Huayu: A master director who debuted as a singer

Back in the study, Zheng Hui went to his desk, rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a stack of letters and a pen.

What is the current state of the Chinese music scene?

Richie Jen is still singing "Too Softhearted," and the streets are full of songs about how you're always too softhearted; A-mei's "Listen to the Sea" is heartbreaking; Faye Wong is still sighing ethereally.

Turn on the radio, and the pop songs coming from the FM station are either sentimental love songs or short skits about lonely men and women in the city.

It's all about love and romance.

It seems that young people have no life other than heartbreak, unrequited love, and love triangles.

It seems like at the age of eighteen or nineteen, one should be willing to die for a member of the opposite sex all day long.

wrong.

What is it really like to be eighteen?

It's the endless test papers piled on the desk, the confusion of fear and excitement about the future, and the youthful arrogance despite having no money in your pocket.

What the market lacks is a voice—a voice that is distinctive, highly persuasive, and uniquely theirs. No one is currently producing this kind of music; it's a track no one's competing for.

Moreover, students have three characteristics.

First, there's plenty of free time. Aside from attending classes, I mostly just daydream, and I have tons of time to listen to music, follow celebrities, and copy song lyrics.

Secondly, they are poor, and they have to carefully budget their breakfast money. However, they are precisely the ones most willing to spend money on things they like. They are capable of skipping two breakfasts to buy a cassette tape.

Third, their loyalty is enduring. They're fifteen or sixteen now, and after listening to my songs, they feel that I've expressed their innermost feelings. This kind of feeling will stay with them for a lifetime.

Making five or eight yuan off their tapes now is small change. Wait five or ten years.

These people graduated, got jobs, became managers, and became bosses. Back then, Zheng Hui represented their youth and their passion.

Even if the ticket price is only one or two thousand, they will bring their wives and children to pay for their concerts, singing and crying at the same time.

Cast a long line to catch a big fish. He who wins over the youth wins the future.

Once the idea was clear, this album was tailor-made for these students.

The first song, the opening, is going to be explosive.

The mental database was instantly accessed, searching through the songs that students would sing together during graduation season. Soon, a familiar melody emerged.

Mayday, "Stubborn".

Zheng Hui picked up a pen and wrote the song title on the paper.

This kind of song doesn't need fancy vocal runs or complicated arrangements.

He began to write the lyrics from memory on a piece of paper, humming along as he tapped his fingers on the table in a 4/4 rhythm.

"If I'm different from the world, then let me be different..."

"For me, perseverance means using sheer force to overcome force..."

When he sang the chorus, Zheng Hui's voice involuntarily grew louder.

"I'm clinging to my last bit of stubbornness, holding hands tightly and refusing to let go!"

"Whether the next stop is heaven or not, even if you're disappointed, you can't despair!"

He stopped writing and looked at the lyrics on the paper.

"That's the vibe—simple, direct, and brutal. The lyrics are full of these kinds of catchy phrases, and students love to write them on their desks and in their diaries. As long as they write them down, it's free GG (a Chinese internet slang term for something great)."

"The mission of this song is to win over fans. To make everyone who hears it immediately think, 'Damn, this is exactly me.'"

Zheng Hui turned the paper over and continued writing the second poem.

"Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart"

This song is a bit long, but the chorus "Run forward, facing cold stares and ridicule" is very inspiring and appeals to young people.

It doesn't lie and say that dreams will definitely come true; rather, it says that even if I fail, I will accept it.

This sense of authenticity is more touching than simply shouting that you are the best.

Moreover, the lyrics "give your all and leave no regrets" directly hit the nerve of graduates' anxieties: fear of choosing the wrong path and fear of wasting time.

Zheng Hui nodded in satisfaction and continued on.

It won't work if it's all just shouting; it gets tiring to listen to too much of it. There needs to be one song that sounds sophisticated, something that can be appreciated by artsy young people and even slightly older folks.

The Brightest Star in the Night Sky

"This song should have a beautiful melody, an arrangement that leans towards Britpop, catchy guitar strumming, and enigmatic lyrics."

He wrote a few lines of poetry on the paper:

"Whenever I can't find meaning in my existence, whenever I'm lost in the darkness..."

"Brightest star in the night sky, please guide me closer to you..."

Zheng Hui closed his eyes, and images appeared in his mind.

"This song can be used for TV drama theme songs, graduation ceremonies, and even charity events in the future. The copyright fees will provide a steady stream of income, which will be my retirement fund."

"We've got the main selling point, the buzz, and the sophistication. Next, we need to dominate the scene."

"Every year, the college entrance exam is in June, and school starts in September. At these two times, the school radio station must play my song."

My Sky.

This song has rap and rock elements. The piano in the intro, followed by the guitar, creates a very vivid image.

Zheng Hui imitated the rhythm of rap, and the lyrics popped out:

"Goodbye, my love, I wanna say goodbye..."

"In the endless night, everything is on the verge of destruction..."

Once this song becomes popular, it will be the go-to song for graduation season, when students are saying goodbye, or at a new semester pep rally. This is a kind of scene monopoly.

Next comes the harvesting of commercial value.

Zheng Hui wrote down two song titles: "I Believe" and "Fly Higher".

Looking at those two names, he couldn't help but chuckle.

To be honest, these two songs are a bit corny.

The lyrics are as straightforward as everyday language, and the melody is as soaring as if injected with adrenaline. I want to fly to the sky, shoulder to shoulder with the sun, I want to fly higher, fly higher.

"I Believe" is still a song for beer lovers.

However, being rustic is trendy, and being rustic has a penetrating power.

Should we use it for the opening ceremony of the school sports meet? Yes.

When a company organizes team building activities and the boss wants to motivate the employees, should they use this method? Yes.

For a shopping mall opening, do you need to create a festive atmosphere? Yes.

These two songs are not simply sold to students, but to public places that need background music.

The list was already more than half full, and Zheng Hui looked at the remaining blank space.

It can't be so harsh and high-pitched all the time. The listeners' ears will get tired, and we also need to consider the female listeners, as well as some introverted students who don't like it too noisy.

We need something soft, heartfelt, and warm.

"The First Dream" and "Nothing Is Different"

"If pride isn't coldly slapped down by the sea of ​​reality, how will we know how hard we have to work to get to where we are?"

Zheng Hui recited the words softly.

"These words are so well written, they're perfect for those sensitive young girls."

There's also "Nothing's Different," because we're no different; when it gets dark, we all look up at the same starry sky.

The function of these two songs is to act as a buffer. They lower the barrier to entry, allowing those who find rock music too loud to find one or two songs on repeat on the album. This expands the audience base and grows the overall market.

Finally, to wrap things up.

After listening to the entire album, it shouldn't just be a matter of letting people vent their emotions. It needs to give them a direction to take, make them feel like they want more, and transform that emotion into goodwill towards the singer.

Zheng Hui wrote his last two poems: "Change Yourself" and "Proud Youth".

"I can change the world, I can change myself." This is the call to action.

"Run, proud youth!" This is the title bestowed upon them.

"After listening to these songs, won't these students be all fired up and want to plaster my posters all over their beds?"

Zheng Hui put down his pen; ten songs.

"Stubborn", "Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart", "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky", "My Sky", "I Believe", "Fly Higher", "The First Dream", "Nothing Is Different", "Change Yourself", "Proud Youth".

If this album had been released, it would have been a bombshell in the Chinese music scene of 1998.

It doesn't concern itself with musicality or genre.

It's like a bottle of high-concentration Red Bull, or an injection of adrenaline directly into the bloodstream.