1990: Starting from Baojia Street

Hearing Xu Xiangjie's words, Zhou Yan was surprised, "So fast?"

Zhou Yan knew that Xu Xiangjie was capable, but he didn't expect him to be so efficient. The task he had just instructed him on yesterday evening had already produced results this morning.

Xu Xiangjie walked to the desk and handed a document to Zhou Yan. "I'm lucky. I got the answer after only two phone calls. Teacher Zhou, take a look and see if this band is what you're looking for."

Zhou Yan took the information and was stunned after just one look.

This document is very simple and handwritten.

It contains the names of several members of the band, a contact number, and the schools they attend.

This band is indeed very young, and most of the members are still in college.

There are now four people in the band, and the reason why Zhou Yan was surprised was that he saw the name of lead singer Chen Xinhong at first sight.

Isn't this Ashin?

Then he saw guitarist Wen Shangyi, drummer Qian Youda and bassist Cai Shengyan.

Now, Zhou Yan was able to confirm that this so band was Mayday.

Looking at the information in his hand, Zhou Yan smiled. He didn't expect that after letting Xu Junrong and others collect information for such a long time, they still didn't find any potential newcomers. But now, they found the big fish Mayday with just a casual dig.

Seeing the smile on Zhou Yan's face, Xu Xiangjie also laughed, "It seems I was right."

"It should be them." Zhou Yan nodded, and then told Xu Xiangjie why he was looking for this band. "When Wu Bai came over yesterday and we were chatting, he mentioned to me that this band was good, so I took it to heart. I still believe in his vision."

"Oh, so it was Wu Bai who recommended it." Xu Xiangjie said suddenly.

He was wondering why Zhou Yan suddenly wanted to find this orchestra. Could it be that Zhou Yan had commissioned other parties besides Zhou Group to collect information about the Taiwan Music Festival?

"Teacher Zhou, do you want me to check out this band? They will be singing at my friend's bar tomorrow and the day after tomorrow."

"Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow..." Zhou Yan pondered, "When do they usually finish singing?"

"The resident singers in this bar usually start at 8:30 and end at 1:00 in the morning."

"Is the intensity so high?"

Four and a half hours, the intensity is quite high.

"It's not a short time, but it's impossible to sing all the time, there will be breaks in between."

Zhou Yan curled his lips. He couldn't stand staying in the bar for more than four hours, let alone performing in the bar.

Unless it is a quiet bar like a coffee shop, Zhou Yan's ears will feel uncomfortable if he stays in there for too long.

After thinking for a while, Zhou Yan said, "Let's go and take a look together after the performance tomorrow night."

"Do you want to tell the bar owner?" Xu Xiangjie asked.

Zhou Yan shook his head. "No need to say hello. Go and book a seat in advance. Try to be as quiet as possible."

"clear."

……

It rained for three consecutive days in Taiwan, and the outdoor performances of the concert were also suspended for three days.

Also because there was no outdoor encore, Zhou Yan and his friends arrived at the bar at 11 o'clock the next night.

Joey Wong also went with them.

When he saw Joey Wong, Xu Xiangjie was a little surprised, but he didn't think much about it. After all, Zhou Yan and Joey Wong were good friends. Joey Wong also went to the concert hall tonight, so it was normal for them to go to the bar together after that.

Even if there was something between Zhou Yan and Joey Wong, Xu Xiangjie would not ask too much. He was a smart man and knew what to ask and what not to ask.

Xu Xiangjie booked a booth in advance. The location was good, not too far from the stage, and there weren't many guests around, which met Zhou Yan's requirements.

When they arrived, there was no one on the stage.

After Xu Xiangjie went to ask, he came back and told Zhou Yan, "The band is taking a break. They will probably go on stage in a few minutes."

Zhou Yan nodded, "No hurry, since you are here, just sit for a while, the atmosphere of this bar is pretty good."

