Unboxing, Director!

Chapter 143 Young people of North America, please put in more effort!

"Lu Jiang, Lu Jiang, oh dear, it hasn't been easy for Lu Jiang."

That night, Lu Jiang, who was fast asleep, received a long-distance call from Zhou Jianhui.

Zhou Jianhui's tone became increasingly emotional on the phone.

It's even "crazier" than when "you" landed on Billboard a few weeks ago.

As for the reason, you can tell from the purple treasure chest popping up on the phone:

Zhou Jianhui is going all out, willing to trade his career for resources, striving to see "You Are Beautiful" achieve even greater success.

Good grief, they're actually risking their careers?

Lu Jiang listened attentively, and only after Zhou Jianhui finished his rambling explanation did Lu Jiang realize that this was indeed quite difficult.

That's a Grammy, after all.

As a top-tier song award worldwide, it's not something you can just casually accept like those mediocre awards in Asia.

This involves a complete and mature commercial lobbying system, similar to the Oscars.

Therefore, for a song to compete for a Grammy, unless it is of truly high quality and has a significant impact, it will require a massive amount of resources.

Zhou Jianhui certainly didn't have these resources; he could only rely on Warner headquarters.

Warner Bros. headquarters' attitude toward "you" has changed dramatically compared to a few weeks ago.

But since this is a song written by Chinese people, they still don't quite believe it, or rather, they are not very willing to invest related resources.

Zhou Jianhui couldn't possibly give up. As the president of Greater China and a strong contender for the next president of Asia, he decided to go all out.

During the negotiations, Zhou Jianhui even made the bold statement that if they didn't receive support, he would take Lu Jiang to another record company. That's what Zhou Jianhui said himself.

Ultimately, Warner headquarters decided to allocate resources.

Next, "You" will begin lobbying for the Grammys.

"But Lu Jiang, don't get your hopes up too high. This is a very complicated matter. It's not something you can get by just having resources."

Zhou Jianhui offered one last explanation.

"I know, it's all about participation. No matter the result, I'm already very satisfied to be in the top 40. Thanks for your hard work, Lao Zhou!"

"Oh, let's talk about that at the dinner table when I get back."

Zhou Jianhui's tone was very pleasant.

A slightly exaggerated attempt at playing the victim successfully garnered Lu Jiang's gratitude, and that was enough!

Then he continued, "Now let's get down to business."

"You said."

"You'd better prepare to come to America."

"Let's go for the Grammys."

"No, these next few days are crucial. Your presence here in person will be much more effective."

With gold insurance coverage, what am I afraid of?
Lu Jiang continued to shake his head: "The visa hasn't even been processed yet."

“A visa only takes a week or two, and you’re from mainland China. So, you should go and get one right away, and I’ll hold off on it for you.”

"Okay, it's up to you."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Jiang went straight to sleep.

It doesn't matter whether Americans go or not.

He wasn't worried at all.

Of course, you still need to apply for a visa.

The visa process takes at least one month.

I can't miss the Grammys.

These days, Americans are like paradise in the hearts of Chinese people; even the shit there smells sweet.

So the Grammys are wonderful. Going to the Grammys, even if it's just a nomination, is a historic moment for the Chinese people.

As for now, the most important thing is to get some sleep!
Lu Jiang continued to sleep, while Zhou Jianhui continued their intense discussion.

Since Lu Jiang can't come to North America, we need to work on the song's backstory, creative intent, and marketing strategy.

This is how all Grammy nominations are handled.

After all, the Grammys are prestigious and have a huge following.

The Grammy Awards have over a hundred categories, with five or six nominations for each category.

Getting a Grammy nomination is considered a great success, bringing both fame and fortune.

It would be best if I could win an award, but if not, my life would still be worthwhile.

As a result, the competition is particularly fierce during the nomination process.

If you don't come up with some novel and unconventional gimmicks during this period, it's sometimes really not enough to make it interesting.

Especially now, for Zhou Jianhui, time may not be enough.

It looks like there's still more than half a month left.

However, since voting is now done by mail in paper form.

Therefore, the actual marketing time is only a little over a week!

