Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 219 Promotion: The Rising Star of the Chinese Entertainment Industry

The following day, in Billboard's updated "Top 100 Singles" chart, "Boy with Luv," adapted into a Chinese version by Gu Jingyi, debuted at number 37.

Although it didn't perform as well as the previous English song "Butter," it caused a sensation in the country.

This is the first Chinese song to enter the Billboard "Top 100 Singles" list, showcasing Chinese to the world.

Based on this alone, even those who never follow the entertainment industry or celebrities, feel immense pride upon hearing Gu Jingyi's performance. It is sincerely hoped that Gu Jingyi will deliver an even better performance with this song, taking the burden from that man's shoulders and leading Chinese Cpop to new heights, bringing him into the public eye.

In addition, some sour grapes and haters hoped that Gu Jingyi's song was just a single that rose to fame based on the accumulation of fans.

Ideally, like Chris, we'd see international netizens flooding Twitter with "Who is Gu?"

Unfortunately, as more and more Europeans and Americans wake up, "Boy with Luv" doesn't flop. Instead, it gradually climbs the charts as more people listen to and discuss it.

Its performance is so outstanding that, as of the official Weibo post, the song has already climbed to number 19 on the Billboard charts, although based on this first-day performance, it doesn't seem to have the potential to break into the "Top 10".

No one in China criticized Gu Jingyi for her achievements; the fact that she is currently the strongest singer in the Chinese music scene speaks for itself.

Chinese songs are even more niche in Europe and America than K-pop, just like how Chinese people listen to Southeast Asian songs.

Gu Jingyi's success is not only due to the excellent quality and arrangement of the song, but also because of the fan base she built with "Butter".

Regardless of what songs Gu Jingyi releases, all songs on Spotify are free to stream. Listening to them first won't hurt.

Unbeknownst to many, Gu Jingyi had already amassed a loyal overseas audience. At least for this song, they had become Gu Jingyi's target audience.

Furthermore, according to Huace's research, after "Boy with Luv" made it onto the charts, the number of times terms like "Gu Jingyi," "Boy with Luv," and "Cpop" appeared in many European and American forums and online searches increased significantly.

These are the impacts that are most exciting for the Chinese music scene.

Judging from the market reaction in America and the song's data, the praise from domestic media for Gu Jingyi isn't overly exaggerated. At least this time, he has truly created a landmark level of recognition for Cpop overseas.

It's not that Zhou Naicha is bad, but rather that the arrangement and lyrics of her other songs in the past tended to reflect a strong Chinese aesthetic.

For Gu Jingyi's song, only the lyrics are in Chinese. The rest of the lyrics, composition, and arrangement were all elements that Western audiences would enjoy.

The market response was very positive, which was a result of following the trend.

With the overwhelming success of "Boy with Luv," Gu Jingyi's other single, "If I Could," also performed exceptionally well in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. It reached number two on the ITnues chart in 56 countries ("Boy with Luv" was number one).

Even more surprisingly, "If I Could" also made it into the "Top 100 Singles" as his current trending topics on various foreign websites continue to dominate.

Although she only ranked 46th, this was Gu Jingyi's lowest result to date.

Yet it still excited countless music critics, who eagerly anticipated the performance of Gu Jingyi's album.

Meanwhile, many fans in Gu Jingyi's fan group are hoping that "at the Dragon King's command, all the songs on the album will rush into the Billboard Top 100 Singles Chart."

This made Huace laugh, as the difficulty level was almost zero.

This achievement is something that not only BTS, who had the highest streaming numbers at the time, couldn't do, but even superstars like Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber couldn't achieve.

How could every song on the album be on the charts...?

No matter how famous someone is, or how good their songs are, they can't possibly leave no part of the music for anyone else...

Under Huace's instructions, various fans also started to guide the discussion in the group.

The fans then realized what was happening and went all out to boost Gu Jingyi's sales.

It's no wonder the fans aren't clear-headed; casual observers are actually praising Gu Jingyi even more.

Huace's investigation revealed that, as expected, a rival company was stirring up trouble by praising someone to the point of destruction.

Now that they've already persuaded the fans, Huace naturally responded with a whole bunch of smear articles.

Let's take another look at Gu Jingyi's situation; it's still as good as ever.

Gu Jingyi's new Mandarin song reached number 19 on the Billboard Top 100 Singles Chart, setting a new record for the best Mandarin song.

Gu Jingyi, the new generation leader of Cpop!

Gu Jingyi's new album's lead single achieves remarkable success, bringing new hope to the Chinese music scene.

"In Gu Jingyi, we see the enduring hope for Chinese pop music; he is a spark!"

After reading through one article after another, Huace was embarrassed.

