Artists under the Rebirth of the Coal Boss

Chapter 160: Original content is impossible! It's impossible for me to create something original in this lifetime!!

In the video call, Ai Shangzhen wore a beige knit sweater rolled up to her forearms, high-waisted wide-leg pants that accentuated her waist and hips, and her hair fell to her shoulders, her long legs stretching out in a relaxed, homey atmosphere.

"Xingzhuo, your song is a huge hit! It's getting rave reviews on Xiami Music, Douban Music, and Zasui Music Forum!! It's even ranked seventh on Baidu's annual MP3 search chart!!"

Lin Xingzhuo opened a bottle of Xurisheng lemon-flavored iced tea, so engrossed in watching the game that she hadn't yet reacted: "Huh?"

Ai Shangzhen said, "It's the theme song 'Sorrow' from the TV series 'Dwelling Narrowness' that you sang!"

“The popular section of the MUZINE magazine website also included a music review.”

"One cup to the rising sun, one cup to the moonlight, for youth is carefree. One cup to our hometown, one cup to the distant horizon, for young people have ambitions."

"One cup to tomorrow, one cup to the past, the hesitation of middle age. One cup to freedom, one cup to death, the reflection of old age."

"Eight cups of wine to toast the life of an ordinary person!"

Lin Xingzhuo took a sip of lemon-flavored iced tea and said, "Is this song really that amazing? That's an exaggeration."

Ai Shangzhen said, "Songs like this are rare and hard to come by. Many singers only have one representative work in their entire careers."

"I really envy you; you've already got your own signature work all of a sudden."

Lin Xingzhuo said casually, "There are many songs like this..."

Ai Shangzhen shifted to a more comfortable position, resting her chest on the desk, and said seriously to the camera, "Bullshit!! Artistic creation is all about inspiration. Do you think this kind of viral song is as common as cabbage in the market?"

Lin Xingzhuo, a plagiarist in the music industry, was too embarrassed to talk about songwriting anymore, so he asked, "How's the competition going lately?"

Ai Shangzhen sighed: "The competition in Korean singing competitions is too intense. Recently, I met a newcomer named IU, and her skills are incredibly strong!!"

"I heard that he participated in the SBS Inkigayo audition and even released a mini-album called Lost And Found."

"There's also a complete amateur contestant from Ulsan, South Korea, named Seo In-guk. His voice has a natural detachment, especially in ballads where it presents a gentle yet cool quality that the judges particularly liked!"

Lin Xingzhu drank another half bottle of iced tea and said, "The competition in the Korean entertainment industry is much fiercer than in the Chinese entertainment industry!"

"By the way! Stop always covering Rong Zu'er's songs, or the imposter will run into the real deal!!"

Ai Shangzhen said, "Don't jinx it! Covering Cantonese songs is my specialty! If you ask me to sing Korean songs, I definitely can't beat these local artists!"

"Will you write me a Korean song without me doing covers?"

Lin Xingzhuo hummed softly, "In the stillness of time, I search for you as you sleep; no matter who stands in my way, I will eventually come to your side..."

"This long journey is over, and now I'm back with you, setting off once again for the home that bears your name..."

It features a simple pentatonic scale, a concise melodic line, and a stable rhythm.

The song blends classic Korean ballads with European EDM, using minor key melodies to convey a sense of loneliness, while the chorus shifts to bright major key colors, creating a bittersweet emotional rollercoaster.

Ai Shangzhen was completely dumbfounded. Was this freestyle? An impromptu creation?!
This guy must be possessed by the god of music!!
After humming the chorus, Lin Xingzhuo said, "This song is for you. You can take it to the competition."

Ai Shangzhen instinctively said, "Okay... No! No way! Xingzhuo, this song will definitely make you a big star! Your voice is so beautiful! You have to sing it yourself!"

"You just experienced a muse moment in your artistic creation! Many singers only have one in their lifetime!"

Lin Xingzhuo was taken aback. He had a large repertoire of Chinese, Japanese, and English songs, so giving one away wouldn't be a problem at all...

Therefore, I will have many more such muse moments in the future!

Back then, remembering this song was simply a matter of looking through information on the Korean film and television industry in 2018; you would always come across this phenomenal background music from 2018, and it had an excellent long-tail effect...

