which Song Yuqi belongs to; and IZ*ONE, which Kwon Eunbi belongs to.

Girl groups associated with Shen Juan can all get stage opportunities.

Of course, if it's not a problem, you can come, but you can only serve as a warm-up guest before the concert officially begins.

These free performances are obviously always welcome.

Furthermore, Shen Juan also needs to establish initial contact with the management companies behind these girl groups. After all, Starlink's branch building in Seoul has already started construction, and considering future work plans, dealing with them is probably inevitable, whether it's poaching management or trainees.

Therefore, it's time to make plans early.

"By the way, isn't IU the hottest female solo artist in South Korea right now? Can we invite her over to perform too?" Shen Juan felt that it wasn't good to only have girl groups; they needed to add some new dishes.

Yangyang Jin looked at him suspiciously: "You like her type?"

Shen Juan remained silent: "What kind of person do you take me for?"

"Then why did you suddenly bring her up?" Yangyang Jin pressed.

"Is it a problem for me to invite a few local bigwigs to support me since I'm putting on such a grand concert?"

"Then why does it have to be IU?"

Shen Juan couldn't help but roll her eyes, saying with a mix of speechlessness and helplessness, "Because she's the most popular right now, okay?"

"Is that really the only reason?" Yangyang Jin looked doubtful, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"What else could it be?"

Considering Shen Juan's past experience and the legend of the "Sea King" raising fish in the Pacific Rim, Yangyang Jin was skeptical.

11 month 1 day.

Midnight in the United States, noon in East Asia.

Shen Juan's new song "Save Your Tears" was released without any prior announcement, catching many people off guard.

Thankfully it's noon, not the early hours of the morning or the middle of the night.

Fortunately, Shen Juan updated his Weibo, Instagram, and Twitter on time and announced the release of his new song on various music platforms.

Otherwise, even if fans spontaneously organize themselves and cooperate with Shen Juan's team to promote the song on various platforms, many fans will not be able to hear Shen Juan's new song immediately, or they will not be able to hear Shen Juan's new song on Sound of the Storm and iTunes, thus affecting his first-day performance.

Of course, Shen Juan himself didn't really care about the first-day results of this English EP's lead single.

After all, his popularity has stabilized, and he no longer needs to motivate his fans to boost his data.

The simultaneous domestic and international release this time is a good example. If they really wanted to boost sales, they would have delayed the domestic release.

So fans can finally relax a little and listen to the songs with a relatively peaceful mindset.

As the intro begins, the dynamic drumbeats and psychedelic melody create a hazy atmosphere with a strong retro feel.

When Shen Juan spoke, it was still the same familiar tone.

"I saw you dancing in a crowded room."

You seem to be having a lot of fun when I'm not with you.

The sound quality is absolutely amazing!

In fact, as long as the timbre is good enough and pleasant enough, listeners can overlook most of the flaws in singing skills. While Shen Juan's singing skills can't be described as masterful, he has been gradually learning and improving over the past two years since his debut.

Therefore, to date, his skills and stage presence are among the best of all singer-songwriters.

There is no doubt about this.

Let's go back to the song itself.

Like another hit single, "Blinding Lights," it features a retro yet avant-garde synth-pop style.

The layout is also relatively simple.

The song is sung by Shen Juan.

The musical elements revolve around his voice.

The development of emotions is driven by changes in melody and rhythm, highlighting the singer's personal emotional expression.

Overall, it's a song that aligns with contemporary pop aesthetics, and many people have given it positive reviews after listening to it.

For example, Kim Min-ji, who is working hard to become an idol at SOURSE MUSIC in South Korea, is one of them.

To be honest, she has been troubled lately about whether to switch jobs to another company and change her environment for development.

After all, she was just a 15-year-old high school student who should have been enjoying her wonderful youth.

Many things cannot be decided alone.

So she kept hesitating.

I've been thinking about whether I can get better development opportunities and a better debut opportunity after changing jobs.

But now, after listening to Shen Juan's song...
She felt it was time for her to make a decision.

