Unboxing, Director!

Chapter 155 First Grammy Experience

It was almost 1 a.m. when we finished.

Lu Jiang and his group did not linger and headed straight for the hotel.

Before leaving, DJ Arthur, carrying a purple treasure chest, found Lu Jiang and said, "Lu, it was so great to work with you! Please don't leave me out when the new song is released!"

Lu Jiang glanced at his treasure chest entry:
Arthur was incredibly shocked and excited about his host's new song. However, precisely because of the song's quality and the enthusiastic response from listeners, he believed that the song would garner significant attention upon its release. He was extremely worried about being replaced, so he wanted to build a friendship with his host in the hopes of playing a crucial role in the future.

Lu Jiang expressed his understanding.

But he still said, "I'm happy to work with you, but this isn't up to me. It depends on your boss's attitude. I suggest you prepare well these days, otherwise no matter what advice you give, it won't matter, right?"

"I know I still have a long way to go, but I will work hard. Please believe in me!"

"Then keep it up!"

After saying goodbye to Arthur, the group headed straight to the hotel.

The group was originally staying at different hotels.

Although CCTV production teams receive subsidies when traveling abroad, the subsidies are not high, so the accommodation conditions are naturally average, and the hotel in Lujiang is several streets away.

Seeing this, Lao Lu waved his hand and gave CCTV Music Association and others an "upgrade".

This small gesture won over many people and earned them even more goodwill.

Lu Jiang had no objection to this. After all, the person in question was from a state-owned enterprise, and this approach was beneficial and harmless.

Back at the hotel, Zhou Jianhui and Lu Jiang went over the process again before going to bed.

Afterwards, Li Chao mentioned the matter that Lu Jiang and John had just discussed.

"Actually, if I want to develop my career in Hollywood, I think it would be more reliable to contact Warner Bros."

"That's not necessarily true. Warner Music and Warner Pictures, even though they're in the same group, are actually quite distant. Besides, Warner Pictures is one of the Big Eight Hollywood studios. With such a large company, many things become even more difficult to manage."

"That makes sense, but I think he's more reliable than that John, right? This guy seems a bit like Uncle Lu."

Lu Jiang laughed immediately after hearing this.

Indeed, John's demeanor does seem quite similar to Old Lu's.

He's clearly a rich kid who hasn't experienced much hardship. He's ambitious but not very professional, and he has a strong tendency to squander money.

However, all things considered, his career achievements are currently much better than his previous path; at least the radio station is still profitable.
Therefore, people like this are actually easier to work with.

Having exceptionally strong abilities is actually a bad thing.

That's exactly the kind of person I'm looking for: ambitious, with connections, but lacking real skills.
"Anyway, it's just a side move. Let's start by gradually getting involved in music."

"it is good"

The next day, Lu Jiang got up early.

I opened the window, looked down at the bustling traffic below, and took a deep breath. The air in America isn't exactly sweet.

Exercise, wash up, and eat breakfast.

By 7 o'clock, everyone had gotten up.

Next, everyone split up and acted separately.

The music association and Warner Music representatives went to Los Angeles first.

This year's Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles.

Besides Lu Jiang, a Chinese national, who was nominated, several other Chinese nationals were also nominated, such as Tan Dun.

In addition, two Chinese musicians were invited as guests.

They arrived in Los Angeles today, so CCTV will send a group of people to shoot some footage, leaving two people behind to continue filming Lu Jiang.

Lu Jiang continued to announce that he would meet up with the main group in Los Angeles that evening.

After they parted ways, Lu Jiang went to the second location for the interview.

By this time, the radio buzz surrounding last night's "Midnight Love" in the New York area was already evident.

Many newspapers and radio stations have begun reporting on last night's program.

The news that Lu Jiang, the Chinese singer of "You," is visiting North America for the first time will generate buzz, since he was nominated, but it will certainly not be as high as the spotlight on the singers currently in the center of the Grammy spotlight.

Lu Jiang did receive three nominations.

However, there are a total of 7 artists who received four or more Grammy nominations this year!
These seven are all veteran singers, and their fan base and popularity are simply incomparable to that of Lu Jiang, a Chinese "newcomer".

So John was right last night.

Theoretically, it would be fine if Lu Jiang unexpectedly won a Grammy during this trip to North America.

If not, it won't cause much of a stir.

People won't be overly interested in a Chinese person.

But now, Lu Jiang has taken a different approach, creating his own buzz when there is none.

The jokes directly break down stereotypes about Chinese people among North Americans.