The key issue is that Warner headquarters didn't provide many resources, only enough for one "firepower barrage"!
So since resources and time are limited, we have to focus on creating buzz and strive to win the bid on the first try!
So, what kind of gimmick should we use?

The team discussed it for a while.

The most talked-about topic this year is related to 9/11.

Songs that appeal to social sentiments receive the most attention.

So some people on the team thought about whether we should put it on this part.

In that case, the marketing for "you" would have to emphasize "regret".

Because of the loss of loved ones due to 9/11, there is a deep regret in love that can no longer be expressed.

But Zhou Jianhui refused.

Firstly, Lu Jiang is not American, so it wouldn't be appropriate to do this.

Secondly, this approach is somewhat far-fetched.

After much thought and discussion, a whole day had passed, and we still hadn't come up with a good topic.

Left with no other choice, Zhou Jianhui called Lu Jiang again, hoping to hear what ideas Lu Datian had.

What ideas might Lu Jiang have?

But he can't just say, "You can get nominated even if you do nothing."

He then bluntly stated, "Why don't you just use the theme 'not understanding the meaning of the song at first hearing' to develop your story, or you can take inspiration from the structured film reviews of 'A Chinese Odyssey' in mainland China—you've seen those, right?"

Zhou Jianhui's eyes lit up after hearing this.

Yup!

At first glance, "You" sounds like a sweet love song.

But in reality, the kernel is completely the opposite.

In addition, Lu Jiang is Chinese.

Why not just combine the two directly!
Highlight a love song from a poet from a mysterious ancient country in the East to differentiate yourself.

Chinese people currently have a weak presence in North America.

Doing it this way under normal circumstances would definitely not work.

But since there is no better way.

It’s better to take a risky move.

Maybe we'll get lucky and it'll turn out quite well?
Even without that, Lu Jiang will at least have a name to his name in North America. He can then gather some fan interviews, combine them with Billboard chart results, and release them to mainland China; Lu Jiang will still win this round!
"That's it!"

Zhou Jianhui made a decision quickly.

So it started the next day.

When North American radio stations introduced "you," they all used the prefix:

"This song is incomprehensible to people without life experience."

"If you listened to this song with a smile, it means you didn't understand it. If you listened to this song with tears in your eyes, it means you understood the first layer. If you listened to this song and didn't know whether to laugh or cry, congratulations, you really understood it."

"This song is very popular recently, but what many people don't know is that it was written by a musical poet from an ancient Eastern country. Listen carefully, and you will see the scarred past you."

"."

This time, the resources were deployed in a manner akin to "artillery barrage".

Radio and MTV coverage is now far greater than it was a few weeks ago.

The results were naturally far superior to the meager resource investment of a few weeks ago and the effects of the radio station's spontaneous broadcasts.

However, at first, many listeners did not have a good first reaction when they heard these prefixes.

What does it mean that the average person can't understand it?
Pretending to be mysterious!

baffling!

An English song written by a Chinese person?!

WTH?

Are there Chinese people who write good English songs?
Nobody would listen to this kind of song!
But as the song played...

The positive effects were quickly apparent.

The actual effect is indeed the same as the prefix.

Those with little life experience just think it's a sweet and catchy love song.

But those with some experience quickly began to ponder what exactly this so-called profound meaning was.

Then I started crying as I listened.

Especially the last sentence:
"I will never be with you"

The deep-seated scars of memory were brutally ripped open!

It hurts, it hurts too much!
Soon, the magic of the song itself began to unfold.

Numerous music critics joined in the discussion.

"If you have ever been moved by it, it is perhaps because of the intertwining of sweetness and bitterness—just like love itself."

"It's a poison disguised as sugar, and I've tasted it three times in my life!"

"After listening to it the first time, I couldn't believe it was a song written by a Chinese person. After listening to it ten times, I believed it was a poem, an English poem translated from classical Chinese."

"This is a sorrowful poem cloaked in romance. It tells a story about a fleeting glance and eternal loss through a beautiful melody. As the singer Lu said: 'At first listen, one does not understand the meaning of the song; upon listening again, one becomes a character in the song. It is beautiful, yet cruel.'"

"."

Some of these music critics have been paid to participate.

