Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 196 TikTok God Special
"So, Jingyi, are you still the sole producer of this album?"

Zhao Qinghuan lightly touched the ground with her toes, and her long, perfectly shaped legs looked even more toned under the black...hiss.

The executive chair slid gently across the floor a short distance as she moved.

Noticing Gu Jingyi's suddenly deep gaze, Zhao Qinghuan withdrew her leg. She crossed her arms awkwardly.

She didn't know whether she should be proud or scold this little rascal.

Are you crazy? I'm more than ten years older than her!

Don't flirt with women in their thirties!

Gu Jingyi noticed that her complexion was off and her expression was somewhat unnatural.

"Sister Qinghuan, I was just spacing out."

He glanced at Zhao Qinghuan's legs again, "Sis, what brand is that... um? It looks nice. Can you send me the link? I want to buy one for each of my girlfriends."

"Balenciaga," Zhao Qinghuan said, her face as cold as ice.

The case is solved. This kid really wasn't hiding anything good.

She had just been hesitating about whether or not to give it to him.

Very good, you dare to play tricks on the boss.

For the next two months, get ready for a grueling schedule.

Even with a top star's schedule, it wouldn't be easy for her to relax without a little punishment.

But women are always petty.

"Producer? No problem! But I don't want to be the producer alone. Could Mr. Li Ronghao also serve as the producer?"

Gu Jingyi was quite relaxed at first, but then quickly realized that something was wrong.

The role of a producer is similar to that of a homeroom teacher in school. They may seem to do nothing but wander around the classroom every day trying to instill self-discipline, but in reality, they do all the dirty and hard work.

The producer may not be involved in the professional processes of song production, such as writing lyrics, composing music, arranging, and mixing, but the producer is also responsible for miscellaneous tasks such as contacting arrangers, matching instruments, and arranging venues.

It's not as simple as just wearing monitoring headphones and listening to the blend of vocals and arrangement.

Therefore, many singers in the industry don't like to take on this job.

Besides that man, Li Ronghao.

His songs are not something anyone else can interfere with except himself.

It's powerful yet cost-effective.

Gu Jingyi knew he couldn't reach Li Ronghao's level; these things took too much time.

The difficulty level wasn't too high, considering he's a student at the Central Conservatory of Music. With formal training, his professional knowledge is undoubtedly excellent.

Aside from music production and touring, singers are mostly free throughout the year.

But Gu Jingyi is different; he is also an actor and a fashion icon.

Gu Jingyi is pursuing his career in film, television, and music simultaneously.

Being able to find the time to complete the most challenging tasks of writing lyrics, composing music, and arranging is already quite impressive.

Many people in the industry who claim to be "musical prodigies" are only involved in writing lyrics and arranging music.

Nobody in the industry is stupid; those who know, understand the value of joint endorsement.

Anyone willing to spend the money can simply register their name on it.

But Gu Jingyi is different; he wrote almost all of his own work without the help of any company executives or mentors.

His level of involvement in the Chinese entertainment industry is second only to Li Ronghao.

As for albums, digital albums are now dominated by the internet.

In the early stages, they spent a lot of money to attract casual users in various ways, and eventually formed a monopoly to harvest users.

Judging from the current trend, as the domestic music industry becomes increasingly capitalized, those who are more willing to increase investment have a greater chance of success.

In the early stages of digital albums, it was all about the big players behind the scenes vying for market share, each losing money to open up new markets.

In just over two months, Cai Xukun and Jay Chou will face off completely.

The middle-parted overalls boy who "likes singing, dancing, rapping, and basketball" will compete with Jay Chou first for album sales and then for super topic check-ins and rankings.

Even though in his timeline, because Lu Han's relationship was exposed, the group of "casual fans" who unfollowed him built "houses" right in front of Gu Jingyi's doorstep, it was still only a "second-best" position.

Given Nai Pao Sen's popularity, Cai Xukun's situation isn't too bad. Aside from not being as famous as before, he's still second only to Gu Jingyi among Nai Pao Sen's most popular celebrities.

However, Cai Xukun's appointment as the NBA Chinese New Year ambassador will be officially announced soon, and the fan and sports circles will be in an uproar.

The name "Jay Chou" is repeatedly mentioned by netizens who are known for their harsh criticism, and it is often mentioned in connection with Cai Xukun.

Cai Xukun did nothing, yet he's going to be nailed to the pillar of shame again.

Alas, sometimes the legacy of history is just so unreasonable.

Having discussed things enough with Zhao Qinghuan, there was no need to talk too much with an outsider.

Gu Jingyi and she got off the elevator together and walked into the conference room together.

Everyone has arrived, including people from Huace's marketing department and publicity department, as well as a representative from Yin Fu.

Without further ado, Gu Jingyi walked to the head of the conference room, turned on the computer and projector, and prepared to begin the meeting.

"First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Zhao for organizing this audition for me. I will skip the time for self-introduction and start right away. Please be quiet."

As soon as Gu Jingyi spoke, Zhao Qinghuan, who was sitting just one seat away from him, nodded in satisfaction.

That kind of demeanor is truly befitting of someone she personally discovered...

Gu Jingyi's audition is still ongoing. Today's audition is mainly for the representatives from the music department to listen to the songs and see if they are satisfied with them, and what areas need improvement.

