Huayu: Starting from the top talent show

Chapter 95 Focus on the present and look to the future

The full name of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is Victoria's Secret, which is an annual fashion show hosted by Victoria's Secret, an American women's underwear and sleepwear brand.

It mainly promotes Victoria's Secret brand women's underwear, cooperates with well-known artists and singers, combines live music performances, launches different stage designs according to the theme of the year, and invites many well-known models to walk on the stage.

A number of top European and American singers including Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Bieber, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Angelababy have been invited to this event to leave classic stages and wonderful moments.

During the breaks between rehearsals, Shen Juan also watched a lot of the stage performances of his predecessors, trying to absorb as much nourishment as possible from them that would help him grow and improve.

After all, as the first Asian singer in history to be invited to perform on the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, it is absolutely impossible for Shen Juan to say that he does not feel honored and excited at all.

Just like the goal of every professional basketball player is to enter the basketball hall of fame, the NBA, the dream of every professional singer is to step onto the top stage that attracts global attention.

That's why he wanted to do his best as possible on his first top-level stage in the world, so that the audience watching this show would remember him as much as possible.

Remember that there is a yellow-skinned Chinese singer on the other side of the ocean who also has the ability to break into the European and American music market and compete with the new generation of white singers.

To borrow the words of Lay, who works hard and tries hard again, in response to netizens mocking Chinese singers for only being able to manipulate the charts and bring shame to foreign countries, he said on Weibo:
[I just debuted in the US, it’s normal that no one knows me. For those who don’t know me, I will try to let you know me through my music. It’s better to share happiness with others than to enjoy it alone. It’s better to see it on the stage than to see it on the charts. If you don’t believe in Chinese people, you can get out of here.]

(The background is that Kris was ridiculed for topping the charts and surpassing Ariana Grande, and Lay, who released an album at the same time, was also criticized. Kun Kun also liked Lay’s Weibo post at the time to show his support)
Although Lay's actual performance did not live up to his bold words until 2024, Shen Juan still deserves to learn from his spirit of not fearing being ridiculed and daring to make tough statements.

He also has absolute confidence in himself.

For example, there are remarks that because the international environment is becoming increasingly severe, Chinese artists will be suppressed by public opinion in the United States?
It's nothing more than making excuses for one's own incompetence.

Come on, the European and American music market is terribly big.

No matter how awesome or popular a singer is, his influence is ultimately limited in such a large market.

To put it bluntly, there will be no MJ in the streaming media era.

We are all just artists who play music to entertain the public, not those awesome entrepreneurs or scientists.

There is really no need to actively suffer from paranoia.

If you are really talented, lots of record companies in Europe and the United States will be begging to work with you. They will only treat you as a cash cow instead of suppressing you like a fool when they meet you.

Mercedes-Benz Cultural Center in Shanghai, this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was chosen to be held in this venue.

"Come on! Alex, don't be shy. You have the most perfect face among Asians and a sexy body that makes me jealous. It's those pretty girls with wings who should be shy and blushing, not you."

"You can move a little more during the performance. You can't just stand in front of the microphone like a wooden stake and sing the whole song. You should interact with our girls in any way. What we need is this kind of chemical reaction between singers and models to make the stage look high-end."

"Yes! That's the feeling. Just a simple eye contact like this is very advanced! Your eyes have to have the feeling that I am a fucking handsome man who is popular with everyone. Do you understand what I mean? You can't act like a little white rabbit. You have to imagine yourself as a wolf, a confident wolf, and everyone is your prey."

"We will set up the cameras here, here, here, and here. Alex, you can use your stage experience to judge when to look at which camera and what expression to make. As long as you perform well, you will definitely make the girls who watch this show fall in love with you. You are the Justin Bieber of China!"

A middle-aged white man with a big belly and signs of baldness was controlling and directing Shen Juan, who was "acting" with a model on the catwalk, with an extremely passionate expression and tone.

He is Mark, the on-site executive director of this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai. He is mainly responsible for controlling various details of the performers and models when they sing and walk the runway.

As for his immediate boss, Ed Razek?

He is just a hands-off boss who is supposedly in charge of controlling the general direction and coordinating the overall situation. I guess he is taking advantage of some young girl right now. It's really enviable!

"Sorry guys, my question."

Shen Juan admitted his mistake very frankly.

There was definitely something wrong with him.

But it’s not about the singing of the song.

But there was something wrong with his performance.

In fact, he has watched the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show performances of male singers such as Bieber, Mars, and Jay-Z more than once, and of course he knows that he should be more relaxed on the stage.

But the problem is that the situations in China and the United States are indeed different.

Most Americans don't care about the romantic affairs of their favorite stars on and off the stage.

But Shen Juan is different.

As a new generation traffic idol who has just become famous and is gradually gaining popularity and influence in China, his intimate interaction with this group of revealing and sexy Victoria's Secret Angels on stage is likely to make some of his female fans who regard him as their dream lover or even their forbidden lover feel uncomfortable, so much so that they break down and curse him on Weibo.

For example, some time ago, he was scolded by fans for interacting with Nazha who was wearing a mask in the audience while singing, and even his agent’s Weibo was attacked by extreme fans.

If popular artists who rely on fans for their development can really communicate and interact with the opposite sex at will, there wouldn’t be so many ridiculous avoidance operations.

But if you really want to break out of the traffic framework and reach the top, you really have to make drastic changes and not be restricted by these extremely controlling Dream Girl fans.

So, as the saying goes, a short pain is worse than a long pain.

Maybe now is the time to let go.

At this time, another group of supermodels came to the rehearsal site under the guidance of the staff. They were the models who would be walking on the catwalk during Shen Juan's performance. "Wow! Beautiful voice! Who is performing now? Does anyone know this Asian boy?"