So she took a deep breath and dialed the number of the contact person whose contact was marked as "Starlink Representative Min Hee-jin".

Without a doubt, Shen Juan will continue to rise in popularity. With him as the backbone of Starlink, its future development will definitely not be too bad.

That's pretty much how the East Asian market reacted.

Although it's not mainstream or pop music, the quality of the songs hasn't declined significantly.

Many people gave it an 8 out of 10 rating and are looking forward to seeing how this song will make a splash overseas.

So our attention turns to Mexico.

It is currently 10 PM local time.

The Foro Sol stadium was in a frenzy!

Shen Juan just finished the world premiere of his new song.

As for the performance effect, it was of course very good.

After all, given the atmosphere of the concert, even if he sang "Two Tigers" on stage, it would probably give the Mexican audience a completely new auditory experience, making them remember this Chinese children's song. So let alone this serious pop song that suits the aesthetics of European and American audiences.

Therefore, "Save Your Tears" also benefited from the extra traffic generated by the concert under these circumstances.

They are expected to achieve a fairly good result in the first week.

In the days that followed, Shen Juan continued to attend events, mainly dealing with new business deals he had recently taken on.

On the 4th, they flew to New York to film a global Budweiser commercial.

Flying to Rome on the 5th to film a Ferrero global advertisement.

Fly to Abu Dhabi on the 6th to film a city promotional video.

I've spent most of this time on airplanes.

However, during this period, several news items related to Shen Juan still emerged.

First, the 26th MTV Europe Music Awards were successfully held in Seville, Spain.

Although Shen Juan was unable to attend due to his tour, he still won five awards, including Best Artist, Best Music Video (ME!), Best Song (Blinding Lights), Best Collaboration (Senorita), and Best Fan Club, making him the biggest winner at this year's EMA.

With the increase in mainstream awards, the previously empty trophy display cabinet at home is clearly going to become much more substantial.

Then, while shooting an advertisement in Italy, Shen Juan met an Israeli model named Yalsherbiya.

She was reportedly ranked third on last year's list of the world's most beautiful women.

However, Shen Juan didn't care about that.

Anyway, no matter how high the ranking is, it's not as high as his.

It's just a friendly match, no need to overthink it.

So after contacting her through the note, he emptied the magazine from this Yotai woman that very night.

In a sense, he has contributed his share to the cause of returning to China and to Fury Parkerstein.

11 month 10 day.

The Leviathan Era Latin America Tour successfully concluded at the Estádio Nílton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

The following day, Shen Juan and his group departed from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and set off for Tokyo, the neon capital on the western coast of the Pacific Ocean.

It is worth mentioning that the 45th Annual People's Choice Awards were held on November 10th in Santa Monica, California.

Shen Juan won five awards: Fashion Star of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Tour of the Year. Like EMA last week, he became the biggest winner of this year's People's Choice Awards. So he is on the plane editing his message to thank the organizers and the fans who voted for him.

(Fashion Star of the Year beat Harry Styles, Male Artist of the Year beat Shawn Mendes, Karl Malone, Duck, Li Na, Fork, Bad Bunny, etc., Song of the Year beat Old Town Road, Seventh Ring Road, and "Bad Guy", Album of the Year beat Taylor Swift's "Lover", and Tour of the Year beat "BLACKPINK 2019 World")
Alexs: [Thank you for the People's Choice Awards! This award doesn't just belong to me; it's a testament to the support and love of each and every one of you! My amazing fans, my beloved Alovers, your unwavering trust in me is incredibly precious. I look forward to creating more memories and exciting moments with you all in the future! Finally, the Leviathan Era tour is still going strong, see you then!]

After posting on Instagram, Shen Juan then watched Taylor's new song performance at this year's Tmall Double Eleven Carnival Night.

As Tmall's global ambassador, he was supposed to return to Shanghai to attend their Double Eleven shopping festival.

But I'm just too busy to find the time.

So Ah Li had no choice but to ask Shen Juan if he could help them contact his friends in the United States.

