novelraw Chapter 023 Audition
Chapter 023 Audition
The next morning, after handling the contract matters, Yang Du went to Wang Shihui's office with practiced ease.
Today's main task is to discuss who should sing "Painting Heart".
As soon as I entered, I saw a cup of milk tea next to Wang Shihui, the same kind that Yang Du had treated me to yesterday.
I never knew you were like this, Wang Shihui. Just yesterday you were talking about soaking goji berries in your thermos.
Noticing Yang Du's gaze, Wang Shihui coughed lightly and asked, feigning composure, "Is the contract finalized?"
"nailed it."
The lawyer, known for his ironclad reputation, is indeed highly skilled, but his fees are not cheap.
The consultation fee is 5000 per hour.
"Do you have any leads on the singer of 'Painted Heart'?"
Personally speaking, Yang Du would certainly prefer to cooperate with Tao Cheng.
After all, this was the first big shot he had latched onto in the industry, and the two worked together very well in "Flammable and Explosive".
However, as a qualified producer, one must consider the actual situation.
Tao Cheng's basic vocal timbre leans towards urban sophistication, but in the high register, she can sing with tremendous tension and emotional outburst, possessing a powerful quality.
These are all inconsistent with the requirements of "Painting Heart".
Forcing Tao Cheng to belt out a C6 dolphin-like high note in "Painting Heart" is like Lin Daiyu uprooting a willow tree; it might even damage her voice, which would be a losing proposition.
Therefore, the only solution is to select from the many female singers under Kingstone Music.
After the turn of the millennium, with the development of the internet and technology, the audition method often seen in movies and TV dramas, where a group of singers would enter the recording studio one by one with number plates and sing a cappella into the microphone, has long been swept into the dustbin of history.
Today's music giants are all playing with big data.
Before Yang Du arrived, Wang Shihui, as the producer of this project, had already conducted the first round of screening through the vast artist voice database within Kingstone Music.
"Jinshi has signed over a hundred female singers, both big and small. As per your requirements, we screened out those whose vocal range could consistently reach C6 and who possessed dolphin-like high notes, leaving only these dozen or so."
Yang Du put on his monitoring headphones: "Shall we listen together?"
The two began to listen to each audio file one by one.
This kind of listening isn't about how well they sing, but rather about analyzing their compatibility with "Painting Heart" purely from a technical and vocal perspective.
Listen to their vocal characteristics, breath control, skill and proficiency in switching between true and falsetto, and most importantly, their singing habits.
"This won't work." Yang Du shook his head. "The high notes are there, but they're too shrill. You can fix the sound in the recording studio, but it definitely won't be good enough for a live performance."
Wang Shihui nodded in deep agreement, then commented on another one: "This one has too much chest voice, it's too deep, it doesn't fit either the demonic or the spiritual aura."
The two spent two hours completing a preliminary selection, and only four people remained on the list who met the basic requirements.
Next, we need to conduct targeted remote sound checks.
To prevent leaks, Yang Du only extracted a few bars of the score from the climax of "Painting Heart".
"Send this sheet music to the managers of the four singers on the list." Yang Du packaged the file and sent it to the temporary assistant assigned to him by Director Fang.
"Tell them that this is an audition for the theme song of the movie 'Life After Life' which the company has taken on. I need them to each record a dry version and send it to my email by 10 a.m. tomorrow."
Dry audio refers to the original human voice without any reverb, pitch correction, or post-processing. It's like the bare face required in a movie audition, and it's the best way to test a singer's true skills.
"Okay, Producer Yang, I'll get right on it." The assistant accepted the task on the other end of the WeChat message.
Recording dry vocals takes time, and the singers also need to familiarize themselves with the sheet music, warm up their voices, and record. This morning's work is basically over.
Yang Du glanced at his watch, stood up and said goodbye: "Teacher Wang, that's all for now. I have some personal matters to attend to this afternoon. Let's meet again at ten o'clock tomorrow morning."
He did have something to do and arranged to meet with Yuan Xiuqing, the agent recommended by Sister Hong.
……
There are no secrets in the world, especially in entertainment companies where gossip spreads at a speed comparable to the speed of light and they themselves create gossip.