"This shop is relatively new. The owner was a singer in his early years and released records, but his career was average. Later, he opened a bar. Unexpectedly, his music career did not develop, but the bar became very popular. This is already his third branch."

Zhou Yan nodded secretly. If the scale of the other three stores was similar to this one, it would mean that the boss was very strong. A store like this would require a lot of investment.

Moreover, opening a place like a bar anywhere in the world requires some connections. The fact that the owner was able to open four bars in a row shows that he has some connections.

"Since you're here, have a drink. Tonight's expenses are on me. After all, it's so late, and I feel bad for asking you to work overtime."

Xu Xiangjie smiled and said, "Then I won't be polite with you. What do you two want to drink? I'll go and order it for you."

"Whatever you want, you know this place better, just make the arrangements."

"Okay, got it."

After Xu Xiangjie left, Wang Zuxian rested her chin on her hand and said, "I haven't been to the bar for a long time."

"Me too."

The last time Zhou Yan went to a bar was in London, England. At that time, the Backstreet Boys were performing at the Water Rat Bar, and Zhou Yan went to see it.

Wang Zuxian glanced at the empty stage and said, "It seems like you care a lot about this band."

Zhou Yan didn't like places like bars to begin with, and he had just finished a performance today. It was very late now, but he still ran over to take a look. This naturally showed that Zhou Yan attached great importance to this band.

"It's not all for them. I've been working these past few days and have less time to spend with you. I'm going back to Yanjing tomorrow, so I'll take this opportunity to bring you out to relax."

"Third brother, I find that you are getting better and better at coaxing people." Wang Zuxian smiled and said, "If you feel embarrassed, then quickly finish writing the script and show it to me. I still don't know what I'm going to shoot."

"The first draft of the script was completed in the concert hall today."

"Really? Then show it to me when we get back."

"Why don't we wait and see tomorrow morning? It will be so late when we go back later."

Wang Zuxian shook her head firmly, "No, I have to watch it tonight, otherwise I won't be able to sleep."

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "It's good that you can't sleep. Let's do something else."

Wang Zuxian spat, "Not serious."

The two were flirting when Xu Xiangjie came back after taking his order. "It's ready. It will be delivered in a while."

"Thanks for your hard work."

……

Their order was delivered quickly, and the three of them chatted while drinking.

About ten minutes later, several young talents walked onto the stage.

Several members were dressed very simply, even looking a little immature. The lead singer Chen Xinhong, who was standing at the front, was tall and thin, with short, side-parted hair and a slightly dark complexion.

Although Chen Xinhong's image at this time was very different from later, Zhou Yan still recognized him at a glance.

Chen Xinhong held the microphone and said with a smile, "Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. The song I'm going to sing to you next is called "Weakness", which is also an original song of our so band. I hope you like it."

When Zhou Yan heard that they were going to sing original works, he became interested.

However, he has never heard the song "Weak". Many of Mayday's songs are very popular, and Zhou Yan doesn't pay much attention to them. He basically listens to songs like "Gentleness", "Suddenly I Miss You" and "Stubborn".

He also wanted to hear what Mayday's current creative style was like.

When the prelude of the song sounded, Zhou Yan frowned. To be honest, the prelude was very ordinary. The first impression it gave people was that it was simple, noisy, and very wild.

In fact, for this kind of pop songs, it is impossible to make the prelude very complicated, as the same few parts are always followed over and over again, and there are not many instruments they can use, just guitar, drums and bass, of which the bass is almost non-existent. Ordinary listeners cannot feel the bass at all, and ordinary bands cannot make the best use of the bass.

Of course, Zhou Yan didn't take these too seriously, because he didn't have high expectations. For pop songs, melody is still the most important. He would have to see how Chen Xinhong sings later.

After Chen Xinhong started singing, Zhou Yan frowned even more tightly.