Let's see if any of them are willing to come to China.

And so Taylor appeared in Shanghai.

3 songs, $750 million.

Moreover, she can take this opportunity to promote her new album "Lover", making it a win-win collaboration.

On the other side of the plane.
Yang Yangjin is keeping an eye on the Billboard website.

She wanted to see how well "Save Your Tears," which had recently become a hot topic online, would fare in its first week.

“I think it should be fine. I’ve been keeping an eye on the battle reports from the fans. The data is very good, and apart from ‘Truth Hurts’, there aren’t any strong competitors at the same time. I feel that we still have a good chance of winning the championship.” The assistant shared the information he had gathered.

"If he wins, that would be Shen Juan's seventh number-one single, right?" Yangyang Jin asked.

"Hmm! And it's the boss's third time achieving an empty crown!"

(The remix of "Mood" with Bieber didn't get as many points as the original, so the winning version is considered the original.)

Hearing them talking about this week's Billboard Hot 100 chart, Shen Juan put down his phone and went over.

The full rankings were updated quickly.

1. Save Your Tears

2. *Blinding Lights*

3. "Someone You Loved"

4. *Truth Hurts*

5. "Lose You To Love Me"

Circles, which won the championship three weeks ago, has fallen back to the 6th-10th place range, while Blind Light has rebounded and risen two places to second.

Selena Gomez's "Lose You To Love Me," which just won the top spot last week, has dropped to fifth place this week.

Then, naturally and logically, things fell into place.
"Save Your Tears" has achieved a top ranking!
The assistant screamed excitedly.

Yangyang Jin smiled with satisfaction.

Shen Juan simply let out a shallow sigh of relief.

Of course, I felt happy and joyful.

But it's not as much as people imagine.

Because he knew that all of this was just as expected.

However, fans and netizens who also received the news still had a heated discussion. Whether it was on Weibo or Twitter, whether it was trending topics or the world's trends, Alovers tried to let everyone in the world know that "Save Your Tears" had won the championship and that Shen Juan was the undisputed number one male lead this year!

[This is the dominance of Shen Juan! In just two and a half years since his debut, he has achieved seven number-one singles and three untitled number-one hits. He has staying power, initial momentum, and tour success. If this isn't the number one male singer in the world, then I don't know which male singer in the world has the nerve to claim that he is more popular than Shen Juan this year.]

[His streaming sales surpassed 100 million in his first week, and he topped the charts in both downloads and radio ratings by a landslide. This performance is probably only comparable to the week he topped the charts with "Blind Light"! "I'm Tired" is really getting more and more popular now; it feels like every song he releases instantly jumps to the top. His career fans are ecstatic! I really wonder where the peak of his career will ultimately be.]

[Holy crap! Blind Light suddenly jumped to second place, does that mean if they don't release a new song, Blind Light will be number one again?]

[That's right, this is Leviathan, this is Alex Shen Juan, this is the perfect embodiment of the music industry.]

[I'm not a fan, but every time I see Shen Juan, my heart flutters. Every news article about him unlocks one amazing achievement after another. He truly deserves to be a global superstar! I can really understand why he has so many die-hard fans! From obscurity to global fame, he deserves it all!]

[Another member joins the Sky Club! I suggest Billboard just rename it the "Alex Chart." From the beginning of the year until now, from Sunflower Movement to Blindness to Miss to Old Town Road, and then to Mood and Circles, it feels like my songs have dominated the charts for at least half the time.]

There's a reason Shen Juan became a superstar. After hip-hop exploded in popularity, he could have easily coasted along in China, but he stepped out of his comfort zone and kept improving—not just musically, but as a person. You can tell by looking at his recent output; it's very expressive and insightful.

I will always be behind you, watching you walk step by step. I will patiently wait for your era, Shen Juan.

Everything proves one fact: Shen Juan has caught up with the person on whom so much hope was placed.

So next, perhaps it will be Shen Juan, who is on whom high hopes are placed, to run hard and chase after him.

(End of this chapter)