Chapter 69

Tuesday morning. ⊙,

At the headquarters of Huage Records, in the professional listening room.

Around eight in the morning, Wang Jingsnow, Xie Bing, Sima Dodo, and the other sisters had already arrived. By a little before nine, their agent Ms. Wu and producer Li Jinlong had also arrived, and everyone was anxiously waiting at the door.

This morning was the listening session for two new songs from the new album of Wu Xing Wu Su. Since the matter involved Li Qian, the currently most popular songwriter in the music industry, it was said that the company's general manager Huang Dazhong and music director Du Xiaoming would also be present, which further intensified the sisters' nervousness and anticipation.

They were, of course, very confident about the two songs that had just been recorded, especially "Sisters, Stand Up," which almost didn't need any excessive description. It was as if it had been tailor-made for their group, being youthful and exuberant, passionate and overflowing, with a fast rhythm and a beautiful melody. Even the girls in the group, despite not being professionals, made the prediction "This song will definitely be a hit" right away, showing just how outstanding it was!

To be honest, if the decision were up to them, there would be no need for this listening session. In Jinan, they would have definitely agreed to Li Qian's conditions and let him help them produce this album.

However, it was obvious that the decision was not in their hands.

And although they had absolute confidence in the song and the upcoming album, who knew if the people with the decision-making power would like it?

In many cases, especially in large companies like Huage, it was common for songs that the songwriter liked to be rejected by the producer, or for songs that both the songwriter and the producer liked to be rejected by the company's upper management.

Therefore, it was strange if the Wu Xing Wu Su sisters weren't nervous!

However, what was incredibly important to them might just be a routine matter to others...

At 9:30 AM, people started to trickle in, and by 9:45, more people had arrived. By 9:50, with the listening session scheduled to start at 10:00, the company's general manager Huang Dazhong and music director Du Xiaoming finally arrived together.

After they went in, Li Jinlong led the Wu Xing Wu Su sisters into the listening room.

In the listening room, many people were gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing. Even General Manager Huang Dazhong and Music Director Du Xiaoming were sitting there, quietly discussing something, seemingly discussing some important matters.

Seeing this, anxiety was one thing, and the feeling of being ignored and the urgent desire to prove themselves was another. These two emotions intertwined, making the Wu Xing Wu Su sisters appear even more nervous than when they first arrived. Those with more delicate dispositions, like Xie Bing and Sun Ruoxuan, were so nervous that their palms started to sweat.

Finally, it was 10:00.

Regardless of whether anyone who should have come hadn't, Li Jinlong signaled the sisters' agent Ms. Wu to close the door. Then, he walked to the front of the listening seats, briefly introduced the content and reason for the listening session, and announced the start of the session. He then personally went over and pressed the play button.

It was only at this moment that the twenty or so people scattered around the listening room finally stopped their conversations, sat down, and waited to listen to the songs.

However, the five Wu Xing Wu Su sisters did not sit down. They stood in a row at the back of the listening room, and without anyone taking the initiative, they spontaneously held hands.

More than that, Sun Ruoxuan even closed her eyes, looking as if she was waiting for a verdict.

Seeing her, Xie Bing couldn't help but grip her hand tightly.

Excited? Afraid?

Of course!

Outsiders might only see the bright and shiny ten minutes they spent on stage, but they themselves knew the hardships and difficulties they had endured. More importantly, before this, although they had debuted as a singing group, even they themselves had a very low opinion of their group.

Now, after meeting Li Qian in Jinan, getting his work, and starting to collaborate with him and receive his guidance, for the first time since the release of their first album, they finally felt that they weren't just there to sell their bodies or legs. They could clearly feel that this time, they were selling songs and works!

Suddenly, their lives seemed to brighten up!

Even Xie Bing thought that even if this album didn't achieve the success they initially expected, having this album would make their singing careers worthwhile.

At least with these works, they could confidently introduce themselves as singers!

Singers, not dancers!

