China Entertainment 2000

"This is definitely here to cause trouble!"

Warner Building, Zhouyi exclusive lounge.

After seeing the Los Angeles Times' obvious attempt to gain popularity, Qian Jiang, who had been pacing back and forth on the phone, wanted to grab the idiot editor by his collar and spray him with spittle.

What are you talking about?

"You're shameless and there's nothing you can do about it. He's determined to gain some exposure."

Zhou Jianhui, who has been busy working on Zhou Yi's album, also returned to Warner Bros. today to coordinate matters related to the release of Zhou Yi's album. There is nothing he can do about the Los Angeles Times' behavior, which is clearly trying to eat up your traffic.

Despite Zhou Yi's popularity, many people don't like him even in his home base of China, let alone the United States.

Especially after the Grammys, he defeated Eminem on video, prevented Norah Jones from completing her miraculous sweep of the four major categories, and was rumored to be about to taint the top luxury ranks in the so-called old money field. The treatment is simply visible to the naked eye.

There is nothing good about the competition for resources. The existence of Zhou Yi can no longer be described as seriously blocking the road. He took a spatula and fished meat directly from the European and American pot——

As many people love him as there are people who hate him.

The Los Angeles Times also took advantage of this mentality and deliberately ran a news release before the album was released to sell sales.

As for whether you will be slapped in the face - although there is a risk of failure in prediction, this risk is not worth mentioning before the benefits, and an apology can generate another wave of traffic.

As for whether they would be blocked by Zhou Yi, they really didn't care.

As the third largest newspaper in the United States after the New York Times and the Washington Post, even if Zhou Yi personally blocked them, other singers within Warner (USA) would not refuse.

"It's just contempt in the bones. These people seem to be really stressed out."

Zhou Yi, who was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed and putting down his coffee cup, shook off the newspaper and sneered: "It's rare that I can put so much pressure on them."

He is both a Grammy and a sales leader. His achievements in Europe and the United States have seriously threatened the Western pop music's suppression of the Asian music scene. The key is that he is not Japanese. The American music scene cannot suppress the Japanese genius Sakamoto Kyu in the same way. he.

Edgar Jr., who is carrying out the Warner acquisition case as a loser, has great resentment towards this group of entertainment and media industries. Not only will he not suppress him, but he will have to rely on him.

"Then you are putting too much pressure on them now. Do you know that many people have already called you a lion?"

After hearing this, Zhou Jianhui said happily: "What Napoleon once said has now been translated by many of your French fans. It has been recognized by many people in your fan group. Many people call you the lion." king."

"...?"

Zhou Yi asked a question with a weird look on his face: "Shouldn't the dragon be the better representative of China's image?"

“Firstly, the popularity of Chinese dragons in Europe and the United States is really not high enough. The dragons in their traditional impression are still the kind of lizards with two big wings.

"Secondly, it's because Hollywood already has Cheng Long and Bruce Lee, especially the former, who is a real Chinese national."

As we all know, the preference to give celebrities nicknames is not just a specialty of Chinese netizens. Europe and the United States, especially the United States, also like to give celebrities various nicknames to express their intimacy and affection.

Thanks to the best-selling book "The Stagnant Empire: The Collision of Two Empires" written by the Frenchman Perefette in the 1970s and 1980s, Napoleon's sentence "China is a sleeping head" written in it "The Lion of the East will surely shock the world when he wakes up" has been widely circulated between the East and the West in modern times——

Although there is still no conclusive historical evidence to show whether Napoleon really said this sentence, as China stood up in the world, this sentence has become the foreign version of "I have a great Confucian to argue for me." .

Many foreign films, television dramas and even literary works will quote this sentence when mentioning China, and add a prefix: Napoleon once said.

The Book of Changes comes from China.

Since his debut, he has been a natural sales leader, just like a young lion king running on the grassland - mighty, domineering, and arrogant.

"The Lion King will never lower his proud head!"

On Yahoo, a Zhouyi fan from France issued a strong declaration that he would never surrender and fight to the end in the face of war. He also borrowed Napoleon's words as a declaration to unite Zhouyi fans with extremely inflammatory words and began to give Zhouyi's new Album sales.

At the same time, in Los Angeles, in a small shabby apartment.

Catherine Elizabeth Hudson, a dark-haired girl who just celebrated her eighteenth birthday in October last year, sat on her small bed, bent her knees and hugged her legs, buried her head in her knees, and shrugged her shoulders from time to time. As he stood, some slight sobbing could still be heard.

The opened records were scattered like garbage on the clutter-strewn floor, leaving no place to go. The empty wallet was thrown in the corner, and there was a photo of him and his family in it.

After more than a year of hard work, this former rebellious gospel girl from Santa Barbara, California, USA, was still unable to withstand the torment of life - she was hidden by the company again.

This is already the third time.

Since she came to Los Angeles alone to try to make pop music when she was seventeen years old, several companies have expressed their optimism about her and are willing to sign a contract with her. She signed a contract with one of them with full prospects for the future——

Then she was hidden for various unknown reasons.

