freenovelworld Chapter 118 The Darkest Hour for Idols
Chapter 118 The Darkest Hour for Idols
"Are you the only one in the dorm? Where is everyone else?"
Bai Li gently pushed open the dormitory door, and what she saw was a deserted and quiet place, with only Tang Tang sitting at the table, looking down at her phone.
Upon hearing the voice, Tang Tang looked up in surprise, her eyes lighting up instantly, and a big smile spread across her face: "Oh! You're finally back!"
As she spoke, she casually put her phone down, stood up, and walked to Bai Li's side.
"They've all gone to do their jobs."
"Su Yao joined the school's track and field team. She has to go out to train before dawn every day, so you definitely won't see her in the morning."
When the dorm leader was mentioned, Tangtang shook her head dramatically: "The dorm leader is even busier than usual. She joined both the student union and the film club, and is as busy as a spinning top. You can't see her all day long. I heard she's preparing for club activities or something."
“As for our top student,” Tang Tang pursed her lips, “she’s either buried in books in the library or on her way to class. Her life revolves around studying. I even suspect she lives in the library.”
"Ye Lin went to another city to participate in volunteer activities these past two days and won't be back for a while."
As she spoke, Tang Tang suddenly changed the subject, leaning closer to Bai Li with a mysterious look on her face, her eyes sparkling with curiosity:
"And you, my friend! You've also disappeared for two days! Where have you been these past two days? Tell me the truth!"
Bai Li has experienced so much in just a few days.
First, he held an online music competition, then he asked Teacher Zhang Yu to deal with Sanmao, then he went horseback riding with Jingye, and then he threw himself into songwriting and recording. He even tried getting his first ear piercing...
Bai Li was both amused and exasperated. There were too many things to explain in just a few words, and several of them were clearly things that ordinary college students would not do.
Bai Li felt helpless. After thinking for a moment, she gave what seemed to be the safest answer: "I wasn't feeling well and rested at home for two days."
Upon hearing this, Tang Tang sensed that Bai Li's words had a hidden meaning, and she was not about to let it go easily. Her eyes lit up instantly, her face full of excitement, and her eyes sparkled with gossip.
"Hehe, don't think you can just get away with this. I saw a super popular online music competition this weekend. The organizer is called Bai Li. You wouldn't happen to be the big boss behind the scenes, would you?"
Tang Tang's tone was full of curiosity and anticipation. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes fixed on Bai Li, waiting for her answer.
Actually, Tangtang wasn't sure either; she was only about 30% confident.
After all, there are too many people with the same name. "The CEO of an entertainment company is actually my roommate"—just thinking about such a thing seems like a fantasy. Even if it were written into a novel, people would say it's too magical, let alone happening in real life.
However, Tangtang also harbored some expectations, because Bai Li's daily life revealed that she came from a wealthy family and was generous, which was consistent with her status as the CEO of an entertainment company.
Moreover, she specifically watched the replay of the online music competition that day, and the voice of the person in the video was exactly the same as Bai Li's.
Looking at Tang Tang's expectant face, Bai Li sighed inwardly, knowing that there was no point in hiding it any longer.
She originally intended to conceal her identity, since a significant difference in status could easily create an invisible barrier between people.
But she also understood that there are no secrets that stay hidden forever, she just didn't expect it to be exposed so quickly.
Since Tangtang had already vaguely guessed it, hiding it would only seem pretentious, so she frankly admitted, "Okay, it's me."
After saying that, Bai Li looked at Tang Tang seriously, gently made a "shh" gesture, and instructed, "Keep this a secret for me, don't tell anyone. I just want to live my college life quietly."
Upon hearing this, Tang Tang was stunned for a moment, as if she had been frozen in place, her face filled with shock.
Several seconds passed before she realized what was happening and let out a delighted scream: "Oh my god!"
She originally thought Bai Li was just an ordinary rich second-generation heiress who lived a comfortable life. But she never expected that Bai Li was actually the CEO of a company, and an entertainment company at that!
