Huayu 2009: Who should we call the Heavenly King?

"Come."

At 2 a.m., Cai Yinong raised her glass.

"Joanna, Shen Yan, I wish us a pleasant collaboration in the future."

After seven hours of talks, the three parties finally reached a cooperation agreement.

During this time, Huang Weijing left the venue more than once to communicate and report to her boss, Zheng Donghan, who was far away in Hong Kong.

"Cheers!" X2

Shen Yan drank it all in one gulp.

Today's negotiations were tiring, but the results were good.

After several rounds of negotiations, the nature of Shen Yan's debut album changed.

Instead of releasing an EP, they released an album, expanding the number of songs from five to ten.

The song "The Ordinary Road" was officially added to the album, even though doing so would disrupt the album's overall cohesion.

but.

That doesn't matter. "The Ordinary Road" is the seventh song, and according to the old tradition of the record industry, it is the B-side song.

A-side and B-side are terms used in the vinyl era. Vinyl records have limited storage capacity, and a single side cannot hold all the songs.

So the record company put the title track on side A.

Side B contains minor tracks that were not included in the album.

Although the CD era did not have the problem of insufficient storage space, record companies still retained the concept of Side A and Side B.

The concept of cohesion is also a legacy of vinyl records. In the vinyl era, it was impossible to switch songs at will, so the album had to ensure a consistent listening experience and the range of musical styles could not be too wide.

In fact, the B-side songs on many albums are of high quality, but they don't quite fit mainstream aesthetics.

and so.

Shen Yan pulled out a thick lyric book and, in front of Huang Weijing, picked out a few obscure songs from it.

He chose "Enchanted" as the eighth song on the album.

The single released by the band Mi Xin in 24.

A retro song with a touch of psychedelic flair; the lead singer of the band Mi Xin has a singing style and timbre very similar to Dorothy, the lead singer of The Cranberries.

A retro-style synthesizer paired with a saxophone makes for a very interesting combination.

However, since it's aimed at women, the lyrics need to be slightly modified.

The ninth song is "Toy".

(See the bonus chapter)

This single, released in 2015 by the indie rock band Island Mood, tells the story of the harm that parental arguments cause to children.

Sadness, helplessness, humility, fear, disgust, and a little bit of longing for family affection.

"Can you please stop arguing? Don't bring me this fear... I'd give up all my toys for this; I don't want this to be my last supper."

The lyrics are very well written.

The tenth song is "Mountains and Seas".

This song, released in 16 by the Taiwanese band No Party for Cao Dong, was originally prepared by Shen Yan for the film "The Vigilantes in Masks".

It is Ying Wuqiu's exclusive song.

Ying Wuqiu, whose real name is Bao Laiying, is an honest and straightforward farmer when he first appears. After his beloved Jing Ruyi dies, he turns evil on the spot.

Not only did he turn against the protagonist, Li Gexiao, but he also became Yan Song's lackey, and Yan Song gave him the name Ying Wuqiu.

The song "Mountains and Seas" is about "personally killing your past self".

"He understands, he understands, I can't afford it." Here, "he" doesn't actually refer to a third person, but to oneself.

This song perfectly captures Bao Lai's transformation from being tough to being undemanding.

of course.

The original "Shan Hai" is an alternative rock song with elements of grunge, disco, and post-rock. If it were used in a period drama, it would definitely need to be rearranged.

Creating a tender version wouldn't be too difficult for Shen Yan; he used the tender version in the drama and the original version from Grass East in the album.

In addition to the songs mentioned above, Shen Yan also used the Void Grip on "Escape Plan".

An album is different from an EP. Having only two or three popular songs is far from enough; you need at least four.

Sharingan, activate!

"The Brightest Star in the Night Sky" was included in Shen Yan's album as the sixth song.

It serves as a bridge between the past and the future.

With three main singles—"In My Song," "Bubble," and "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky"—and one secondary single—"The Ordinary Road"—their popularity is guaranteed.

The remaining six songs, including "Girl," "Boy," and "Mercury," may be niche, but their quality is definitely not bad.

As for concepts and wholeness, those are just so-so.

The Chinese music scene doesn't care about this. Most, or to put it bluntly, 99% of albums are just compilations, and many concepts and overall coherence are just cobbled together or forced together.

Artemis, which has been praised to the skies by many, is just so-so.

When it comes to overall coherence, conceptual appeal, and widespread appeal, Shen Yan can only answer with one sentence.

I cannot do it.

Besides, he's not the only one doing this; there are tons of mixed-up albums out there.

"It's getting late."

After finishing her drink, Cai Yinong glanced down at herself.

"Go back and rest early, especially you, Shen Yan. I'll have Director Li and the others adjust the filming schedule and focus on shooting your scenes first."

This is also part of the 'agreement'.

fast!

Huang Weijing and Zheng Donghan want things to be fast, to release the album as soon as possible, preferably in January.

However, Gold Typhoon also has a lot to pay.

There are some things Shen Yan can do without, but he can't refuse to give up the gold medal.

For example, public relations and chart promotion for charts such as the China Music Awards, the Golden Melody Awards, and the Music Billboard Awards.

There's nothing wrong with buying rankings or winning prizes, and nothing to be ashamed of.

Everyone else is doing public relations and spending money, but you're not doing public relations and you still expect to win an award?

However, Shen Yan still has a bottom line. If the album doesn't perform well and doesn't generate enough buzz, even if Gold Typhoon pulls all the strings for him, he'll be too embarrassed to go on stage and accept the award.

In a world where everyone tries to be the worst, there has to be a bottom line.

A short while later, Shen Yan returned to his room.

wrong!

There are people inside.

Shen Yan stopped turning on the light. By the dim light from his phone screen, he saw the figure lying on the bed.

Shen Yan then became a little gentler in his movements.

Only one table lamp was turned on, but Zhang Junning was still woken up after taking a shower and getting into bed.

"Why are you back so late?"

Zhang Junning rubbed her eyes and picked up her phone to take a look.

"It's almost three o'clock?"

"Yes, we've been talking for a bit too long."

"That……"

Zhang Junning, having had a good sleep, licked her lips.

Are you still sleeping?

"You decide, I'm fine with anything."

Shen Yan didn't care whether he slept or not. At twenty, he was at the peak of his energy, and after his rebirth, his energy had become even better.

What's a little all-nighter?

Just do it.

"Then, shall we?"

Zhang Junning wants to try again.

"it is good."

……

failure!

……

Another double failure!

……

She doesn't agree!

Come again!

hum!

hum!

hum!

Before six o'clock in the morning, Liu Shishi was awakened by the shrill sound of her alarm clock. Reluctantly, she woke up and was stunned to hear faint noises coming from next door.

isn't it?

Is this really necessary?

She shook her head and rubbed her ears.

It wasn't a hallucination.

Did you DO all night?

Is Shen Yan awesome?

Even cows know how to get tired; this is too reckless.

No.

She needs to change rooms to sleep in; otherwise, if this continues every day, she won't have enough clothes to change into.

After listening for a while, she quickly went into the bathroom.

I can't listen anymore!

She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and took a shower. When she came out, she leaned against the wall and listened carefully.

Thank goodness, there's no more movement.

???

"What am I doing alright with?"