In addition, the fragmented song does not involve copyright issues, so everyone can broadcast it.

As a result, Lu Jiang's popularity among North American media, the public, and music industry figures increased significantly, making him a hot topic, if not headline news.

The effects of this were quickly apparent in subsequent announcements.

In the following announcements.

As everyone knows, Lu Jiang is not the stereotypical, rigid Chinese person, but rather someone who can be as outgoing and fun-loving as Americans.

As a result, the questions and interactions became more lively.

Lu Jiang was also happy to cooperate and maintain his persona as a "new era Chinese".

Of course, there will be some uncomfortable issues as well.

For example, during a third radio interview that afternoon, the host asked, "Why do you Chinese people eat dog meat?"

Lu Jiang had discussed this issue with people from CCTV before he came here.

Or perhaps CCTV had given a heads-up beforehand.

Clearly, the older generation has encountered this kind of thing quite often.

The most proper way to answer this kind of question is to provide some self-proof.

The claim that eating dog meat is only a minority, that legislation is being prepared, and that many other countries around the world also consume it, is false.

But Lu Jiang took an unconventional approach and replied directly, "Because we believe that turkeys are good friends of humans."

The host was stunned for a moment, and then everyone in the audience burst into laughter.

After the laughter subsided, Lu Jiang explained, "Less than 1% of the Chinese population eats dog meat, but even so, our country, like Germany, France, and your United States, is pushing for the enactment of relevant laws."

The CCTV staff nodded in agreement after hearing this.

So many developed countries, including you Americans, haven't explicitly banned eating dog meat, so you can't criticize us either.

However, the host didn't seem to have any ill intentions. On the contrary, because Lu Jiang delivered another joke, the host was even more enthusiastic afterward.

So the next day, Lu Jiang's joke about turkeys became a minor hit again.

Because of Lu Jiang's outstanding performance in the past two days, some American media have dubbed him "witty," and the overall evaluation has been very positive.

Lu Jiang actually found this rather strange.

Clever, I suppose.

Why add "poet" to the list?

When did I become a poet?
After two consecutive days of announcements, Lu Jiang's popularity among this year's Grammy nominees has risen from the lower middle to the top.

This was followed by some new announcements and advertising offers.

Some advertising offers can be discussed slowly, but many can be discussed on the same day, which is extremely efficient.

In addition, many interviews and announcements are concentrated on the day of the Grammys.

In other words, Lu Jiang's appearance at the Grammys was almost every 25 minutes, lasting for at least 5 hours!

This reminded him of Yao Ming's first All-Star appearance.

All the advertisements and interviews revolved around him. On average, Yao Ming had to switch venues every 8 minutes, which exhausted him.

At the time, Lu Jiang thought it was a bit exaggerated, but he also felt that Yao Ming was truly successful in the United States.

But now he finally understands: this is just typical commercial activity during large-scale events in the United States!

Zhou Jianhui also expressed his deep appreciation for this, noting that the American music market is truly well-developed.

A single Grammy nomination propelled a "newcomer" with only one song to the top tier.

He couldn't help but be delighted by the attention Lu Jiang received, envious of the business dynamism of Americans, and saddened by the unprofessionalism of various award ceremonies in Asia.

Of course, he also knows that without a work as a foundation, this situation would not have occurred.

So when Lu Jiang arrived in Los Angeles, he immediately started discussing Lu Jiang's new album.

If Lu Jiang's new album continues to be a hit, he will be able to further break through racial barriers and enter the mainstream of North American pop!

As for whether the quality of the songs in the new album will impress Warner Music, that remains to be seen.
Zhou Jianhui was already looking forward to seeing how these people's expressions would change.

Soon, Lu Jiang arrived at Warner headquarters and met with music director Mike, who was also the person mainly responsible for the North American distribution of "you".

It was him!

Damn it, so this is why they kept changing the release date of "You" and finally put it on September 29th to make it a waste? And they were stingy with resources in the early stages of release, unwilling to give more?

So as soon as they met, Lu Jiang greeted him with a smile in Chinese: "Hello Mike, what's up next door!"

puff!
Zhou Jianhui almost choked on his food.

But in his heart, he gave it a thumbs up.

Well done!
This guy's initial attitude was indeed quite disdainful.

He'd wanted to yell at them for a long time!
Mike didn't understand, but thought Lu Jiang was just being friendly, so he replied enthusiastically with "welcome!"
What follows is normal interaction.

Lu Jiang acted both businesslike and friendly, as if nothing had happened.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, we got down to business. Without any preamble, the three songs began playing in turn.