After a few months of being on the shelf, her contract was sold to another record company that was interested in her - and then she was on the shelf again.

This time she persisted for half a year, but the contract was sold again.

Although she has been working hard to absorb all kinds of pop music knowledge and eager to prove herself to the company, today, she confirmed the fact that she was hidden again by the third record company.

In the past two years, I have been through three record companies, but in the end, without exception, everything ended up being hidden. Catherine couldn't imagine where her future would be and whether she would need to persist on the road of pop music.

She thinks that she has worked very hard and can produce a variety of music types, and has received many positive reviews, but why does the company want to hide her?

Because the boss hates that she comes from a Christian family?

Or is it because she released a gospel record when she was 16 that only sold two hundred copies, and she is considered unlucky?

Her savings have been almost used up. If she continues like this, if she still wants to survive in Los Angeles, she may have to become a stripper as some people in the company joked - or she may look down and ask her family to borrow money. Like a younger brother or something like that...

Her parents did not agree with her coming to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of pop music.

Her parents didn't agree, her sister didn't agree, and her former playmates at school also felt that she was missing the mark. At first, she felt that these people were short-sighted and didn't understand her, but now it seems that she overestimated herself.

Does she still have a chance?

Raising her hands to wipe away the tears that fell from the corners of her eyes, Catherine raised her head and stared at the old ceiling of the dilapidated apartment, already beginning to worry about the next month's rent, water and electricity.

She is now so poor that she is about to be evicted from her apartment.

Just as she was clearing her mind, the phone on the bedside suddenly vibrated. She turned around and took a closer look. It was a text message from her friend at the company.

【Catherine! Come on, come on, Spike has a new album, come on. 】

Spike, whose full name is Spike Zhou, is a wild lion from the mysterious East.

She had heard of this man's name a long time ago, and she had also studied this man's last album carefully because it was so popular.

As a music producer behind the scenes of a record company, she must conduct various analyzes of popular albums on the market so that she can decompose them into elements that can help the company's singers and find inspiration.

It is precisely because of this that she, who has very little money in her pocket, does not have to spend money to listen to music - for a Grammy-level singer like Spike, the company will buy the goods all at once. Dozens of albums are back for insider viewing.

It's just that fire returns to fire, and Catherine only admires Spike as a person at best.

She wasn't particularly fond of some of the styles that dominated Spike's last album.

Since she was influenced by rock singer Alanis Morissette and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury since childhood, her current personal preference is still rock music.

It's just that the pop-rock single "Enemy" released by Spike gave her a little psychological resonance, which ignited her interest in "Forever Young".

She was supposed to rest at home today, but because she wanted to listen to the album, she finally washed up, put on a shirt and leather jacket, and rode her bicycle to the company.

"Hey, Catherine, I haven't seen you for a few days, but I feel like my breasts have gotten a little bigger. How did you do it? What's your recipe? Can you share some secrets with me?"

"You know, my parents are Christian. So, it's simple: pray to God."

When she came to the rest area of ​​the recording studio, Catherine, who took off her jacket, swatted away her best friend's mischievous right hand and said nonchalantly: "When I was 11 years old, I made a wish to God, whether he could let my breasts grow. It’s better to lie down so you can’t see your feet.”

"Then what?"

"Obviously, God answered my prayers."

"..."

What God, that’s all a lie! Why else would my prayers be useless? !

The best friend who was aggrieved about her body angrily threw a "Forever Young" CD that she had left in front of her: "Thankfully, I also left a special deluxe version of the album for you. I haven't opened it yet. I'm going to talk to you." Listen together."

"Well, thanks."

After taking the disc, Catherine's eyes first fell on the outer packaging of the CD——

very thick.

Probably because it is a special deluxe edition, the size is almost the same as a small gift box, which is in line with Spike's usual luxury style.

The outermost cover of the box shows Spike with his left hand in his pocket, his right hand raised flat, and his fingers pointing into a gun aimed at everyone "in front of him" - with the starry sky behind him.

The hair that has been carefully taken care of looks like it has been messy by the wind, but upon closer inspection, it unexpectedly has an unruly beauty.

"Forever Young".

"Why do I feel that this special deluxe edition is even more exquisite than the last one?" Catherine, who likes rock music, values ​​temperament the most. This cover hit her heart almost immediately, and even her breathing became a little... rapid.

"Of course, this is a special deluxe edition, not a deluxe edition. Warner's official price is $129. How can you afford this price if you don't do a better job and upgrade the quality."

"What?!"

Catherine's eyes widened when she heard this number at first, and she couldn't close her mouth in surprise: "Is Warner crazy?! The deluxe version of Spike's last album "The Attitude Show" only sold for $55.9!"

"That's right. I also think that Warner is most likely going crazy because of the performance report after it fell into financial crisis."

The brown-haired best friend shrugged: "But fortunately they haven't completely lost their minds. This thing is limited. Although the prices of the regular and hardcover editions have also increased, they have only increased a little compared to last year."