The question of whether this song is good or not is not good, but the style is too psychedelic, and Chen Xinhong's voice can't support this psychedelic style. The song as a whole gives people a feeling of decadence and desolation. Zhou Yan even thought of Marilyn Manson. Of course, Chen Xinhong's singing is definitely not as exaggerated as Marilyn Manson's.

But there is good news, that is, this song already shows a bit of the band's later creative style, which shows that Mayday's style has been initially formed.

In fact, if you just change the lyrics and the singing style, this song can become a sunny and positive lyrical rock.

Xu Xiangjie noticed Zhou Yan's furrowed brows and thought to himself that Teacher Zhou would probably be disappointed. It seemed that Teacher Wu Bai's recommendation might not be useful.

Xu Xiangjie was naturally dissatisfied with the performance of so band, especially since he had high expectations before coming here, and this was such a huge disappointment for him.

He didn't see a single bright spot in this band.

Being able to create should be a highlight, but this highlight is nothing for an orchestra. Is there any orchestra that cannot create? The key is to see the quality of the works created.

The work does not have to be highly technical, as long as it sounds good.

What is considered good to listen to is not decided by one individual but by the public. And judging by the reactions of the audience, it is obviously not ideal.

After Chen Xinhong finished singing the song on the stage, there was only sparse applause from the audience. Most people did not appreciate the song.

The so band probably realized that their original songs were not popular, so they stopped singing original songs and instead sang some currently popular songs.

Although they didn't perform particularly well when singing other people's songs, the audience was still quite respectful and the response was good. After all, the level of resident singers in most bars is not too high, so the level of So Band is pretty good.

However, Xu Xiangjie certainly would not require them to perform at the level of bar singers. Huanyin must be signing professional singers, and Chen Xinhong's singing level is very mediocre among professional singers...even saying mediocre is a bit of an understatement.

The only thing worth praising is that the band has a lot of energy and is very positive.

But it would be difficult for a band to survive solely on its energy on stage.

After the band sang for fifty minutes, they took another break. At this time, Zhou Yan suddenly said to Xu Xiangjie, "Xiangjie, go and get in touch with them."

Xu Xiangjie looked at Zhou Yan in disbelief, thinking, since the performance of the so band is already like this, does Teacher Zhou still want to contact them himself?

He carefully recalled the nearly one-hour performance of the orchestra, trying to find the point he had overlooked, but he couldn't think of anything after thinking for a long time.

"Teacher Zhou, to what extent do you need me to contact you?" Xu Xiangjie asked carefully.

“Ask them if they are willing to sign a contract with our company.”

If the bar wasn't so noisy at the moment, Xu Xiangjie would have suspected that he had heard it wrongly.

Such a mediocre band actually wants to sign with the company?

If someone else had said this to Xu Xiangjie, Xu Xiangjie, for professional reasons, might have given a few cautious reminders that if they signed the band, the probability of failure would be very high.

But the person in front of me is Zhou Yan.

Putting aside the fact that Zhou Yan is the second boss of their company, he is now an internationally renowned composer.

To Xu Xiangjie, Zhou Yan was definitely an authority in music. The key point was that this band was recommended by Wu Bai, which meant that there were two authorities.

When he disagrees with authority, Xu Xiangjie will unconsciously doubt himself: Have I really overlooked something?

When Zhou Yan saw Xu Xiangjie's expression, he knew that he was not optimistic about the So Band.

This is understandable. After all, their performance tonight was indeed not satisfactory. The lead singer's singing skills were average, and the only original song they sang was also lackluster.

At this stage, Mayday has indeed not demonstrated their talents.

Of course, if so band was really outstanding, they would have been poached long ago before Zhou Yan discovered them.

"Although the original songs are average, I can see some potential. With a little research, it should be able to make a big difference. Fantasy Sound has too little business right now, so signing a band like this is not a bad thing."

Xu Xiangjie nodded. In any case, signing such a band would not be very costly, and even if it failed, Huanyin would not lose anything.