Although the song wasn't the final, polished version due to time constraints, it was still enough to make Warner Music headquarters take it very seriously.

Warner Music headquarters quickly confirmed that Lu Jiang's new album would be one of Warner Music's main albums for the year.

According to Lu Jiang, the specific release date is roughly set for early May.

"Hall of Fame" will be handled by Warner Bros. headquarters for use in liaising with global sporting events and the World Cup.

The best outcome would be a shopping mall performance, and the worst outcome would be a copyright cooperation agreement.

Zhou Jianhui was very satisfied with this.

Lu Jiang remained calm.

After all, isn't this how it should be?

After the conversation ended, the two left the broadcasting studio, and CCTV's cameras followed them, making Zhou Jianhui the main character.

He playfully whispered to the camera, "This year, Lu Jiang will become a true international singer!"

After hearing this, the CCTV staff quickly confirmed the details.

After learning that Lu Jiang's new song had shocked the entire Warner Music industry, the film crew's director, Lao Wang, surprisingly hoped for the first time that Lu Jiang wouldn't win a Grammy this year.

The more setbacks you face, the more courageous you become; the more you are defeated, the more you rise – that's what makes it epic!
However, he quickly suppressed this idea.

I felt a lot of apologies in my heart.

Lu Jiang, don't be offended, I was just rambling.
Then Mike took Lu Jiang on a tour of Warner Bros. headquarters.

CCTV also filmed the whole thing.

After returning to the hotel, Lu Jiang met several fellow villagers.

First, there are the other two Chinese musicians nominated for Grammys this year, Tan Dun and Wang Jian.

One of them is in the film and television industry, and the other is in the classical arts industry.

In the Grammys, which are primarily pop-oriented, their awards, in the words of the American media, are equivalent to awards for ball sports in track and field competitions.

It is not very important.

However, this did not prevent Lu Jiang from showing them respect.

After all, they are all masters; they might need to collaborate in the future.

Next up are two Chinese musicians invited to this year's Grammys: Cui Jian and Zhang Yadong.

Seeing Cui Jian, Lu Jiang felt it was reasonable for him to be invited, but what about Zhang Yadong?
I didn't expect this guy to be so talented; he actually got invited to the Grammys.

He's not bad looking, and he's tall.

No wonder Xu Cai Nu and Gao Yuan Yuan were vying for her in the original timeline.

Speaking of these two women, Gao Yuanyuan seems to have not texted him for several months.

They went to great lengths to ensure she played Zhou Zhiruo, and she didn't even show any gratitude.

So rude.

After Lu Jiang greeted Cui Jian and Zhang Yadong, Xu Cainu suddenly appeared from behind Zhang Yadong and extended her hand to Lu Jiang.

"Hello Lu Jiang, I'm Xu Jinglei, I really like your songs!"

This was the first time the two had met.

But Lu Jiang's attention was entirely on the blue treasure chest on her head:

Xu Jinglei wants to become good friends with her host.

Are they good friends again?
Lu Jiang doesn't think this is vegetarian.

Can't afford to offend!

"Hello, Ms. Xu." Lu Jiang touched her fingertips lightly and then withdrew them, very politely.

Xu Jinglei wanted to say something more, but the topic was quickly taken over by two other Chinese people.

"Hello Lu Jiang, I am Song Ke."

"Hello Lu Jiang, I am Gao Xiaosong."

Upon seeing the pumpkin, Lu Jiang felt a pang of unease.

Why is he here?

Oh, I remember now.

Zhou Jianhui mentioned to him yesterday that people from Taihe Wheatfield also came to Los Angeles to watch the Grammys.

Warner Asia will be collaborating with Taihe Wheatfield, and Song Ke, Zhang Yadong, and Gao Xiaosong are all employees of Taihe Wheatfield.

Since that's the case, let's be polite then. Lu Jiang nodded and smiled in response, then mainly looked at Song Ke.

Song Ke is the CEO of Taihe Wheatfield. At this moment, a blue treasure chest appears above his head: [Song Ke hopes that after Taihe Wheatfield and Warner Bros. collaborate to establish Warner Wheatfield, they can strengthen their cooperation with the host.]

This is not difficult.

Pu Shu and Zhou Gongzi are both on their side, so strengthening cooperation shouldn't be a problem.

There's also "Heartbreak" which we got earlier. This song is suitable for a female voice. Lu Jiang had previously thought of Ye Bei from Taihe Wheatfield, whose voice is very suitable.

Therefore, this treasure chest is not difficult to obtain and can be taken.

