Why bother writing songs? Fast forward to the "Don't Laugh Challenge"

Chapter 108 A Little Surprise for the Album [25 Updates]

If Xia Shen faced boundless criticism when he appeared at an electronic music festival, it was somewhat understandable.

After all, as the number one "country bumpkin" king in China, he started out making country bumpkin music. Although he has made high-quality electronic music, he has not been able to break through the market and has not been heard by anyone. Therefore, it is normal for him to be questioned.

After all, isn't there a meme about it online now?

Xia Shen is the live-in father of all the female streamers who flirt with the edge of the internet, single-handedly supporting most of the industry.

Those female live streamers who do borderline jobs make a living off his songs.

Over time, how could the audience not become resistant to him?
But rap is different. From beginning to end, no one ever doubted Xia Shen's level and ability in rap.

Whether it's the global success of "Wealth from All Directions/Cause and Effect," the global popularity of "Great Ambitions," or the award-winning performance of "Nocturne," which directly garnered one of China's three highest awards.

Even during the period when he faced a lot of criticism, people's opinion of him was: if he were doing rap, then there would be nothing to say.

Because everyone knows that Xia Shen is truly skilled in rap music.

Although there are plenty of people who don't like his rap, there are also quite a few who criticize his lyrics.

But no one has ever questioned the musicality of his songs; at most, they've only criticized the lyrics.

This is without including "Nocturne".

Therefore, the moment the topic was announced, Xia Shen's name once again surged to the top of the trending searches.

This time it's even more extreme, with the tag being #GodofChineseRap#.

This has indeed sparked some reactions within the traditional rap scene.

"If you say Xia Shen's rapping is amazing, that's fine, no one can refute it. But to say he's a god of rapping, that's going too far, isn't it?"

"Yes, there are so many people in Chinese rap who have been working hard all along. Their works are also very good. There are so many top rappers who have been contributing to Chinese rap all along. They have all come from the underground era. For example, GTE, when he was at his poorest, he only had 20 yuan in his pocket, but he still persisted in doing rap and never thought about leaving."

Then, after appearing on the show, during the inaugural year of rap's explosive growth, it was still these same people who made rap music known to Chinese music audiences. Did Xia Shen experience that phase? These people are all his seniors!

"To say that Xia Shen is a god of Chinese rap is ironic in the eyes of us rap enthusiasts who have been listening to Chinese rap all along. You can say that he is a very strong rapper, but you can't say that he is a god."

"What's funny is that Xia Shen's technical skills aren't necessarily that great. His real strength lies in music production. The best thing about his album 'Chinese Rap' is its musicality, but his rapping techniques are relatively simple, and any normal human being could sing that kind of talk flow."

“Indeed, there are no complex flows at all. If you tell me that this technical skill is impressive, then I don’t agree.”

"Xia Shen and Zhou Yumeng's fans, really, don't overpraise him, or he might fall flat on his face."

"Rap God? Laughable God."

Of course, just like right now, besides those who support and express their expectations, there are also many who express doubts.

The current pace is somewhat outrageous.

Many AKA Moon and GTE fans have also stood up to defend their favorite singers and expressed their opposition.

Furthermore, it was claimed that there is no god in Chinese music; it is about freedom of expression, expressing the spirit, and keeping on real. Music should not have a god, nor should a god be created.

Of course, these things are on the internet, and they have no impact on Xia Shen himself.

Or rather, he is completely oblivious to public opinion right now.

Because now he is focusing all his energy on the show and the competition.

Although it was no secret that he and Zhou Yumeng were unlikely to end up together, the fact that "The Singer" was unfair and scripted was no secret.

Although we've only just finished the first round and are about to enter the second, it's only just begun, and the script hasn't even been revealed yet.

But it's only a matter of time; sooner or later, a mysterious force will intervene.

Even so, Xia Shen felt that he still had to give it his all.

This program is important for both his own commercial value and for Zhou Yumeng to increase her commercial value and popularity.

He planned to make the most of the limited time he could stay inside and extract as much stuff as possible.

As for who is the central figure of this season's script and the real main character, he has a general idea of ​​that to some extent.

Is it Liang Ziying?
No. Is it Bai Jing?

Nor is it.

Who is that?
It's that prince of love songs, Zhang Yuge.

As a handsome singer who was neither particularly popular nor unpopular in the first round, ranking neither high nor low, he just barely stayed in the middle.

The audience can't see much, but as guests, they can see some things, such as the preferential treatment the production team gives to this prince of love songs.

The perfect timing of his appearance, and other details regarding his treatment.

Looking at the details, Xia Shen could always sense something unusual: the production team might really want to revive this washed-up love song prince.

Xia Shen had no particular thoughts on this.

It's perfectly normal to have a script. First of all, the show is a program, and only secondly a competition. Since it's a program, it's bound to consider ratings.

Then there's the added influence of capital, and these kinds of things involving conflicts of interest in the entertainment industry are very complicated.

Just don't dance it in their faces.

As long as Zhou Yumeng and he aren't treated as sacrifices to be used by Zhang Yuge to climb to the top, he won't express any opinions.

But it's unlikely, and it's not that bad.

Because there are many people in the audience who are more famous than them.

By stepping on Liang Ziying, Bai Jing rose to power. Isn't that great?

Aren't these two divas more influential than them? Not to mention the top producers standing behind them.

Even if we take a step back and say the worst, wouldn't it be better to step on those two international singers?
He could more or less tell what the production team was up to. These two international singers were most likely sacrifices for the production team.

They sacrificed them to make Zhang Yuge famous, so that he could climb to the top by stepping on them.

With so many big names and so many choices, even if they went through them one by one, it wouldn't be his and Zhou Yumeng's turn.

So you can rest assured.

Just treat it as a tourist trip to the Xiangjiang River. Take a stroll around, sing a few songs along the way, and then leave. Why not?

Their market value and popularity soared, and the production team also achieved what they wanted.

It’s a win-win!

After the first round, Xia Shen also had one thing to do: release his new album.

The songs he performed on Ultra have finally been compiled into an album, and the final production work is complete.

Of course, these are all release versions, and there are slight differences in sound quality, melody, and rhythm compared to the live performance. The official version is more suitable for listening with headphones.

but
In addition to the songs played at the music festival, Xia Shen also prepared a 'little surprise' for his fans.

He also slipped in a new song that had never been released before.

Finally, he ended his seclusion and turned off airplane mode on his phone.

After hastily replying to the messages he had received over the past few days, he posted a Weibo post.

[Dear fans, the new album is now available on multiple platforms! You can listen to it now. I've also included a little surprise in the album, which I'm sure you'll love. Go listen!]

After posting the Weibo message, Xia Shen smiled.

I wonder how his fans will react when they hear about the surprise he's prepared.

Speaking of which, he's really looking forward to it; he's eager to see the fans' 'joyful' reactions and expressions.

Zhou Yumeng, who was standing next to Xia Shen, also noticed his expression and asked, "What are you doing? Why are you laughing like that?"

"Is it that obvious? Not really, is it?" Xia Shen immediately coughed lightly, his smile fading, and said seriously, "Don't overthink it, I'm not that kind of person!"

(For Chapter Two, I didn't have any drafts saved up; I had to write it page by page.)
(End of this chapter)