Entertainment: Starting with a Song of Rice Fragrance

63. Why do people's eyes light up when they listen to Zheng Ning's songs?

After handing "Always with me" to Lao Yang.

Zheng Ning temporarily stopped worrying about these things and instead focused on studying the professional composition books that Zhao Lu had specially found for him.

Although he had already acquired advanced composition skills from the system.

But after all, what you learn from books is never enough. He needs to verify the professional knowledge he has learned in books with what he already knows in his mind, and then express it by learning to use composition software.

Of course, he did this not so that he could write some amazing songs.

Instead, he wanted every Earth song he created from the system afterward to appear traceable and believable.

"Hey, we have two or three hundred thousand singers in our Western Continent, right? At least one-tenth, or two or three thousand people, release new songs every January. Your 'Seven Mile Fragrance' is already ranked 950th?"

After handing him a dried fish, Wang Xiaoyu, as usual, shared what she had just seen and heard with him.

"And 'Tornado,' which was released four days late, is now ranked around 4. Both songs are in the top 5%! I'm so envious..."

Today, Wang Xiaoyu wore a velvet bodysuit similar to the fishman warrior in "Gods and Demons". From the back, it looked like a big green fishman, which was cute and silly.

"Sometimes I want to sing my own songs, but unfortunately, my voice, while not exactly tone-deaf, is just a bit off-key."

She rolled her eyes helplessly and shrugged.

"Hehe, how should I put it, it's all about luck..."

Zheng Ning didn't know what to say. It was her own voice, but as for her own "creations," she was truly ashamed.

He promptly handed over a piece of beef jerky as a token of his appreciation, as a daily snack in exchange.

"Hey, Zheng, look at this! Someone's reporting on your 'Tornado'!"

Two seats away from him, Xiao Wang seemed to have seen something on the computer screen and excitedly turned around to wave at Zheng Ning.

"Huh? They reported on Tornado?"

Curious, Zheng Ning got up and moved closer to his screen.

"Look, there's a report here specifically about your 'Tornado'! It also mentions your 'Rice Fragrance' and 'Seven Mile Fragrance' in passing, saying that their styles are all connected, giving the impression that you've created a 'Zheng-style' genre!"

Xiao Wang was clearly very excited at this moment. He put his arm around Zheng Ning's neck and talked on and on.

"Look here..."

The screen displays Xizhou Music Network, a large music news website where many music lovers find the most professional and timely music information, sharing, appreciation, and reviews.

A professional critic with an official verified account, named "Music Lover," provided the following analysis of Zheng Ning's song:

"The song 'Tornado,' released in 2010, has stirred up a subtle but profound impact on the Western music scene with its multi-dimensional innovation. Although it may not have been widely known or noticed at the time, it will undoubtedly have a far-reaching and sweeping influence on creative change!"

"Such changes are subtle and gradual, yet they are full of firm power and unstoppable momentum. Their advanced nature may be reflected in multiple aspects such as musical structure, rhythmic treatment, emotional expression, cultural influence, and historical status."

Let's first look at Mr. Zheng Ning's groundbreaking innovations in musical structure:

"Tornado" breaks away from the simple "verse-chorus" loop framework of current mainstream Western pop music, creatively adopting a two-part structure of "Rap + Melody." This form of rap music, originating from North America, is currently extremely rare in the Western context and in songwriting.

"The song opens with a melancholic piano intro, then suddenly transitions to a strong drumbeat and electric guitar, creating a striking contrast. This expanded binary form is given a new expressive power. The rap in the verse and the melodic singing in the chorus form a binary opposition, accurately echoing the emotional contradictions in the lyrics."

"At the same time, Zheng Ning also completely broke away from the traditional emphasis on rhythmic accents in Western pop songs in 'Tornado,' boldly adopting a free-rhythm rap style. The irregular beat handling and the reversal of strong and weak beats created a very obvious sense of fluidity with internal logic."

"He successfully blended the rhythm of fluent Mandarin with the rhythm of North American Black music, solving the problem that singing hip-hop in fluent Mandarin could easily turn into a traditional fast-paced style, thus forming a unique 'Zheng-style Rap'. For example, the repetitive phrases in 'unconsciously' and 'after realizing' and the explosive 'love comes too fast like a tornado' create rhythmic tension."

"In terms of musical arrangement, it goes from melancholy piano to electric guitar outburst and then to string ending, fully presenting the psychological process of emotional breakdown. This portrayal of male emotional vulnerability breaks through the single image of traditional love songs and has a distinct modernity and contemporary characteristics."

"As one of Zheng Ning's representative works in the first month after signing with Flying Entertainment, 'Tornado' marks a major turning point for Western pop music. After all, it successfully blends the currently popular R&B, hip-hop and rock elements from Northern Asia, forming a stark contrast with the current mainstream lyrical style."

"The innovative rhythm and emotional depth of 'Tornado' have opened up a new dimension for pop music in Xizhou. I can predict that Zheng Ning's innovation will have a great influence on the new works of composers throughout Xizhou, and may even serve as a trendsetter. We can wait and see what kind of impact it will have."

"Whoa..."

It took Zheng Ning several minutes to read through this long passage. He could even sense the excitement that this music critic, known as "The Music Lover," had when writing this article.

Indeed, compared to the radical and alternative style of the East Continent, and the North Continent that has always led the trend of the Blue Star era, the music style of the West Continent has always been in the position of an imitator and follower.

They still use the old-fashioned composition style that has been popular for almost 20 years, with a simple loop framework of "verse-chorus" plus a lot of melodramatic and sentimental themes, giving the current music scene a lifeless and stagnant feeling.

This is why Zheng Ning felt a sense of wonder when she first heard a song from Earth.

This is also the first impression many people in Xizhou had when they first heard songs like "Rice Fragrance".

That's novelty.

The historical evolution of Western songs may have taken another 10 to 20 years to reach a new era.

But Zheng Ning knew that he was actually the huge variable. The musical style he brought from Earth, which was at least 10 years ahead of the current era, might really give the music development of Xizhou an accelerator and a shot in the arm!

Many musicians have already realized this. They may not have a comprehensive and systematic rational understanding, but critics with such forward-thinking ideas have already emerged.

"Heh, it seems there are still some sensible people in our Western Continent. I wonder what kind of waves this report will cause?"