HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 376 [376] The single breaks first-day sales record! An earthquake strikes the American music scene!

The appearance of this tabloid news caused Qi Yuan's popularity in the United States to surge.

Hathaway also benefited, gaining media and public attention and a surge in exposure.

Now, the media and the general public across the United States are all eager to know who the Western beauty who was captured by Qi Yuan is.

Zhang Hao said with a hint of jealousy, "You're really something, kid. You even managed to get involved with the female lead in a music video."

Qi Yuan looked innocent: "That's Anne Hathaway, you've met her, she's so beautiful. She invited me to play guitar for her, do you think a hot-blooded young man like me could resist that kind of temptation?"

Zhang Hao: "..."

Oh well, what can I do? Qi Yuanhong is right no matter what she says.

He also agreed with Qi Yuan's statement; after all, it's Hathaway, and any kind of cadre would be the same.

Qi Yuan thought for a moment, then quickly said, "Warner should be able to handle this enormous wealth, right?"

When this topic comes up, Zhang Hao becomes energetic. At his age, he's no longer interested in those ridiculous romantic love stories; he's only interested in making money.

"Don't worry, who do you think is responsible for your scandal spreading all over America? Warner's publicity department added fuel to the fire, and your bilingual single 'Waving Flag' will be released worldwide tomorrow."

The Grammy scandals and rumors have given Qi Yuan a huge boost in exposure, and Zhang Hao is even looking forward to seeing how incredible the sales figures for this single will be.

……

On March 8, a Thursday of the new week, Billboard updated its chart rankings again. Despite the lack of physical sales, "Unstoppable" climbed to number 51, moving up 8 places, solely based on radio airplay.

This song has reached the top ten on many radio stations in North America, and in the top five or even the top three on a few stations.

This is already incredible.

"Waving Flag" has just been released and is expected to chart next week.

The sales figures for the first day have been released, and they've sent shockwaves through the entire American music scene.

More than 40 copies were sold in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong combined; 21.3 in the United States; approximately 13 in Japan; 4 in South Korea; 6 in the United Kingdom; 4.3 in Germany; and around 2.5 in Canada…

The song sold an astonishing 1230021 copies on its first day across all countries and regions worldwide, breaking the record for the highest first-day sales of a single in recent years.

In the last two or three years, the most popular single was Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time," released in 99, which sold over ten million copies worldwide and is hailed as the strongest debut single.

Britney Spears' globally popular single didn't even sell as many copies on its first day as "Waving Flag," or more accurately, it sold far fewer.

It's not that Britney isn't strong enough, it's that Qi Yuan cheated.

Let alone Britney Spears, even Michael Jackson didn't sell many records in the East Asian market; they didn't develop the East Asian market enough.

Qi Yuan is different. Does he really think that it's a waste of time for him to cultivate the East Asian market for two and a half years before venturing into Europe and America?
No, the effect is that after laying a solid foundation in the rear, we can conquer America.

Actually, excluding East Asian sales, Qi Yuan's single didn't sell as well as Britney Spears' debut single.

But he owns the East Asian market, so why remove it? He cheated, and his first-day sales crushed Britney Spears in 99.

The American music scene was in an uproar!
The musical magic from the East shines once again in America.

[Chris Chi, this musical genius from the East, is kicking the Grammys' ass with his sales figures]

[Please, Grammys, put aside your prejudices and treat every musician fairly!]

Billboard, the music magazine, commented: "In an era of declining physical record sales, Christian Bale's 'Waving Flag' achieved unimaginable sales figures." ...

The old guys at the Grammys were dumbfounded.

No, how can this rule-abiding Chris Qi be so fierce?

Are there any shady dealings at the Grammys? Yes!
Does our shady dealings only discriminate against you? We discriminate against everyone, okay?
The Grammys initially thought Qi Yuan was just a clown, hyping up scandals to gain attention, and not worth their attention. They simply blacklisted Qi Yuan quietly.

In retrospect, they underestimated this musician from the East.

Qi Yuan's single sales are booming, which is tantamount to slapping the Grammys in the face and repeatedly telling the world that there are shady dealings in the Grammys.

You claim there was no shady dealing, so why is Qi Yuan's music so popular and sells so well, yet she hasn't won any awards? Look in my eyes! Answer me!

This puts the Grammys in a difficult position.

If Qi Yuan's single is already performing so well, what will they do next year if her English album is just as strong? Should they remove Qi Yuan's name from the blacklist?

By not removing the award and continuing to let Qi Yuan be a runner-up, they are further confirming that the Grammys discriminate against Asians and deliberately refuse to award Asian artists.

Removing it would be tantamount to forcing them to admit that there was something fishy going on at this year's Grammys.

What annoys the Grammys the most is that singers from South America and Europe who come to the United States to develop their careers still have to kneel down if they want to win a Grammy.

What makes you, an Asian, think you can stand up and accept an award? That's what they can't accept.

The Grammy judges hope that Qi Yuan's English album flops, so that they have a reason not to award him the prize.

……

In the United States, people were amazed by the achievements of "Waving Flag".

Some conservative media outlets have pointed out that Qi Yuan is a scoundrel, that he has the East Asian market, and that the single's first-day sales record is inflated. In terms of sales in Europe and America alone, he hasn't even surpassed Britney Spears' sales in 99.

Such rebuttals were useless. Warner Bros. boasted about Qi Yuan's achievements while simultaneously hyping up the scandal between Qi Yuan and Hathaway, using more eye-catching and shocking data plus gossip to ruthlessly suppress those doubts that were unfavorable to Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan is like a mobile money-printing machine, bringing Warner huge profits every day. Can Warner let them do something detrimental to Qi Yuan?

……

In Japan and South Korea, the music scene and media have entered a frenzy.

If a Chinese person can achieve such remarkable success in the Western music scene, does that mean our artists can too?

The Japanese, in particular, were incredibly excited. Their Utada Hikaru was once the most dazzling entertainer in all of Asia, even more so than Qi Yuan.

Does this mean that Utada Hikaru will be more successful than Qi Yuan in the future when she enters the Western music scene?
Some Japanese media outlets and Utada Hikaru's fans chanted slogans urging the Grammys not to discriminate against Asian artists.

They are now on the same side as Qi Yuan. If they don't make a show of force now to put some pressure on the Grammys, what will happen to Utada Hikaru if the Grammys discriminate against them in the future?
Let Qi Yuan handle the frontline work; they can just engage in some verbal sparring in the rear. After all, doing a good job in this area will benefit their artists' future ventures into the US market!
……

China.

A large number of American reports about Qi Yuan were brought back to China, and after being embellished by domestic media, the tone changed again.

Domestic media outlets brought back the gossip and scandals fabricated by Warner Music, leaving domestic fans and casual listeners dumbfounded.

Damn! Qi Yuan is a complete fraudster! He promised to come back to China next week, but he's been secretly dating foreign girls behind everyone's back? That's outrageous!
(End of this chapter)