But most of it is spontaneous.

Because Warner headquarters didn't give us much money.

What surprised Zhou Jianhui was that people's overall impression of "Chinese people" wasn't bad, and it wasn't as he had believed that revealing one's Chinese identity would lead to a massive amount of ridicule.

Upon closer examination, he discovered that there were many different reasons.

One reason is that Jackie Chan's film "Rush Hour" has been a hit in North America in recent years.

One reason is that Jet Li became famous in Hollywood.

More importantly, Beijing's successful bid for the Olympics has drawn global attention to this mysterious ancient country of the East.

Under the influence of these events.

The presence of Chinese people in North America is becoming increasingly strong!
Lu Jiang, this packaged Eastern music poet, also directly benefited from the dividends.

As "You" became a hit, Lu Jiang inadvertently became an Eastern musical poet. In some places, Lu Jiang's title became "poet" instead of singer, actor, or director.

Damn it.
I wonder if Lu Jiang will go crazy when he finds out.

Zhou Jianhui couldn't help but suppress his laughter when he saw it.

Regardless of the circumstances, this marketing campaign was quite successful.

Within days, in addition to real-world discussions, "you" also sparked even more heated discussions on North American online forums.

It's unclear who started it, but many people have begun sharing stories of heartbreak, accompanied by the background music of "You," and some have even started covering the song, making the North American internet quite "depressing."
In addition, there has been activity in the television sector in North America.

Some television stations began consulting about copyright and started using it as background music in their programs.

Many young people have even started to imitate the daring act of jumping into the sea in the music video, thinking that jumping into the sea with music is very cool!
That's absolutely insane!

Zhou Jianhui couldn't understand what young Americans were thinking.

But when I saw "You" soar to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 two weeks later...

Zhou Jianhui just wants to say: Young people in North America, please put in more effort!
Lu Jiang was once again woken up by Zhou Jianhui's phone call in the middle of the night.

This time, Zhou Jianhui was even more agitated.

In my excitement, I was still quite confused.

Clearly, the momentum of "you" has exceeded everyone's expectations.

They were ranked 39th before, but two weeks later, they jumped to second place!

This not only thrilled him, but also alarmed the entire Warner headquarters.

That's second on Billboard after all!
This resulted in a multiple increase in sales.

On the day the latest Billboard rankings came out, "you" reportedly sold nearly 20,000 copies.

The benefits of being number two on Billboard are far more than just increased sales.

More importantly, it's about exposure and discussion!
In other words, if Zhou Jianhui had wanted "You" to make it onto Billboard two weeks ago, Warner Music headquarters wouldn't have been very interested.

But now, Zhou Jianhui doesn't even need to say anything; his songs have become one of the most valued items by Warner Music.

With Warner's full support, it's safe to say that You's chances of being nominated for a Grammy are practically guaranteed.

Zhou Jianhui was naturally bewildered by the surreal and miraculous turn of events, and even now he still couldn't quite believe that he had personally orchestrated such a "miracle"!
Lu Jiang smiled but remained silent.

He knew that this was actually the effect of a cheat code.

The original took a year to complete, but now it's finished in just one or two months. Isn't that incredibly fast?

But this matter is not something to be discussed with outsiders, so it can only be left for Zhou Jianhui to enjoy.

But it should have been his.

Who told him to be so dedicated? He's risking his entire career. He's a good guy!
"The Grammy nominations are announced on January 4th this year. Lu Jiang, hurry up and get your visa sorted out. The real battle starts after the nominations!"

Zhou Jianhui gave one last piece of advice over the phone.

After Lu Jiang agreed, Zhou Jianhui hung up the phone and continued his work.

Zhou Jianhui, an American, is really into it.

On the mainland, Fan Binbin is also quite into it right now.

By November, the event had regained some attention, but overall it still didn't generate the enthusiasm expected.

Even by early December, the situation had begun to gradually calm down.

Fan Binbin then cried out "It's unfair!" once again!
She was a guest at the party, so she witnessed this delicious-looking scene backstage.

This sudden and explosive scene.

This completely vented Fan Binbin's pent-up anger!

So cool!
(End of this chapter)