The standard CD version is US$25.9, the hardcover version is US$35.9, the deluxe edition is priced at US$69.9, and the special deluxe edition is US$129.

Obviously, after the accumulation last year, Zhouyi, which has now become famous, is no longer priced in the newcomer area, and the price is close to that of the established super giants.

As for tapes, tapes are not of higher quality than deluxe editions. They are only available in regular and hardcover versions. The prices are also lower, so they can be said to be the best choice for students.

However, since Zhou Yi's past cases are here, knowing that this is one of the few singers in the world music scene who assigns music videos to all the songs in the album, the deluxe CD version that comes with all the DVDs actually sells more than the hardcover version. good.

The general version only has three songs on DVD - "Natural", "Viva La Vida", and "Counting Stars".

The hardcover version adds three more songs on top of the above.

The deluxe version has it all.

As for this limited edition special deluxe edition...the main focus is for those who wish to take the bait.

"Posters, key pendant dolls, MV shooting booklets, landscape pictures, album theme photos, lyric books, color cards..."

There are a lot of them, and the last one... a ticket to a music festival in Los Angeles?

"Fuck! What is this?! There are free tickets?!"

Catherine, who has always been straightforward, cursed the moment she saw this ticket——

"Hey, friend, this is a special gift for you, I hope you like it."

At the bottom of the gift box, there is also a picture of a villain in the Zhouyi Q version, wearing a white dress and a white hat, making a pose of snapping his fingers.

These days, many people include gifts in their albums, but this is the first time I have seen them include music festival tickets.

"It seems that there are indeed many music festivals and small music venues that have invited Spike to perform. This should be one of them. The date is also written on it..."

Her best friend turned over and over to check the special ticket that had been treated as rare, while Catherine, who was not very interested in it, focused on the CD and DVD——

While holding the playlist and lyrics book, I officially started playing C...

The first song at the beginning of side A is a top 15 song on the Billboard that has already become popular in Europe and the United States: "Enemy".

Catherine, who was more interested in listening to new songs, fast-forwarded to the next one, and then the beginning of the prayer-like murmur shocked her spirit - "Natural".

"Will you hold the line (Only you haven't given up yet)

“When every one of them has given up and given in, tell me

“In this house of mine

“Nothing ever comes without a consequence or cost tell me.

"Will the stars align..."

What came oncoming was a series of lyrics with an unusual rhythm and a sense of emotion. The rock style that could be heard made Catherine froze in place for a moment——

Spike is... starting to play rock music in his second album?

The more she listened, Catherine's expression changed from suspicious and uncertain at the beginning to shocked, touched, and silent...

There is no other reason, just because this song is so suitable for her current situation...

Don’t dwell on your current heartbreak, put it behind you and tell yourself

This is just another little thing that happened today

Stop escaping like prey and take the initiative like a hunter...

There is no doubt that this is an inspiring rock song. Although the pop taste is indeed a bit heavy, even if God comes, it will still rock today!

Catherine sat on a chair with headphones on her head, looking at the lyrics book in her hand, becoming more and more silent as she listened.

"Lookin' through the glass find the wrong within the past knowin'

“Oh we are the youth (we are still young)

“Cut until it bleeds inside a world without the peace facing

“A bit of the truth the truth…(cruel reality)”

This is the first time that the meaning of "young" appears in Zhouyi's album song, but it is only the second song on side A.

Because you are young, you don’t have to dwell on past mistakes. The mistake has been made, the price has been paid, and the mistake cannot be undone. All you have to do is stick to your heart and make the right choice.

If you have already stood on the edge of the cliff with one foot, please raise your head and look at everything in this world.

There is no need to feel sorry for ourselves, and there is no need to be downcast, because we are still young, we are young!

Youth has no limits, and youth means unlimited possibilities in the future.

Because we...because you, because young people, are born like this!

"And you're standing on the edge face up 'cause you're a

"Natural!"

Accompanied by Zhou Yi's suddenly rising tone, the emotions in the highly textured voice are progressively layered, the extremely heavy drum beats are accompanied by the extremely infectious lyrics, and the angry "Natural!" almost makes Catherine's heart go crazy. So cool! My legs are shaking!

"Spike! Awesome!!!"

At this moment, all those who bought the special deluxe edition not only got tickets to various music festivals and concert venues to show off online, but some even started to get excited after listening to it, and they wanted to go to the street to find someone to compare with. Gesture!

And all the people in the industry who got this record fell into silence for a moment after listening to it——

They know that the world of music is really going to change this time.

Early in the morning on March 2, the former editor-in-chief of "Rolling Stone" magazine, who has always been known for his harshness, published an article in his column. The title directly adopted Napoleon's Lion Theory——

"The Lion in His Eyes".

"Forward-thinking, sharp, and ferocious. Please forgive me for my lack of words, but that's because I've already listened to Spike's epoch-making album.

“Yes, a landmark album.

"I am certain that this album will become an insurmountable monument in the history of world pop music, and Spike's name will be engraved in the stars of history like the Beatles!"