Tang Tang couldn't help but sigh in her heart: What have I, Tang Tang, done to deserve living in the same dormitory as such a person!
However, upon hearing Bai Li's subsequent instructions, a hint of disappointment flashed across Tang Tang's face. Such explosive news could only be kept secret by herself and could not be shared with others.
Her previously upturned lips drooped slightly, but she still obediently nodded: "Don't worry, I'll definitely keep quiet."
“Hey, but speaking of which,” Tangtang’s eyes suddenly lit up, “my idol made a reaction video for your competition! It was because of this video that I learned about your competition.”
The moment her idol was mentioned, Tangtang instantly perked up and became excited.
She quickly turned around, rushed to the table, grabbed her phone, and then ran back to Bai Li's side, plopped down, and began enthusiastically recommending it:
“My idol used to be in the ZUI group. He was particularly outstanding in the group, with super strong singing and dancing skills. Later, due to some things, he had to leave the group and go solo.”
As Tangtang explained, she took out her phone and showed the reaction video.
The video shows a fair-skinned boy with a computer next to him playing a screen recording. The camera is pointed at the boy's face, capturing his facial expressions clearly. The boy is making some real-time comments and reactions.
Upon hearing Jia Lai's freestyle segment, he smiled, revealing his white teeth. The diamond earrings on his ears sparkled, reflecting a dazzling light. He nodded and said, "This contestant has some talent. He should be able to get a ranking later on."
Comments floated by:
"The truth is out."
"Wow, that's awesome! We successfully encountered the ending!"
"He's the champion, haha, my baby's intuition is so accurate."
Bai Li was slightly taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
I never expected my music competition to be so popular, that it even attracted my idol to make a reaction video.
Looking at the boy on the phone screen, one has to admit that he is indeed exceptionally good-looking.
Her delicate features are like a meticulously sculpted work of art, especially her almond-shaped eyes, which are clear and bright, as if they hold the stars and the sea. Her overall temperament is also very clean, and with makeup and styling, she looks like a star.
Just then, Xiao Hao's system announcement sounded in real time: "Found a female with a beauty score of 97."
97 points?!
Bai Li exclaimed inwardly.
So high!
Bai Li couldn't help but wonder why she had never heard of this person before.
"He is indeed quite handsome." Bai Li nodded gently and commented softly, her tone carrying a hint of objectivity and appreciation.
"Right, right!" Tang Tang was so excited she almost jumped up. "His singing and dancing skills are also superb, he just lacks a chance to become a breakout star."
Tang Tang wouldn't be this excited to receive recognition from others, but Bai Li is the CEO of an entertainment company, and receiving approval from her is clearly a huge endorsement of her idol.
Tangtang became more and more enthusiastic as she spoke, her eyes filled with pride and anticipation for her idol.
Bai Li listened quietly, a faint smile on her face, occasionally nodding and agreeing.
But in reality, she wasn't as optimistic as Tang Tang, and she didn't have high expectations for this young idol's future.
In her view, the current environment of the domestic entertainment industry is undoubtedly the darkest moment for idols.
If you want to make a name for yourself in the entertainment industry, it's wise to change your career path as soon as possible. Whether you choose to act, sing, or appear on variety shows, it's much better than being stuck in the increasingly declining field of idols.
H country's mature idol production line has been operating for almost decades, with each step—selection, training, packaging, and promotion—being astonishingly meticulous.
From a group of trainees with dreams, promising talents are carefully selected and then given comprehensive training, including dance, vocal music, performance, and even mannerisms and facial expressions, all guided by professional teachers.
Even the CP hype and character creation were arranged clearly, with every detail meticulously planned.
In contrast, there is no such mature and well-established system in China.
The Chinese music scene lacks a fair, authoritative, and widely influential music chart, and the entire Chinese music industry has never had a tradition of music show stages.
Without a stage and exposure, talented idols struggle to stand out.