Singer-songwriters are the easiest to support because you don’t have to work hard to find songs for them. They can be self-sufficient. The key lies in the subsequent production and distribution, and this is still under the control of the company.

"I understand, I'll go there now."

After saying that, Xu Xiangjie stood up and walked towards Chen Xinhong and the others.

There is no backstage for performers to rest in a place like a bar. After Chen Xinhong and his friends came off the stage, they sat around a table nearby.

When Xu Xiangjie arrived, several people were reviewing their performance.

"'Weakness' is still a bit different. Let's try an original song that is more acceptable next time."

"That's right. If you continue like this, the boss will probably be dissatisfied."

"If you don't sing all the songs, how can you know which song is most acceptable?"

"Yes, the last time I sang "Weakness", the response was actually pretty good, at least better than today."

"Ah Xin, why don't you put on some heavy makeup? When you sing "Weakness", your stage presence should be more positive."

"Do it."

"Haha, I'm just kidding. If you really put on heavy makeup, you'll scare the audience away when you go on stage."

"How about we sing "If Love Has Destiny" later? Zhou Yan recently held a concert here, and this song has become quite popular again."

"My Cantonese is not very good, as you know, and my singing is average."

"Just sing the Japanese version. No one will understand it anyway."

……

As they were chatting happily, Xu Xiangjie walked up to them and said with a smile, "Can I chat with you guys?"

Hearing the voice, several people looked at Xu Xiangjie with puzzled expressions on their faces.

Wen Shangyi was the first to speak, "Brother, what do you want to talk to us about?"

Xu Xiangjie didn't beat around the bush and directly took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Wen Shangyi. "I'm Xu Xiangjie from the Entertainment Department of Huanyin Records. I'm very interested in your performance just now, so I would like to invite you to join Huanyin."

"Phantom sound?"

Wen Shangyi took the business card doubtfully, but before he could see the words on it clearly, the business card was snatched away by Chen Xinhong.

Afterwards, the business card was passed back and forth among them. After reading it, the confusion on their faces became even more intense.

Qian Youda was the most vigilant. He had never heard of the Huanyin company, so he suspected that the guy in front of him might be a liar.

There are too many scammers like this disguised as scouts, and they have encountered one before.

They were also performing in a bar at the time, and a decent-looking man came over and handed them a business card, and said exactly the same things as Xu Shangjie.

They were so happy that time, they thought that their talented horse had met its master and a bright future was beckoning them.

Fortunately, Qian Youda was careful at the time and took the time to track the other party, only to find out that the other party was a liar.

After that incident, they are now more cautious.

Qian Youda held the business card and asked tentatively, "Brother, is your Huanyin company newly opened? Why haven't I heard of it before?"

Xu Xiangjie nodded and said, "It's true that the company has only been open for a short time, but don't worry, although we are a new company, our strength is not bad. Wu Bai, do you know that his business in Taiwan is now handled by our company?"

Although Xu Xiangjie moved out of Wu Bai, Qian Youda and the others still didn't quite believe it. The scammer had said before that his company was responsible for the business of many well-known artists, and even showed them photos of himself with those celebrities.

"Do I have to pay fees to sign a contract with your company?" Wen Shangyi asked directly without hesitation.

As soon as Xu Xiangjie heard Wen Shangyi's words, he knew that they had misunderstood him as a liar.

He said with a smile, "If you sign a contract with our company, not only will we not ask you for money, we will also pay you a salary every month. Although the initial salary is not much, it will definitely be enough for your basic living."

"Isn't this the kind of indenture that you sign?"

Nowadays, some scammers no longer cheat people out of their money directly, because many people will not be fooled by such tactics. Instead, they tamper with the contract.

Some people were tricked into signing an indenture to sell themselves, and later had to pay a ransom to redeem themselves.

It’s okay if they don’t hand it in. The copyright of all the works they create belongs to the company. (End of this chapter)