The trend that started 18 years ago has even continued into 25 years, accumulating billions of views globally on YouTube and Twitter, and generating 136.4 million short videos on TikTok.
Why are we so fixated on the summer of 18?
Because 2018 was truly the happiest year in everyone's eyes!!
…………

Lin Xingzhuo wanted to explain further: "But..."

During the video call, Ai Shangzhen, no longer relaxed as before, sat up straight and said, "This song, you absolutely, positively must not give it away!!! You must sing it yourself!"

Seeing how serious Ai Shangzhen was, Lin Xingzhuo had no choice but to give up and said, "How about this, I authorize you to cover this song, is that alright?"

Ai Shangzhen said earnestly, "Thank you, Xingzhuo!"

…………

Ai Shangzhen is passionate about cover songs.

Lin Xingzhuo understands. This is a common problem in the Chinese entertainment industry that started in Hong Kong and Taiwan last century...

It's impossible to be original; it's impossible to be original in this lifetime.

They can't compose or arrange music, so they rely on covers to maintain their presence in the music scene.

Copying music charts from Japan and South Korea over the years, and Billboard charts from Europe and America, feels like coming home... The charts are full of old songs with catchy melodies, I love them!!

…………

Actually, compared to singing and songwriting, Lin Xingzhuo is more worried that Ai Shangzhen will not be able to adapt to the fiercely competitive environment of the Korean entertainment industry.

It's important to know that most Korean celebrities have absolutely no income for the first three years after their debut.

Many artist groups, until they disband or retire, can only squeeze into small basement rooms, with seven or eight people sleeping in one room.

The Korean entertainment industry has an extremely low tolerance for mistakes. If you have a stain on your record, even just once, your career can be considered over, no matter how popular you were before.

The competition in the Korean entertainment industry is extremely fierce. Behind the complete star-making system, one artist after another is lost in the crowd.

…………

For example: the famous T-ara troll incident.

T-ara is at its peak, with its song "Lovey Dovey" sweeping the top spot on 13 music programs and "Roly-Poly" topping the music charts for 57 consecutive days. They are regarded by the industry as the only girl group that can rival Girls' Generation.

It only took ten days for such a top-tier group to go from being a first-tier to an eighteenth-tier group.

What caused them to fall from the heights of their popularity as a girl group was simply the daughter of a congressman who was accused of bullying someone who was parachuted into the group.

Although, afterwards, both the staff and the parties involved presented solid evidence proving that the "victim" was actually the perpetrator...

However, it still didn't work.

All advertising endorsements were withdrawn, concerts were canceled, music was flooded with negative reviews, fan sites were permanently shut down, and the industry was completely finished...

They went from being a top-tier girl group to becoming a "bad girl group" that is now the enemy of the nation.

In the Korean entertainment industry, a phoenix that falls from grace is just a chicken!

Even the subsequent bombshell news of the group being sexually harassed by lawmakers failed to garner any public attention...

Because the top K-pop girl groups have already gone through two or three iterations, nobody cares about the news of these outdated, obscure "bad girls".

…………

In short, the Korean entertainment industry has a very low tolerance for mistakes by its artists.

Because a celebrity's relative makes a mistake, the celebrity's career is also ruined as a result.

A once-famous girl group failed to gain popularity because they didn't use honorifics when addressing their seniors.

He was criticized for not responding to fans who greeted him at the Idol Star Athletics Championships;

You'll be chased and scolded for not greeting your seniors backstage;
In the Korean entertainment industry, if you desperately try to emulate Zhang Yixin and relentlessly cultivate a persona of hard work, you're essentially telling others:

You lack the ability!
Because who in the Korean entertainment industry doesn't work hard?
Hard work is the least valuable quality among K-pop artists...

…………

Local artists are embroiled in fierce competition, while Ai Shangzhen is a foreigner who isn't signed with a management company.

Without cheating, the chances of surviving in South Korea are practically zero...

........................

After chatting about music for a while, Ai Shangzhen started a YY live stream and played two rounds of CrossFire with Lin Xingzhuo to earn some money to cover her operating expenses in South Korea...

This made Zhang Youqian, the agent who was helping to pack the luggage in the living room, secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

This artist of mine! This is absolutely outrageous!!

(End of this chapter)