1990: Starting from Baojia Street

The next night, after Zhou Yan led the band to finish the rehearsal, he met Jeff Brown and several members of the Backstreet Boys backstage.

Several members of the Backstreet Boys are a little younger than Zhou Yan's impression, but Europeans and Americans develop very early. Nick Carter is only fifteen years old this year, but he is already almost the same height as Zhou Yan.

Height comes second, but Nick Carter looks like a twenty-year-old boy. In China, most boys of this age have just entered high school or are still in junior high school. It is rare to see someone as mature as Nick Carter. .

Several young men were also curious about Zhou Yan. Although they had seen Zhou Yan's video and knew what Zhou Yan looked like, seeing him face to face like this, they still felt that Zhou Yan was really young, and Zhou Yan didn't look like the Asians in the United States. Too same.

Jeff Brown smiled and introduced several members of the group to Zhou Yan one by one. After the introduction, he said, "It's a coincidence this time. I didn't know about your performance until the company scheduled a performance for them in London." This is also the time for the concert.”

This is true. "Yellow" has performed well in the United States. The company has launched a US tour for the Backstreet Boys. Two concerts have been held, and the results are very good.

Although the scale is small, with only four to five hundred spectators, the atmosphere is very good. Many fans are calling for more shows, and some are also complaining that the scale is too small.

At this time, the performance of the single in the UK attracted the attention of the company, and they decided to skip a few performances in the UK, otherwise they would waste this wave of popularity.

It just so happened that their U.S. tour concert also needed some adjustments. Because the first two concerts performed well, they decided to increase the scale, change the venue, and facilities in the future. They simply asked them to come to London first and use this time to prepare for the U.S. concert. Concert behind the scenes.

After their performance in London is over, they can start their US tour when they return.

Zhou Yan said with a smile, "It is indeed fate. Where is your performance? If I have time the day after tomorrow, I will go and see it."

"The first show the day after tomorrow is at the Water Rat," Jeff Brown said.

Hearing that it was at a bar, Zhou Yan asked again: "Is it a special show?"

"Well, it's a special event."

Zhou Yan originally thought that the Backstreet Boys' performance might be of a decent scale, but he didn't expect it to be in a bar.

Although Zhou Yan doesn't look down on this kind of livehouse, it's just that this kind of small performance is a waste of time and does not make money.

If they had the choice, Jive Company definitely wouldn't want the Backstreet Boys to waste their time on this kind of performance.

The group has just debuted and is not well-known. They have entered big venues and have no appeal.

Fortunately, it is still a special event, otherwise it would be really meaningless.

However, Zhou Yan believes that before long, even if the Backstreet Boys cannot hold large-scale concerts with tens of thousands of people, they can at least be able to support venues like Arbat with thousands of people.

"Okay, I understand. If I have time, I will go and take a look. By the way, your second single should be released soon, right?"

Jeff Brown nodded and said, "Well, the plan is to release it in the United States next week."

The Backstreet Boys have recorded four singles and have music videos for three of them ready for release.

Now that the company has seen that "yellow" is performing well, it is natural to strike while the iron is hot. Next, they will release a single every month for a few months, and then release an album after it has accumulated enough popularity.

Zhou Yan nodded, "Then I wish your subsequent singles and albums will be successful."

……

In the afternoon of the next day, the orchestra went to the concert hall early to make preparations, while Zhou Yan arrived a little later.

He arrived at four o'clock, and there were already many people standing at the door of the concert hall, most of them black-haired Asians.

Zhou Yan was dressed in black, wearing sunglasses and a hat, and walked leisurely towards the concert hall.

When passing by a small group of people, he originally wanted to hear what these people were talking about, but found that they were speaking in neon language, which he couldn't understand at all.

Although he has been with Kudo Shizuka for a long time, his neon language skills have not changed at all, and all he knows are simple daily words.

Since he didn't understand, he walked straight into the concert hall.

Hiramatsu and Guangzheng were chatting with friends when they suddenly saw a mysterious man wearing sunglasses and a hat passing by. They thought he looked familiar, and the man glanced in their direction, which attracted his attention even more.

Why does he look a bit like Zhou Yanjun?
Although they thought it was unlikely, Hiramatsu and Hiroshi couldn't help shouting in Chinese, "Zhou Yan!"

Hearing Pingsong and Guang call "Zhou Yan", several of his companions were surprised and didn't know what he was doing.