After a brief chat, the very sociable Gao Xiaosong invited everyone to have dinner together: "I've made a reservation nearby, at a Michelin three-star restaurant."

When Gao Xiaosong talked about how great the restaurant was and what his relationship was with the owner, he was just showing off.

Most of the group were eager to try, but Lu Jiang declined: "Sorry, I have an interview to do later."

Zhou Jianhui also explained: "Lu Jiang has two more interviews to do later, and there's another day of fighting to do tomorrow, so he really doesn't have time."

Lu Jiang shrugged in agreement: "There's nothing I can do."

"International singers are just different!"

Xu Jinglei's eyes were filled with undisguised envy and admiration.

You could have toned it down a bit.

Zhang Yadong is still around!

At this moment, Gao Xiaosong interjected: "Can I come along for the interview? There are a lot of pitfalls in interviews here, I can give you some advice."

You really are
"You wouldn't believe it, but Lu Jiang has waded through countless pits these past few days!"

Then, Lao Wang from CCTV began to recount Lu Jiang's experiences over the past few days.

From taking the top spot in its time slot with "Midnight Love" to being hailed by various media outlets in New York.

They successfully portrayed Lu Jiang as a goodwill ambassador who, under immense pressure, skillfully used the art of language to defuse crises and win the favor of the American media and public.

Everyone was stunned. Lu Jiang couldn't stand it anymore and quickly ran away.
The next day, the day of the Grammy Awards, Lu Jiang spent his time busy with various tasks starting at 7 a.m.

The Grammys are the world's most prestigious pop music awards ceremony.

Today, the area around the Staples Center in Los Angeles felt like it was New Year's Day, with cameras, celebrities, and fans everywhere.
Lu Jiang doesn't recognize many of the various singers who are everywhere, because he only knows a few Western singers like Britney Spears, and many of the people he knows are still very young.

He did recognize Leonardo DiCaprio and Will Smith, though.

However, these two are big names; when they appeared, they were surrounded by people, making it difficult to see them clearly.

However, Lu Jiang had no interest in looking at others.

Aside from not being particularly interested, the main reason is that I'm too busy.

Throughout the day, Lu Jiang, guided by the team dispatched by Warner Bros. headquarters, was running around the Staples Center and its inner court for various promotional activities.

Interviews, advertising shoots, meeting with unknown singers, exchanging pleasantries, praising each other, and taking photos.

Not only him, but almost all singers are like puppets, doing whatever their teams tell them to do. Their only goal is to complete all the schedules as planned, which is very efficient.

Therefore, even though Lu Jiang met many of his peers, he didn't have any in-depth conversations with them.

The people they talked about the most were designers and photographers who looked like men but acted like effeminate men, and they posed for photos in response to the "nice" and "good job" comments from these people.

The constant clicking of camera flashes, the various microphones and cameras, and the pervasive scents of perfume and a few traces of body odor filled the air – these were the impressions of the day.

Even though Lu Jiang was mentally prepared, he was still shocked by the commercial vibrancy of the Grammys due to their high intensity.

The good news is that the day's work was very rewarding.

According to Zhou Jianhui, the advertising revenue alone is around $230 million today.

Of course, he basically won't need to take on any advertising for the next year, because he has already taken on all the categories that are available to him in North America at his level.

Earning such a large sum of money on that day is a regular occurrence for Grammy nominees every year.

Once you've received a nomination, advertisers will immediately make their move.

Advertisers pay special attention to nominees for major awards such as Best Pop Artist and Best Album, offering them contracts with tiered terms.

So if you win an award, don't worry about signing it too early.

This is why the Grammy nomination process is so prestigious.

This is real "gold," the gold of money!

Now, two of Lu Jiang's three nominations are for prestigious awards.

As a result, they secured a total endorsement deal of 230 million yuan that very day.

If I can win an award in the end, my endorsement fee will double!
Take two, and you'll make at least five times the profit!
However, Mike at Warner's headquarters didn't think Lu Jiang's 230 million was high.

Eminem, the male singer this year, earned $1200 million that day!
Among female singers, Alicia Keys earned $1160 million that day!
The latter is also a newcomer.

Therefore, the difference is quite large.

Even Lu Jiang's 230 million is less than that of the top nominated singers in the second-tier rock category.

However, Mike also said, "You are Chinese and currently only have one English song, so it's normal for your income to be a little low. But Lu, please believe me, after your new album comes out, you will definitely be in the top tier of income at next year's Grammys!"

"Then I'll take your good wishes."

(End of this chapter)