Adriana Lima, the top Brazilian supermodel with 20 years of modeling experience, is watching Shen Juan who is rehearsing on the stage through the big screen backstage.

He Sui, nicknamed "He Xiangu", walked over and looked at the screen. She quickly recognized the person and replied with a smile, "Shen Juan, you can call him Alex. He is a very talented singer-songwriter who is very popular in China. Many media call him the Justin Bieber of China."

"Justin Bieber?" Lima frowned in confusion, because in her opinion this title was not necessarily a compliment. After all, the bad things Bieber did when he was young were well-known to everyone in Europe and the United States.

"What do you mean like Justin Bieber?"

"Age, talent, popularity. Well. Maybe also good looks?" He Sui actually wasn't quite sure why the media called Shen Juan like that after the Tianmao Carnival Night.

"But I personally think Alex is more in line with my aesthetics, and he also has a good figure that Justin doesn't have, so if I have to describe him in one sentence, it might be the male version of a devil figure and an angel face."

"So he didn't actually do some childish shit like Justin did to hurt other people?"

Alessandra Ambrosio, who is known as one of the two beauties of Brazil along with Lima, also came over with a smile and joined the discussion.

Have to admit it.
The young man on the screen with a fair face, delicate and three-dimensional features, and a warm and innocent smile is indeed an "exotic handsome guy" that is rarely seen in Europe and the United States.

"Of course, China has very high moral standards for celebrities and artists. Even smoking will get you scolded here." He Sui felt a little proud for some reason.

She didn't know the specific reason.

Maybe it’s because of Shen Juan.

Her country has produced a singer who can appear on the Victoria's Secret show at such a young age, and even she, a model who has worked hard abroad for many years, feels a sense of honor.

When you are away from home, fellow villagers should stick together for warmth.

It’s a pity that many people don’t understand this truth.

Another whole day of live sound check rehearsal ended, and Shen Juan returned to his personal lounge backstage exhausted, ready to pack up and go back to the hotel to rest.

Just as Shen Juan was leaning back on the sofa with his eyes closed, Yangjin Zhuoma suddenly pushed the door open and walked in, "Let's talk about our next schedule now."

"Tomorrow afternoon is the last rehearsal for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. We also need to complete the recording of the backup tape. The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will officially begin in the evening and there will be audiences coming to watch."

"Then we will stay in Shanghai on the 21st to attend Tiffany's Christmas lighting ceremony. At that time, Tiffany will also officially announce your status as the brand ambassador for China."

"Then we have to fly to Beijing on the 22nd to attend the Esquire Annual Ceremony, and then we need to complete the shooting of the brand spokesperson materials for Tyrannosaurus Rex Eyewear."

"As for the annual Fashion Night gala on the 29th, if you feel that you are very busy with work recently and really don't want to go, tell me now and I can help you turn it down."

Shen Juan opened his eyes and stretched. "You should go. It's a good time to build friendships with major magazine publishers and Internet companies when you just debut. What's more, I'm not busy at work at all. I don't have to join a filming crew. It's already very comfortable to have only four public events in half a month, okay? How can you say that your work is tiring?"

Yangjin Zhuoma smiled and did not comment.

Shen Juan suddenly thought of something and asked, "Oh, by the way, when will the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show be broadcast?"

"It's the evening of the 28th, US time, and the morning of the 29th, China time." Yangjin Zhuoma glanced at the memo on her phone.

"So that means if we're lucky, our new song will be on the charts in December?"

"What list?"

"Of course it's the B list! Could it be iTunes?"

Although the iTunes North American chart has a certain authority and can be used for bragging, it is completely not on the same level as Billboard.

Moreover, as long as one is shameless enough, any top Chinese entertainment star can easily top the iTunes chart.

So there is no need to brag about it.

"But as far as I know, it should be difficult to enter the B list. Has any Chinese singer ever entered the B list in history?" Yangjin Zhuoma spent extra time catching up on her knowledge of the European and American music scene because Shen Juan planned to enter the European and American markets.

"Of course there are, but they are all those idiotic sub-charts and album charts. There are no charts that have made it into the B-chart Hot 100 yet."

"So you want to be the first one?"

“That depends on what the fans and listeners say.”

　Thanks to the faker Zhou Ye, Tian Xiwei and Cheng Xiao for the role rewards and work rewards!

　　Thanks to ZekE for the 1100-point reward for Zhou Ye's character, 1000-point reward for Tian Xiwei's character, and 5000-point reward for the work!
　　Thanks to all the bosses who have given me rewards and monthly tickets during this period!
　　If you are interested, you can go to Bilibili and search for the Victoria's Secret Show stage. There are many pleasing and beautiful stages waiting for you.

　　Finally, let me give you a brief summary: the only Chinese entertainment song that has made it into the B-list Hot 18 is Like That, released by Canadian Electric Eel in . Wang Jiaer has never made it into the Hot .

　　To put it bluntly, Jackson's overseas audience is mainly Asians and Latin Americans living in the United States. The total number of listeners of "The Singing Powers of Heaven" is also supported by Southeast Asian fans. There are not as many white people who listen to his songs as imagined.

　　Why can they hold concerts for tens of thousands of people in the United States? That’s because Americans have the habit of watching concerts and music festivals in their daily lives. Watching concerts there is as common as watching movies in our country. And the funny thing is that the Thai gay band BKPP can hold concerts for tens of thousands of people in China, but do many people in China really know them?
　　Of course, Jackson is still the most influential young artist from China overseas. Compared with people like Laykun, he is indeed much more awesome.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)