When Zhou Yan heard the not-so-standard "Zhou Yan", he turned his head with interest, smiled and asked in Chinese, "Are you calling me?"

Hiramatsu and Guang didn't understand Chinese. He only knew some simple words, so he couldn't understand what Zhou Yan was talking about.

He asked again in English, "Are you Zhou Yan?"

Zhou Yan didn't expect to be recognized so quickly. He nodded calmly and said, "Well, it's me. Are you here to see the concert?"

Upon hearing that it was Zhou Yan, several Neon people immediately gathered around him.

"Hello Zhou Yan, we are all your fans."

“We bought our tickets for this concert very early.”

"I also bought the next show."

The English proficiency of these neon young people is quite good. Zhou Yan asked with a smile, "Are you studying here?"

Hiramatsu and Hiro said, "I am studying in London, but some of them are not here, some are in Liverpool, and some are in Paris."

"Zhou Yanjun, have you ever thought about going to Paris to give a concert? There are many fans of your music there."

"It shouldn't be possible during this period, but there will be opportunities later." Zhou Yan smiled and asked, "Do you want to sign an autograph for you?"

"Is it okay?" everyone said excitedly.

"Of course, as long as you have a pen."

"I do, I do."

Hiramatsu and Hiro shouted as they took out a marker pen and four CDs from their backpack, one of which turned out to be the neon version of "Mysterious Country".

Others looked at Pingsong and Guang, and were a little surprised. They didn't expect Pingsong and Guang to be so well prepared.

Hiramatsu and Guang were a little embarrassed to be seen, but at the same time they also felt that they were quite lucky.

After graduating from high school, he went to university in Neon for half a year and then came to London as an exchange student. He is now studying at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Several of his friends, including Tian Zhongmaer and others, are still in Neon Country.

This time Hiramatsu and Hiroshi came to the concert to see if they could get a signed album. Although he knew it was unlikely, he still made preparations.

Sure enough, opportunities come to those who are prepared, and he actually met Zhou Yan at the entrance of the concert hall.

Zhou Yan saw the four albums and signed his name on them without saying anything.

Others were not so well prepared and did not bring albums. Some chose to sign their clothes, while others chose to sign their concert ticket stubs.

As soon as Zhou Yan finished signing a few neon people, another group of people came around.

Hiramatsu, Guang and the others surrounded Zhou Yan and soon attracted the attention of others, so they all came over.

Everyone was very excited to see Zhou Yan, and they all asked for Zhou Yan's autograph.

Zhou Yan saw that there weren't many people at the door, so he accepted everyone who came and signed in for everyone.

There were twenty or thirty people in total. After Zhou Yan signed, he waved to them and left.

After Zhou Yan left, someone smiled and said to Pingsong and Guang, "Pingsong, I really want to thank you this time. How did you recognize Zhou Yan?"

Hiramatsu and Guang patted their heads, "I've liked him for many years. He held a concert in Neon before, and I saw him there. Besides, don't you think he stands out?"

"Yeah, I'm wearing sunglasses."

"Not just wearing sunglasses, just looking at the temperament, you don't feel like an ordinary person."

Zhou Yan's height is relatively tall among Asians. In this era, in East Asian countries, a man with bare feet can reach 1.8 meters, which is definitely a standout among the crowd.

Moreover, Zhou Yan's tall and straight figure makes him look like he is no ordinary person.

Several Chinese people nearby also joined the discussion.

"Was Mr. Zhou Yan very popular when he held a concert in Neon?" one of the Chinese girls asked.

Hiramatsu and Hiroshi looked at the girl strangely, "Of course it's higher. Zhou Yan is now the most popular musician in Neon, no one."

"Isn't there one? So exaggerated?" the girl asked in surprise.

The boy next to the girl smiled and said, "If we go by the standards of musicians, Zhou Yan is also the most popular in the country, bar none."

"Oh, that's true."

Compared with those pop singers, Zhou Yan's popularity can only be considered average, but if compared with other musicians, Zhou Yan's popularity is several levels higher.

"Zhou Yanjun holds a concert in Neon. Thousands of people gather outside each concert, and none of them have bought tickets."

"Well, the previous "Yanjing Silence" concert was similar. There were more than a thousand people outside the venue, and they even came out to perform later."

"Zhou Yanjun will perform at every concert in Neon."