Looking at the creative system, major companies that cultivate idols abroad all have their own strong creative teams. These creative teams have even developed their own unique creative styles and have their own representative creators.
They have a deep understanding of the characteristics of artists and market demands, and thus tailor-make hit songs to provide solid musical support for the development of artists.
In China, although there is no shortage of outstanding songwriters, it is strange that very few outstanding songwriters seem to write songs specifically for idols.
Without a well-established creative system to support them, idol groups face numerous difficulties in releasing songs, let alone gaining a foothold in the fiercely competitive entertainment industry.
Although Bai Li believes that the path to stardom for idols is fraught with difficulties and obstacles in the current domestic entertainment industry, Tang Tang's unreserved, fervent, and pure love has deeply moved her, making her feel the powerful force of fans' unconditional support for their idols.
Perhaps it is because of countless pure loves like Tangtang's that the idol industry, despite its difficulties, has not completely disappeared in China.
But Bai Li knew in her heart that it would be no easy task to successfully break out of the mainstream as an idol.
A foundation must be built upon musical works that can "fight hard" in the market, and there must be enough high-quality stages to fully showcase one's abilities, plus a unique personal charm that can attract fans. These three elements complement each other.
The right time and place are indispensable.
But how easy is that?
Without the strong support of the first two factors, even the most dazzling appearance and fleeting popularity are nothing more than brilliant fireworks, which can only shine for a moment in the night sky and disappear in an instant.
Moreover, being an idol is a job that relies heavily on youth.
Youth waits for no one.
No one can stay in the prime of their youth forever at 18, but there will always be new 18-year-old boys and girls entering this industry with dreams in their hearts.
Bai Li turned her gaze back to the boy in the video with a 97-point appearance, and sighed in her heart: With such outstanding looks, he could shine in any field. It's such a waste that he's an idol.
However, we should respect dreams, courage, and hard work.
Bai Li silently made a mental note of this little idol. After all, they were both in the entertainment industry, and who knows, they might run into each other and have some interaction in the future.
Speaking of the creative team, Bai Li has to give a shout-out to Shan Gui.
The people that the mountain spirit recruited were all professional and reliable, simply impeccable!
After Jia Lai finished recording the dry vocals, Bai Li packed up all the music materials and sent them to the post-production team.
Those tedious and complex post-production tasks, such as audio integration, precise tuning, and clever mixing, are all perfectly completed in just one day in their hands.
In just a few days, the new song "My Bad" was completed.
The efficiency of our own company's production team is unbeatable.
Whenever Bai Li suggests modifications, the team can always quickly understand and accurately adjust the settings to achieve the effect she wants. This efficient and professional collaboration makes Bai Li feel very at ease.
Once production is complete, the next step is distribution.
In this era where traffic is king, a song's quality alone is far from enough to make it quickly popular.
Before releasing the song, Bai Li specifically consulted with Jiang Mingfei.
Feifei works for an MCN agency, and her company is an authority when it comes to manipulating traffic.
Jiang Mingfei immediately suggested to Bai Li that they must include the hashtag "Liyuan New Voice Online Music Competition" to capitalize on the remaining traffic before the competition's popularity fades.
For example, creating topics.
In addition to awarding the champion a prize of 500 million yuan, the competition organizers even produced a song for the winner.
This inherent topicality is bound to attract everyone's attention.
Once you generate buzz, people will become curious and come to listen to your songs.
Furthermore, the hosts of Day and Night Entertainment play this song during their live streams and at events held by the group broadcasting base.
After all, this was a song personally written by their own company boss, so everyone naturally gave it their full support.
In addition, the immense power of music platforms and social media should not be underestimated.
The company's operations department partnered with major music platforms well before the release, purchasing featured placements on their music apps and websites, such as homepage recommendations, new song recommendations, and personalized playlists. This quickly increased the song's exposure and attracted a large number of listeners.
Songs can also spread rapidly through popular challenges and duet features on Douyin.
The song "My Bad" was released like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating huge waves and generating a great deal of enthusiasm.