Even though they've tried to stop fans from blindly praising them, they still can't stop these spontaneous voices.

In the minds of many Chinese people, expanding into new markets is inherently more valuable than simply being a bully at home. This added prestige and influence, coupled with Gu Jingyi's already excellent domestic record and brand recognition, further solidified his position.

With Gu Jingyi's return this time, the market is naturally only hearing his voice.

Although those colleagues who changed their schedules for Gu Jingyi were ridiculed, it really worked!
Look at those singers who stubbornly returned on the same day as Gu Jingyi; they were completely crushed by Gu Jingyi's behemoth.

Even those disguised haters and trolls questioned Huace's chart manipulation, fans' frantic data manipulation, the blindness of Westerners, and even the value of the Billboard charts and the Top 100 Singles charts.

The long-silent official...beauty is making a move.

He directly liked and shared "Boy with luv," sending a signal.

Then, Gu Jingyi's exclusive interview also appeared in the news.

Who would dare to touch Gu Jingyi now? Silence reigned.

Fans didn't even have time to show off; they were waiting for Gu Jingyi's new album, "Writing Our Stories," to be released.

As time ticked by, and amidst the anticipation of countless people, the moment arrived at midnight on the day the patent was released.

Gu Jingyi's first album, "Writing Our Story," has been officially released!
bump!
The moment the "buy" button lit up on QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music, countless people launched an attack. One after another, people frantically tapped the screen with their fingers twitching!

The massive and surging data stream violently impacted the servers of the two platforms, causing severe lag within just a few seconds!
Some people even got stuck on the order page, unable to make payment for a long time.

Fortunately, both platforms have backup lines, and the situation was quickly resolved.

Despite the fans' complaints, they still diligently kept updating the charts.

Finally, seeing the album sales soar, the first-day results were soon in.

Digital album sales reached 288 million copies on the first day.

This is an excellent result, breaking all of Gu Jingyi's previous records.

Many in the industry predict that Gu Jingyi's digital album sales will reach around 500 million copies.

The digital album is not expensive; 10 songs cost only 30 yuan.

Gu Jingyi's songs are all paid, costing 3 yuan per song.

Passersby thought it would be better to buy the whole album, since Gu Jingyi's production quality was completely trustworthy.

Thus, Gu Jingyi's new album "Write Our Story" once again set a new record in the Chinese music scene.

Many music critics are writing reviews of Gu Jingyi's new album, the most well-known being Erdi.

Gu Jingyi's new album had just been released when Erdi (a popular online reviewer) started writing a review. Since it's a full-length album with 10 songs, Erdi's review was quite lengthy.

@EarEmperor
Many people have asked me to listen to Gu Jingyi's new album and write a long review. Actually, I started listening to it as soon as it came out. Needless to say, it's the biggest surprise in the Chinese music scene in 2019.

If I Could

Gu Jingyi uses restrained string arrangements to create a sense of destiny, while the four words "If I Could" in the chorus are torn apart by breathy vocals, more poignant than a scream. This further embodies the tragic tension under Eastern aesthetics, while the design of the red rope sound effect and piano triplets allows the music video footage to play automatically within the music, making it a textbook example of OST narrative techniques.

Swap the rest of your lives

Gu Jingyi incorporates the ambient sound of insects chirping into the synthesizer wave, transforming science fiction concepts into tangible romance. The sudden rise of strings in the chorus is like a parallel universe bursting open. The imagery is beautiful and romantic.

But what I really want to praise here is Gu Jingyi's mastery of the instruments in the arrangement. The spatial arrangement of this song is excellent, with the organic fusion of electric guitar and strings, and the addition of percussion further enriching the listening experience.

Now let's talk about the song itself. It has an ABABCB structure, and the chorus uses the most common 4536 chords. Songs written with this chord progression won't sound bad; it's about average.

What surprised me even more was Gu Jingyi's singing style; he has improved again.

Write Our Stories

This song uses a pentatonic scale as its foundation, combined with the sound of a church organ. The gradual build-up of emotions from the verse to the chorus elevates the phrase "This life was originally about being alone" to a collective tearful moment, giving rise to a new Chinese wedding hymn.

The Second Male Lead

Using jazz piano to deconstruct the theme of melodrama, the detailed narrative of "wedding invitations" elevates the "backup lover" genre into a miniature musical, reaching a new height of dark humor in Gu-style love songs. When the strings abruptly stop at the moment of "please be happy for me," the sense of dignity in the self-deprecation far surpasses the earlier melodramatic model, serving as a model for a dignified farewell for adults.