Yang Du's involvement in selecting singers and sending audition invitations at Jinshi Music naturally did not escape the notice of others in the company.
In the afternoon, in the company's tea room and artists' lounge, singers, managers, and assistants of all ranks were whispering among themselves, trying to find out what was going on.
"Have you heard? Yang Du seems to be making a big move, they're looking for a suitable female singer for a movie theme song?"
"Really? Is it Yang Du, the one who wrote 'Flammable and Explosive' and posted emotional articles on Weibo?"
"Who else could it be but him? I heard that Director Fang personally approved it this time, and he's given plenty of resources. Whoever gets this song will definitely ride this wave of popularity to new heights."
Several female singers who did not receive audition invitations asked their agents to inquire about connections and try to get an audition spot through back channels.
However, after these agents figured out the hard requirements for this audition through various connections, they were all shocked.
"What? It'll reach a maximum speed of C6!"
"Are you going to demonstrate your dolphin-like vocal techniques?"
For a moment, many people were dumbfounded.
In the pop music scene, 90% of female singers are in their comfort zone between G4 and C5, and those who can achieve a high-quality E5 can be considered true powerhouse vocalists.
C6?
Is that for people to sing?
Meanwhile, in an ordinary studio apartment outside the Fifth Ring Road in Beijing, Jiang Yan, who had been sitting on the sidelines at Jinshi Music for a year, was watching TV with nothing to do.
A year ago, she also signed with Jinshi Music with boundless enthusiasm for music.
At that time, she felt that she was the next Chinese pop diva.
Jinshi Music was indeed very kind to her at first, creating her first single tailored to her exceptional high-pitched talent.
It was a pop song that fully showcased her high-pitched talent; it was full and passionate.
However, the market response was extremely dismal.
After receiving feedback from the market, the company played it safe and released a second single, a popular ballad at the time, which also featured high notes in the climax.
In the end, it all disappeared without a trace.
Do it all at once, second time tired, third time exhausted.
In the eyes of a giant like Kingstone Music, singers who fail twice in a row will naturally have their priority significantly reduced.
As a result, Jiang Yan never received a third single.
There are no new songs, and occasionally I'm a guest performer. Sometimes I sing in remote shopping malls, and the rest of the time it's just endless, tedious vocal exercises.
Jiang Yan knew very well that if she continued to sit there like this until the contract expired, the only outcome she would face was termination.
Just as she was contemplating whether to work at a bar or become a vocal coach after terminating her contract, her phone rang.
Caller ID: Brother Peng (Agent)
When the call connected, Jiang Yan said weakly, "Hey, Brother Peng, what's wrong? Is it another shopping mall ribbon-cutting ceremony that requires singing?"
"Yan Yan! Stand up and listen to me!" Peng Ge's excitement and joy on the other end of the phone were almost overflowing.
Jiang Yan held the phone a little further away: "What happened, Brother Peng?"
"A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a huge windfall has fallen into our laps." Peng took a deep breath on the other end of the phone. "Yang Du, it's an audition invitation from Yang Du. They need us to record a dry audio version."
"Yang Du?"
Upon hearing this name, Jiang Yan immediately sat up from the sofa. In today's music scene, and even in the entire Chinese music industry, who doesn't know the name Yang Du?
It's still trending on social media!
The entry is a bit strange, though.
Now, this amazing producer has actually extended an audition invitation to her?
"Brother Peng, you're not joking, are you?" Jiang Yan's voice trembled slightly.
"I'm not kidding! The documents have already been sent to my email. According to the instructions, Yang Du is producing an interlude for 'Eternal Falling Flowers,' which is a super-large production!"
Peng paused for a moment, then said seriously, "Yan Yan, listen carefully. This song has extremely high requirements. According to the sheet music, the highest note in the chorus needs to be C6, and it specifically requires the use of the dolphin voice technique. Yan Yan, your chance has come!"
Having received no response for a while, Brother Peng urged, "Yan Yan? Are you listening, Yan Yan?"
"I'm listening," Jiang Yan said excitedly. "I'm going back to the company right now."