Huayu 2009: Who should we call the Heavenly King?

2 month 20 number.

The seventh day of the new year.

On the first day back to work for migrant workers, the entertainment section of the Beijing News featured a lengthy commentary by veteran music journalist Dai Fang.

[Did they gain fame through scandals or establish themselves through talent? Blank Space provides the answer.]

This is a PR article that Sister Xu had someone write. She didn't use family connections; she used her own network.

After it was published, Shen Yan found the report online immediately.

In 2010, most newcomers in the mainland music scene were disciplined to be obedient and sensible: sing safe love songs, take a safe route, and maintain a perfect persona.

Shen Yan's appearance shattered this set of entrenched unspoken rules.

Upon seeing this opening, Shen Yan couldn't help but chuckle.

It must be said that a professional pen is indeed professional; it can write, and the core tone is set in just a few words at the beginning.

Isn't this exactly the 'real' persona that will emerge later?

Keep watching.

Skipping over the less important boasts, he saw another line.

Netizens jokingly call it a "prodigal son's disclaimer," which, while seemingly a joke, actually reveals the core message—truth.

In the online context where phrases like "I'm not smoking cigarettes, I'm smoking loneliness" are rampant, young people are tired of hypocritical personas and prefer this straightforward attitude of "daring to do what you want and taking responsibility."

Faced with a media storm, Shen Yan neither explained nor evaded the issue, but instead wrote "Blank Space," directly confronting all the controversies and transforming the widespread discussion and rumors into a footnote to his personal music.

Bala, bala.

Then came another round of praise, first to his Synth-pop style, then to his ability to write English songs, from composition to arrangement to singing, he praised everything.

Even Shen Yan himself blushed a little at the sight.

This report seems to have pressed some kind of on/off switch.

Over the next two days, mainland newspapers such as the Oriental Morning Post, Yangcheng Daily, and Southern Metropolis Daily published special music reviews.

Even Hong Kong and Taiwan newspapers such as the South China Morning Post, Oriental Daily News, and China Times followed suit and published articles.

Although print media was already in decline in 2010, traditional media should not be underestimated.

Their voice remains irreplaceable.

Even if we don’t say that self-media has not yet fully taken off, even more than a decade later, news gathering and editing will still be dominated by newspapers and television stations.

Today, the four major portal websites seem to be at their zenith, with news everywhere.

but.

They only have a press publication license, which is the right to reprint.

Legitimate news reports all originate from traditional media such as print media and television stations.

Editors at the four major portal websites can only refer to themselves as "editors" because they do not have press credentials. Even when interviewing celebrities or visiting set, they can only label it as an exclusive interview or a special interview.

It has nothing to do with the news.

More often than not, portal websites will collaborate with traditional media, leveraging the latter's editorial rights to conduct reporting.

The source is listed as XX Media, and the message ends with "[XX.com Entertainment Editor]".

and so.

Print media reporting is not useless.

In short, over 90% of the news reports on the four major portals are reprints; they are merely a reprinting channel. As for the remaining 10%, those are fabricated by the portal websites themselves, skirting the edges of the story.

Of course, apart from the source, The Beijing News, the remaining dozen or so media outlets are all resources of Gold Typhoon.

Who made the Italian princess take a liking to Shen Yan?

Previously, Shen Yan had not demonstrated his ability to sing and write English songs. At that time, for the Qi Yalai family, he was merely a fulcrum to pry open the Chinese market.

But in the past week, Qi Yalai specifically sought out several top-tier producers from Europe and America.

After listening to "Blank Space," they all gave their reviews.

If promoted properly, this song has the potential to break into the Billboard Hot 100.

Some people think it can make it into the top 30, while others predict it will be in the top 50 or even the top 100. In any case, everyone is optimistic about it making the list.

then.

Qi Yalai then ordered an investigation into the records of Asians on the Billboard charts.

As a globally recognized trendsetter for Western pop music, Billboard charts are compiled based on a combination of radio airplay, physical sales, digital downloads, and streaming data.

Although it's just a US ranking, it enjoys high global recognition.

Very authoritative.

Qi Yalai carefully checked and found that apart from Sakamoto Kyu winning the championship in 1963 with "Sukiyaki", no Asian had reached the top in more than 50 years since then.

From 1990 to 2009, no Asian singers made the list.

Until last year, Indian singer A.R. Rahman, Filipino pop prodigy Charice, and South Korean group Wonder Girls all made the list.