"Let me first introduce the production style of each song. Please listen to the demo and feel free to share your thoughts."

Before clicking on the song's demo, the PPT homepage displayed Gu Jingyi's musical achievements, including lyrics and music.

He smiled and began to appreciate it:

"Slowly falling in love with you"

Like the Wind (Full Album)

Rocket Girls' "Calorie" and "Butter"

"Milk Foam Forest's" "Don't Call Me Da Vinci"

Who wouldn't be amazed by this achievement?

Just look at the achievements of these songs; which one didn't sweep all the music charts as soon as it came out?
Produced by Gu Jingyi. Quality is guaranteed; it's not just an empty promise.

Gu Jingyi glanced at the amazement and admiration of the audience below, and then officially began to introduce the next song.

"The album is tentatively titled 'Wide Open,' meaning to open your eyes wide."

"This means that the album will feature songs of various styles, giving fans a glimpse into the world of music and allowing them to experience the diverse charm of short videos."

Gu Jingyi spoke with a smile, and as soon as he finished speaking, he saw the high-ranking official representing the musical notes blush with excitement.

The first song is Li Ronghao's "Plum Jam".

The combination of a fifth-degree ninth-degree chord and the first inversion of a first-degree ninth-degree chord is a configuration that no one in the Chinese entertainment industry has ever done before.

It sounds so light and sweet.

"Your gentle smile is like plum jam. I tasted the minty lip balm on your lips."

It has a very bluesy feel to it. It makes everyone who hears it smile.

The second song is "Hug Me," with lyrics like, "Baby just hug me, hug me. Every time my heart flutters, it's all because of you."

This song sounds perfect for short video distribution.

Gu Jingyi looked up at everyone and then began to explain.

"This song uses electronic sound effects, with piano, electric guitar, and electric bass. It's perfect for the catchy chorus of short videos and easy to use as background music."

Everyone in the conference room seemed to be concentrating intently, which pleased Gu Jingyi.

The representative sent by the musical notes was extremely satisfied.

For laypeople, it might be difficult to understand what makes this song good.

But at the most basic level, it's possible to distinguish between what sounds good and what doesn't.

Gu Jingyi looked away, satisfied. "I'm glad you guys are working so hard. It's all for you guys."

The third song is "Everywhere I Go Is You".

After Gu Jingyi finished saying the song title, he started playing the demo.

He recorded all the demos himself, and they all featured his voice.

"No one can understand you anymore, the reasons for your anger, or the helplessness in your tears."

"The furthest distance, forget it, forget it, forget everything about you."

"It's just a bunch of heartbreaking reasons used to bury all traces of you..."

After the demo was shown, the entire conference room was still buzzing with excitement.

That's the charm of viral songs in short videos—no complicated twists and turns.

It's simply beautiful to listen to, and it touches the heart.

The fourth song, "11," goes: "Love falls like heavy rain; how can one not be attached?"

"Are you doing well? Can you hear me if I want to say something?"

After the demo was played, everyone could sing along.

The chorus is catchy and stylish.

"Asking a question"

Just as Gu Jingyi was about to put down a song, someone suddenly interrupted him.

He nodded, and was speechless when he saw it was Zhao Qinghuan.

Sister, why are you undermining us when we're family?

However, seeing that the woman was eager to try, Gu Jingyi agreed.

"Go ahead and say it," Gu Jingyi nodded.

"Why is your song title 11? It's such a strange number, and the chorus doesn't even appear."

“Because friends, lovers, spouses, and family all have 12 strokes,” Gu Jingyi said, glancing at the audience.

He continued, "11 means almost lovers, almost friends, almost lovers."

This unexpected surprise stirred a myriad of emotions in Zhao Qinghuan's eyes.

This song is a real weapon for emotional women.

The remaining songs are: "Youth," "Trap," "Insomnia Flight," "Honestly," "Drop Tower," "A Short Letter, A Long Story," and "A Possible Night."

This album is designed to directly monopolize all the most popular TikTok hits of the future, and it's all about short videos.

The arrangement, lyrics, and composition were all designed to be addictive; as long as it sounds good, that's enough. They don't really pursue deeper meaning; their main focus is on the lower-tier market.

After the audition, the executives at Yin Fu were beaming with joy.

Songs that ordinary people find pleasant to listen to are the most suitable for note-based algorithms.

He felt that every single one of Gu Jingyi's songs was beautiful and made people want to sing along.

Gu Jingyi suggested at the audition that a music video should be produced for better promotion.

Three songs were selected, with the performers chosen from among young actresses.

The notes had no objections and generously covered all the expenses.

After the audition ended, Zhao Qinghuan directly asked Gu Jingyi for the full version of "Insomnia Flight".

"What are you looking at? This is the OST for 'Go Go Squid!' You brat, it's not like we're not going to pay you royalties."

"You should also check on the company's drama; it'll be filming soon."

After muttering to herself for a while, Zhao Qinghuan left leisurely.

Gu Jingyi wasn't listening at all; he was thinking about who to invite to write his song.

Tian Xiwei has already performed one song, so which two should we choose next: Ju Jingyi, Zhou Ye, or Liu Haolin?
(End of this chapter)