The blond boy who had been listening silently next to him asked curiously, "Will Y still come out to perform then?"

A group of Asians looked at the blond European and American boy. Hiramatsu and Hiroshi shook their heads and said, "I don't know today. Anyway, it was like this every time before."

"Well, it's really hard to say today. Usually the reason for showing up for a performance is because there are too many people who haven't bought tickets, and there are a lot of people outside the venue." said the Chinese boy.

Although they all think Zhou Yan is great, they also respect the facts. After all, this is London, not China or Neon. Zhou Yan's concerts are definitely not as popular here as in East Asia.

This concert was able to sell out all the tickets, which is already very good. How could we expect many people to gather outside? The blond boy looked hopeful and said, "I hope there will be one today, because I didn't buy a ticket. It's so hard to buy tickets. When I asked just now, there were no tickets left."

"You just came today, how can you possibly buy tickets? This concert hall can only seat more than 900 spectators, and all the tickets are bought by Asians alone." Hiramatsu Kazuhiro said.

Several of his friends came from British cities such as Liverpool and Manchester City, as well as from other European countries such as Paris, and he helped buy the tickets in advance.

As he said, although Zhou Yan's popularity in Europe is not as high as in East Asia, there are many Asians in Europe after all, and these 900 votes are certainly not enough.

The blond boy scratched his head, "I didn't expect it to be so difficult to buy."

Pingsong and Guangyu said earnestly, "Brother, this may be the best time to buy. I'm afraid there will never be such easy-to-buy tickets again."

After he said this, everyone else nodded in approval.

Everyone present believed that Zhou Yan's popularity in Europe and the United States would definitely grow. Europeans and Americans still know too little about Zhou Yan, otherwise they would definitely fall in love with him.

"Yes, the tickets for this concert are relatively cheap. I'm afraid there won't be such cheap tickets in the future."

In fact, the tickets for this concert are not cheap. Among the many performances in London, they are at a medium level. However, in the opinion of Hiramatsu and Hiroshi, the ticket prices for Zhou Yan's concert should be at the top.

Listening to the conversation among this group of Asians, Casa gained a new understanding of Zhou Yan's popularity.

In fact, Casar first learned about Zhou Yan because of the movie "The Flying Piano Boy". He thought the music in the movie was very nice, so he bought the soundtrack and got to know Zhou Yan as a composer.

Last week, he knew that Zhou Yan had a concert in Chelsea, and he decided to come to attend it at that time, but he thought that the tickets should not be too difficult to buy, after all, he had no requirements for seats.

He has attended several concerts before, and he usually buys tickets on the same day and gets in on the same day. If he encounters a more popular concert, he can buy tickets a day or two in advance and he can get tickets.

Today he came here several hours in advance to buy a ticket, but still didn't get it.

The reason why he didn't leave was because he didn't want to give up this opportunity, thinking that he would wait until someone refunded the ticket before he bought it.

While everyone was chatting, Casa suddenly saw two people walking towards the ticket booth and said quickly, "Someone may want to refund their tickets."

After that, he ran to the ticket booth.

But when he walked to the ticket gate, he heard the conductor tell the two people, "The tickets are all sold out."

The two people were surprised, "There's not even one left?"

The conductor also had a bad temper and said without raising his head, "It's gone a long time ago. If you want to see it, you can only wait until later."

Seeing that there were indeed no tickets left, the two cursed and turned around and left.

Casa also returned to the group of Asians disappointed.

"How is it? Did someone refund the ticket?" Ping Song and Guang asked with a smile.

Kasa shook his head, "No, they also bought tickets."

Hiramatsu and Guang laughed, "You locals are so stupid that you don't even know to come in advance to buy tickets for the concert."

"I didn't know it before, but I will definitely buy tickets in advance next time."

"Tickets for the two concerts in London have been sold out. I don't know when the next concert in London will be. Zhou Yan can't hold several concerts in a year."

"That's right, maybe I'll be in Paris next time." The student from Paris said with a smile.

"The next time I come to Europe, it won't be until next year at the earliest."

Casa gritted his teeth and said, "How about you sell me a ticket, I can..."

Before he could finish his words, everyone else took a step back.

"Don't even think about trying to vote for us."

Casa smiled and said: "I'm sorry, I really want to see his concert."

"We want to see it too..." Hiramatsu and Hiro saw someone going to the ticket office again, "Maybe the tickets will be refunded this time. Do you want to go and have a look?"