Apart from Raman ranking 15th, Charice and Wonder Girls did not rank very high.

Wonder Girls' "Nobody" is quite popular in Asia.

However, none of that matters.

Qi Yalai and her family members saw another kind of potential in Shen Yan.

After all, Chinese is too difficult, with a strong language barrier, and people who don't understand Chinese hardly listen to Chinese songs.

English songs, on the other hand, have the potential to break out of China.

Simultaneously.

Just before the Lunar New Year, the PGMA Foundation, controlled by the Qi Yalai family, officially partnered with Gold Typhoon and acquired a stake in the company.

Although it was only an investment, not a full acquisition, it wasn't that PGMA didn't want to acquire it, but rather that Jeong Dong-han didn't agree.

He wanted to squeeze out more profit, since the Italians were rich.

Zheng Donghan has already figured out the other party's background.

In 2007, the Zialai family sold their telecommunications company, a transaction that alone put them in their hands for over a billion euros.

What does it mean to have billions of euros in cash?

Li Bancheng may not be able to come up with that much cash in a short period of time.

We must squeeze as much as possible, squeeze it thoroughly!

Therefore, as soon as Qi Yalai suggested conducting public relations, Zheng Donghan didn't even bother to be reserved.

Not only did he agree swiftly, but he also personally leveraged his extensive network of contacts within the industry to coordinate a collective effort among media outlets across mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong to generate momentum.

These behind-the-scenes power struggles and resource exchanges remain completely unknown to the outside world.

From the perspective of ordinary netizens, Shen Yan's reputation changed overnight.

Many print media outlets have jumped on the bandwagon to report on it.

Most of the criticism is praise, and even the criticisms are "small but helpful," targeting only minor issues.

For example, youth, youthful infatuation, romanticism, etc.

Even if you break it apart and crumble it, the essence inside is still praise.

Shen Yan himself never expected the situation to develop to this point.

His purpose in releasing that song was very simple.

It's better to expose it yourself than to be exposed later. As long as the exposure happens quickly enough, the landslides won't be able to keep up with its pace.

As for whether it will escalate into a big controversy.

He didn't think so.

The environment in 2010 was still quite relaxed.

Why is Luo Dazuo jumping around like that? Has something happened to him?

No.

Han Han's remarks during the blog and Weibo era were even more explosive, including the "258 theory," which states that he had 2 girlfriends, 5 lovers, and 8 bed partners.

Is he alright?

No.

It won't affect "Pegasus 3" winning the Spring Festival box office championship.

Furthermore, Shen Yan had carefully reviewed the situation. Although his relationship was short and the breakup was quick, it was a peaceful separation.

It's highly unlikely that his ex-girlfriend will come forward to expose him; these days, long, personal essays aren't popular.

and so.

He did it.

Not only did he release a music video, but he also added bilingual subtitles. In fact, he could have chosen not to add subtitles at all.

But after thinking it over, since I've already done it, I might as well be honest.

Even if things really do go wrong, we can always find another way to resolve it.

With enough chips in hand, they don't care about winning or losing a hand or two.

Just as bewildered as him, Cai Yinong was also unable to understand the changing situation.

It's only been a few days?

The wind direction just changed like that?

To her even greater surprise, Gold Typhoon proactively offered her an endorsement contract.

Sony Ericsson W20 music phone promotion ambassador.

The offer is 60, with a one-year contract.

As we all know, there are different levels of endorsements, and the higher the national recognition and the stronger the brand power, the rarer the endorsement.

Not long ago, Hu Ge, Liu Shishi, and Yuan Hong also took on the role of "endorsement" for a mobile phone brand.

Ambassador for the Nokia 5230 Legend of Sword and Fairy 3 co-branded edition.

However, the entity they collaborated with was not Nokia headquarters at all, but rather Nokia's core distributor, D.Phone.

This phone is a custom model made by D.Phone, not an official Nokia release.

Going forward, Hu Ge and Liu Shishi's images will only appear in stores under D.Phone, and will have little to do with Nokia.

Shen Yan's contract is different; it's a formal contract issued by Sony.

It's a legitimate promotional endorsement.

Shen Yan's image posters will appear in Sony mobile phone retail stores nationwide along with the W20 phone.

Lastly, Cai Yinong doesn't understand.

Shen Yan signed a record deal with Gold Typhoon, but his management contract is with Tangren Media. Gold Typhoon doesn't get a single penny from this endorsement.

Why?

and many more!

Could they be trying to poach Shen Yan?