And today, now, the next ten minutes or so of the two songs would largely determine their future direction and prospects.

Suddenly, an extremely powerful bass line exploded in the listening room.

Then, the drum beats kicked in, and the rhythm quickly turned lively.

"Then just wait to be conquered, if love is truly great, what's the point of struggling, am I really worse than others..."

It had to be said that although it was a live recording and with a band, the two recording engineers sent by Huage were quite skilled. Even though the recording hadn't been post-processed, it still sounded very clean.

And after the training and guidance from Li Qian over those few days, the five girls had basically grasped the essence of the song. On the recording day, they almost gave their best performance, being carefree where they should be and playing the part of being wronged where they should be.

Of course, the most important thing was the rhythm and tone of the song!

Before this song, the entire domestic music scene was still dominated by folk songs, ballads, and sweet songs. Rock was considered an alternative, and even Zhou Mo's urban love songs were hard to become mainstream. You can imagine the overall atmosphere. Therefore, a work like "Sisters, Stand Up," with its pure youthful style, had never appeared before, let alone any mature representative works.

Because of this, as soon as the rhythm started and Sima Dodo's first note was sung, those in the listening room who were not paying much attention immediately straightened their backs!

And Du Xiaoming suddenly widened his eyes!

When the sisters sang the chorus, "Ten men, seven are fools, eight are dummies, nine are bad, and one is loved by all, sisters, come out, even if sweet words deceive him, love him well, don't let him leave..." many people in the listening room were surprised and opened their mouths.

This song, from the melody to the lyrics, was incredibly lively!

And when this song was sung by the five young girls of Wu Xing Wu Su with their youthful and energetic voices... the feeling was absolutely refreshing!

After listening to the first chorus, Du Xiaoming's wide eyes narrowed again.

Listening to the interlude, he slowly leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on his crossed leg, in rhythm with the song, with a look of admiration.

Then, when the three-minute-long demo ended, with the powerful bass line finally settling, before the next song started, the listening room suddenly buzzed with various small noises and whispers.

The sisters looked at each other, their faces full of worry.

They had participated in listening sessions more than once, but it was the first time they encountered a situation where everyone started discussing the first song immediately after it ended.

However, noticing that many people's expressions seemed to be a mix of surprise and admiration, their hearts finally calmed down a bit—at least they weren't being ignored or completely impatient!

At this moment, General Manager Huang Dazhong coughed and said, "Quiet!"

The listening room instantly fell silent.

Just then, the second song began.

It started with a two-measure piano intro, and then something surprising and astonishing happened again.

This was a full chorus from start to finish!

And it was... a children's song!

After the first measure, some people couldn't help but look stunned.

What was this? The previous song was absolutely youthful, with a lively rhythm and a mischievous and cute style, but the next one was a children's song!

However, after the initial shock, when they listened carefully, they suddenly felt that the melody of this song was actually quite good. Although the rhythm was slow, it was still catchy. And from the content of its three-part lyrics, it was clear that this would be a song that would appeal to all children and parents!

Thus, everyone's reactions were largely the same. After the initial shock, when they finished listening to all three measures, they nodded slightly one after another and sat back down firmly.

A children's song... it wasn't that it couldn't be sung. In fact, if it was done well and accepted by children and parents across the country, the market would be so large that it would directly surpass all other genres of popular music!

After all, the most profitable businesses in the world often involve selling things to women and children!

And from the current demo, miraculously, everyone felt that this song... seemed to have some potential?

As the second verse continued to progress slowly, many people nodded solemnly.

Yes, this children's song was indeed quite good!

***

Three updates completed, nearly 11,000 words!

I hope the monthly votes can increase a bit!

Oh, by the way, the book club is set up, the group number is 74640518, note that only full subscribers are accepted!

ps: Three updates completed, 11,000 words!

I hope the monthly votes can increase a bit!

Oh, by the way, the book club is set up, the group number is 74640518, note that only full subscribers are accepted!