From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Focus, focus, and more focus—

The bustling spotlight is entirely on the August 31st Band. Following the Grammys, the band's momentum continues to climb.

Let's temporarily set aside the digital music frenzy that the August 31st Band is creating on iTunes and return our gaze to a familiar track in the music industry—

Physical.

In the first week of March's Billboard Hot 100, "Another Light" accomplished a feat, debuting at number one and ending Usher's hit single "Yeah!"'s eight-week reign, disrupting the Billboard landscape.

This scene is already familiar.

Previously, 50 Cent and Beyoncé were on the verge of breaking records, just a hair's breadth away from their hit singles reaching their tenth week at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, but they were both sniped by the August 31st Band, regrettably stopping short and watching the band write one glorious chapter after another.

Now, it's Usher's turn.

Since its debut, "Yeah!" has been hailed as the club anthem of 2004, sweeping through the nightlife of major cities, and Usher has leveraged the single to catapult himself into the ranks of A-list artists.

One week, two weeks, three weeks, the single relentlessly occupied the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a full two months, showing no signs of slowing down. Some even believed that the single might break the record this week—

Sixteen weeks, this is currently the ceiling for consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, held by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's collaboration "One Sweet Day" from 1995. No one has been able to break it for a full decade.

"Yeah!" was highly anticipated, such was Usher's current momentum.

However, Usher encountered the August 31st Band.

And then… there was no then.

"Yeah!"'s reign at number one stopped at eight weeks, not even reaching double digits.

Moreover, "Another Light" debuted at number one, its explosive power drawing attention.

"Giant Killer," The New York Times bestowed this title upon the August 31st Band, marveling at the band's astonishing potential. Who could have imagined that a band that seemingly sprung from the cracks could trigger such an effect, disrupting the entire music market?

But this title has been met with much skepticism.

50 Cent and Beyoncé are newcomers; they have only just released their debut albums. Usher, on the other hand, has released his fourth studio album, but he is far from being a giant.

Rather than a "Giant Killer," they are more like an anomaly emerging from the new wave, breaking all stereotypes with an unconventional approach.

Three months!

The market exclaimed in surprise, was the August 31st Band preparing to break the record?

At this moment, Usher stepped forward, making his voice heard.

Usher's second single, "Burn," lacked staying power, ending "Another Light"'s three-month journey and taking the top spot.

From Usher to Usher, a perfect circle.

Nevertheless, "Another Light" still established its position with an incredible performance, pushing the August 31st Band's popularity and reputation to new heights.

Of course, there's also the album—

"Midsummer Midnight" Special Deluxe Edition.

Originally, "Midsummer Midnight" had already sold an incredible five million copies in 2003, and its market potential had been thoroughly tapped. Even if a special edition were released, its impact would be limited, making it difficult to significantly boost sales.

At least, that's what the professionals thought, including Warner Records.

But unexpectedly, things took a turn. The performance stage at the Grammy Awards ignited the market, leading to the birth of the Special Deluxe Edition.

Moreover, the album sales were outstanding—

In its first week of release, it actually exploded with an astonishing 670,000 copies sold, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart with overwhelming force.

The victim was Norah Jones. After creating history at the Grammys, this young talent finally released her second studio album, "Feels Like Home," a year and a half later. It reached the top of the Billboard 200 upon release and was widely praised.

Although the critical acclaim was not as high as "Come Away With Me," its younger, more cheerful, and more down-to-earth style, blended with a touch of country, was recognized by the market.

After reaching the top of the Billboard 200, it held the top spot for six weeks, until the release of the "Midsummer Midnight" Special Deluxe Edition.

"Feels Like Home" was pushed to the second position.

Incredibly, the original "Midsummer Midnight" album also sold another 130,000 copies, returning to the third position on the Billboard 200.

This sales figure was even better than the meteoric rise of Kanye West.

Kanye West released his debut studio album, "The College Dropout," to widespread critical acclaim. Another hip-hop star was born, with hopes of replicating 50 Cent's feat from last year, and the bustling praise raised expectations early on.

But, is that all?

Losing to the "Midsummer Midnight" Special Deluxe Edition and "Feels Like Home" was one thing, but losing to the original "Midsummer Midnight" and only ranking fourth?

This…

The market exclaimed in surprise, what's going on?

The tracks on "Midsummer Midnight" are all included in the Special Deluxe Edition. If you bought the Special Deluxe Edition, there's no need to buy the original. The number of hardcore fans who bought the original after buying the Special Deluxe Edition is already staggering. Who would have thought that there would be so many fools who bought the original after buying the Special Deluxe Edition?

In response, fans said that the inner pages of the original and the Special Deluxe Edition are different. The posters, printing, design, etc., are all different, and they bought them specifically to collect.

After all, this is an album worth treasuring.

Thinking about it carefully, it's not surprising.

The August 31st Band's experience after their brilliant performance at the Grammy Awards has spread far and wide. The website for their European street tour still has extremely high traffic, and the band's every move is writing the history of independent musicians, igniting the courage of young people to pursue their dreams.

Perhaps in the eyes of professionals, the August 31st Band is still a newcomer, having only released one album. But in the eyes of young musicians and hardcore fans, the band is a banner that has emerged out of nowhere.

Industry status, completely different—

Look, the August 31st Band's willingness to try the digital music source challenge is pointing out another path for independent musicians, isn't it?

It is precisely because of this that singles and albums, with different qualities and different postures, have caused a market response, but ultimately, they have converged to ignite a market frenzy, leaving their mark on the Billboard charts.

Engraved in history!