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

Chapter 73 The Allure of Journalism

During the interview, Xia Shen's words stunned everyone, including the host and the millions of viewers watching the live stream.

They had considered that Xia Shen might give all sorts of answers. Even the reporter from Mango Entertainment had to admit that she had asked the question in order to find some sharp points.

Journalism is essentially the study of guiding emotions. As reporters at Mango Entertainment, from the very beginning of their careers, they were taught how to more accurately guide the audience's emotions and to base their reporting on this principle.

Because you have to admit that sometimes events with contradictions and twists and turns are more interesting and can evoke more emotions in the audience than bland reports.

She asked such a pointed question precisely because she wanted to get the shots she wanted.

Imagine, anyone who is a creator, anyone who is involved in art, must value their work highly, right? Every artist has their own core principles they hold dear.

In other words, for an artist, a work of art is like a child.

How can a parent remain calm and magnanimous when others are belittling their child?
The same applies now; if Xia Shen shows even the slightest embarrassment when she asks her questions, then she has succeeded.

At that time, Xia Shen can talk about other things without caring, and he can argue that his work is actually not bad. He can say a lot of things like the audience just didn't understand, that maybe no one will understand it for ten years, and that someone will understand it in the future, blah blah blah.

As long as he says those words, then she has succeeded; this is a successful report.

But to her utter surprise, Xia Shen gave this kind of answer.

He actually admitted it?

He actually went along with what she said!

This is like someone mentioning to a parent: "Your child is a good-for-nothing."

Instead of arguing or losing her temper, the parent nodded in agreement: "Yes, that's right, he's a good-for-nothing!"

They said it with such self-righteousness.

Is this the answer she wanted to hear?

Obviously not.
"What do you mean?" The reporter was embarrassed and could only ask, "Don't you think that the comments from netizens and fans are a bit too biased?"

She was still thinking of trying her best to save her.

However, Xia Shen shook his head: "There is no bias, this is the truth. Take the EP album 'Shake Before Listening' for example. Basically, most of the songs on this album have no musicality or technical content. To put it another way, even someone with no musical background can easily learn and make it after watching two videos about electronic music production."

Oh, by the way, for professionals, this time is even shorter. For example, for most of the songs here, I don't spend more than half an hour working on them; it's just one song.

reporter:"."

What can I say?

man!

This left the reporter completely speechless.

However, at this moment, Xia Shen added, "But as I said, sometimes what musicians do is not something they can decide themselves, but rather what the market decides. This involves some very real issues."

The reporter then seized the opportunity to ask: "So you mean that you are producing this kind of music now because the current market audience and listeners prefer it more, and don't like high-quality music?"
For example, with your song "Shake Before Listening," are you implying that domestic listeners nowadays prefer "rustic" or "low-brow" music to formal electronic music?

Xia Shen: "."

Did he say that?

Although that's what he said and that's what he meant, it doesn't mean that's what he was trying to express.

What's the difference between this and simply saying that the audience likes Akaishi more and more? And then, just because the audience likes Akaishi, they can only keep making big, exaggerated statements.

If he were to actually say such a thing, he'd be finished. Besides, that's really not what Xia Shen meant.

This also boosted Xia Shen's spirits when facing reporters' questions.

As expected of the uncrowned king, you have to be extremely careful when dealing with these people, because you might get dragged into trouble if you're not careful.

Xia Shen didn't dare to imagine how the media would report on him if he said just one wrong word.

At this moment, Xia Shen also felt a strong sense of agreement with a sentence he had read online.

This is truly a captivating moment for journalism.
He could only think for a moment before saying, "First of all, my song is not called 'Shake Before You Listen,' and secondly, it has nothing to do with the audience, but is determined by the times."

With the rapid development of the internet, information is disseminated and updated much faster. Every day, people receive thousands upon thousands of pieces of information, and this is compounded by the faster pace of life.

What I mean is that many things are complex, and you can't determine the nature of something just by looking at one side of it.

The overly commercialized music I make is a product of the times, related to factors such as platform push mechanisms, dissemination mechanisms, the influencer effect, and the entertainment of ugliness, rather than the fault of the listeners.

In fact, the audience is the most innocent party; many are even passively receiving information, not actively choosing to accept it. This is a fundamental difference. Can you say that something done passively is because you like it? Probably not.

reporter:"."

Okay, at least we didn't fall into a pit.

She's starting to question the meaning of life.

Wasn't this Xia Shen's first time giving a media interview?

Why does he seem even harder to deal with than some seasoned veterans? He speaks with impeccable tact.

They can certainly guide the narrative, but the premise for them to exert their 'uncrowned king' power is only guidance; there is a difference between selective reporting and malicious distortion.

If someone arbitrarily reports something that the other party didn't say, and it causes huge controversy, that's called spreading rumors and slander in China, and there's a comprehensive set of laws against it.

This is not America or Hong Kong in the 1980s and 90s. The China of today is no longer the China of the past, but has a sound legal system.

Therefore, if the interviewee is completely discreet, they really can't report any provocative content at will.

However, just as the reporter's expression showed slight disappointment, a subtle smile appeared in Xia Shen's eyes.

Is he really such a seasoned veteran?

Actually, that's not the case at all. Quite the opposite, because there are people—no, people—influencing him behind the scenes about what he should and shouldn't say.

He exchanged a glance with Old Chen, who was inconspicuous in the crowd in the distance.

Old Chen nodded to him discreetly in the crowd.

Xia Shen smiled.

So next, we can let these uncrowned kings have some juicy gossip. We need to give them some space to showcase the charm of journalism, right?

Xia Shen said directly, "But actually this greatly limits my strength. I have to adapt to the market and the times, and it's also for the sake of filling my stomach."

"Oh?" The reporter's eyes lit up.

Her intuition was incredibly sharp; she immediately spotted the point of conflict and asked directly, "So you mean that now that you're full, you can write seriously? It seems you're quite confident in yourself."

"Of course," Xia Shen nodded. "I really can."

(End of this chapter)