"it is good."

Kasa ran over quickly, but soon ran back disappointed.

"Still haven't bought a ticket."

Hiramatsu and Guang said with a smile, "Then stop them."

"Why should I stop them? If they want to stay, they might even become my competitors and compete for tickets with me."

"You are stupid. Stop them all and leave them outside the concert hall. When Zhou Yan sees so many audiences outside without tickets, he will definitely come outside to perform for everyone. By then, even if you don't have tickets, you can still see the performance ”

Kasa's eyes lit up, "Yes."

After that, he ran away quickly and went to stop the person who didn't buy a ticket just now.

Hiramatsu and Guang didn't expect that his words would cause Casa to stop many people.

……

At around six o'clock, just as the concert was about to start, the crew of "Sense and Sensibility" went backstage.

A total of four people came. At that time, Zhou Yan gave two tickets to An Li and Alan Rickman respectively. An Li brought Emma Thompson, and Rickman brought Kate Winslet.

Since listening to Zhou Yan's songs, Emma Thompson's attitude towards Zhou Yan has changed a lot. After meeting, she kept expressing her expectations for the performance.

"I'm sure it will be a great night."

Winslet was very interested in the bamboo flute in Zhou Yan's hand, "Is this a bamboo flute?"

Bamboo flutes are somewhat well-known in Europe and the United States, but not very high. Many Europeans and Americans don't know much about this instrument. Compared with flutes, they think the style of bamboo flutes is strange.

However, in terms of appearance aesthetics, many foreigners think the bamboo flute is very beautiful. After all, it is one of the few musical instruments that retains the shape and texture of the material itself, and is labeled as "natural".

Zhou Yan nodded, "This is a bamboo flute in the key of G."

An Li asked curiously, "Is this the bamboo flute you played in "Raise the Red Lantern"?"

"It really is."

The bamboo flute in Zhou Yan's hand was bought by He Wuming for him. The quality of the bamboo flute was very good and it was well maintained. Zhou Yan had been using it.

Unexpectedly, An Li had sharp eyes and could recognize this.

In fact, An Li asked casually. After all, when he saw Zhou Yan holding a flute, he would think of the scene of Zhou Yan playing the flute in "Raise the Red Lantern".

"Director, is that a movie you just mentioned?" Kate Winslet asked curiously.

An Li nodded, "Well, it's Y's debut, right?"

"Well, yes, although it's only two scenes."

"You have actually acted in movies before."

"That was a movie that won the Silver Lion and was nominated for an Oscar." An Li said with a smile.

"It was also a coincidence that the role was not mine at the beginning."

……

A few people chatted for a while. An Li looked at the time and said, "Okay, we won't disturb you anymore. You can prepare for the performance."

Zhou Yan nodded, "Okay, see you after the show."

The four of them walked out of the lounge. Winslet was still curious about Zhou Yan's movie. She asked Emma Thompson, "Emma, ​​have you seen that movie?"

"I have indeed seen it, but I have almost forgotten the plot in it. It happened several years ago. I didn't even know there was Y in it unless the director told me."

"Director, did Y perform well?"

"not bad."

Although Zhou Yan only had two scenes in the movie, he still left a deep impression on An Li, mainly because Chen Feipu was the most outstanding male character in the movie.

Although Mr. Chen has many roles, his face can't be seen clearly throughout.

"I will definitely look for this movie again. I'm really curious about Y's performance."

In fact, Kate Winslet was interested in Zhou Yan playing the flute in the movie. Just now she forgot to ask if there would be a bamboo flute in tonight's performance.

……

Not long after An Li and the others left, Zhang Youan walked in with a man and a woman.

After meeting Zhou Yan the night before yesterday, Zhang Youan hadn't appeared in the past two days. Zhou Yan was still curious about where this guy had gone.

As for the two people he brought, they were probably in their early forties. The woman Zhou Yan had no impression of them at all, but the man seemed familiar to Zhou Yan.

Just when Zhou Yan was thinking about where he had seen this man, Zhang Youan took the initiative to introduce him, "Zhou Yan, this is Sting, and next to him is his wife Styler."

Hearing the name Sting, Zhou Yan suddenly realized, isn't this the top British male singer Burberry?

Sting is not his real name, he just got this nickname because he often wore burr sweaters to perform. (End of chapter)