Extraterrestrial Objects

The metaphor of "You descended like an alien" reshapes the Chinese love language system, and the thousands of white lights at the concert echo the cosmic imagery of the song, making it a model of visual music.

"Late"

Wind chime sampling and guitar arpeggios construct a portrait of modern loneliness; the "unanswered phone call" becomes a new symbol of breakup rituals in the digital age. The arrangement is minimalist yet hits the nail on the head. The tension between the suppressed breathiness of the verses and the release of the chorus is palpable. Gu Jingyi uses her vocal acting to interpret "technological alienation," and the power of her vocal storytelling is even more striking than the lyrics.

"sparrow"

The drum machine rhythm simulates the heartbeat of the city, and the electric guitar solo is like a sparrow breaking through the smog. Gu Jingyi transforms a grassroots declaration into an electrified rock epic, another victory for romanticism.

Because there are so many songs, I've chosen to give some reviews of ballads.

Songs like "Boy with Luv" that I didn't include in my list.

It's not that the songwriting and composition are bad, but rather that they lean more towards a Western style, which isn't my forte, so I won't comment further here.

But results speak for the market, and I don't think this song's success needs my praise to prove it.

In conclusion, Gu Jingyi has truly injected new vitality into the Chinese music scene. I see the future in him; if the success of his first two albums laid the foundation for him to become the leading figure among the new generation of musicians...

From today onwards, I think I will view Gu Jingyi as a rising star.
As soon as Erdi's report was published, Gu Jingyi immediately became a trending topic.

Weibo and Zhihu exploded with discussion, with countless people actively debating whether Gu Jingyi is indeed a rising star.

The final conclusion is that, whether from the perspective of sales volume or reputation, it is the best approach.

Gu Jingyi's three albums all exceeded expectations.

Just like the fan said, "We can't ignore Gu Jingyi's success in music just because he's a top-tier idol."

The situation escalated when Lin Junjie posted Gu Jingyi's album on Weibo.

@Lin Junjie

Wow, Bro, @顾璟奕, I've listened to your new album, it's great.

Teacher Li Ronghao also joined in to support Gu Jingyi.

@Li Ronghao

Have you listened to Gu Jingyi's new album? It's great, I've been listening to it on repeat.

Xue Zhiqian and Jay Chou also followed suit and gave Gu Jingyi their support.

For a time, the entire Chinese music scene could only hear Gu Jingyi's voice.
Gu Jingyi's fans were stunned. They thought they were about to have a major battle with the haters after Erdi's long review.

Surprisingly, not only were the haters completely silent, but even many veteran singers were giving Gu Jingyi their support.

The concubines were so excited that they were speechless, as they had never had such a dream start before.

By this time, those who had already purchased Gu Jingyi's collector's edition album had received their orders.

With one unboxing video after another going viral online, tear-off sheets have become a fashion item and a key to online popularity.

Not only are more and more celebrities, such as Dilraba and Gina, following the trend.

Even internet celebrities, and even ordinary people, want to follow the trend.

A single tear-off sheet was even being sold for 300 yuan, and Gu Jingyi cleared out all the tear-off sheets he had stockpiled at that price, making a huge profit.

Huace followed Gu Jingyi's lead and quietly made a fortune.

Gu Jingyi, however, became very busy, as Huace had already announced his tour plans.

He will be embarking on an Asian tour that will last for more than two months, starting in mid-July.

During this time, I also had to take care of promoting "Go Go Squid!". The task was quite heavy, especially since there were so many songs to perform at the concert, and just going through them from beginning to end would take a considerable amount of time.

Fortunately, Gu Jingyi doesn't have many dance tracks, only two or three at most.

Otherwise, performing like they did during their K-pop idol days would be a huge test of their physical stamina.

Even so, Gu Jingyi has been spending all his time in the company's practice room lately, preparing diligently for the upcoming concert.

After jumping continuously for more than an hour, Gu Jingyi finally stopped to rest for a while, panting heavily.

"Brother Ze, what brings you in all of a sudden?"

Gu Jingyi grabbed a bottle of water and sat down to drink it, not forgetting to greet Lin Ze.

"The concert will officially begin on July 17 this year, and is expected to be held in 10 countries across Asia for at least 7 consecutive shows. The company has already started preparations and the venues have been booked in advance."

Upon hearing the latest news about the concert, Gu Jingyi nodded.

Being able to hold concerts is the best measure of a singer's popularity.

Given his popularity, it's impossible for it to be low.

After chatting for a while, Lin Ze also told him some good news.

That is, Gu Jingyi has become a rising star.

This is the conclusion that music critics have reached after discussing it for a long time these past few days.

Furthermore, Gu Jingyi is very likely to be the first and last rising star of the new generation.

(End of this chapter)