Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion

Chapter 220: Before the Awards Ceremony

Chapter 220: Before the Awards Ceremony

Swinging in the backyard

Pull up in your fast car whistling my name

Open up a beer

In the Link Music Studio, Link wore a headset, listening to Lana Del Rey’s songs from her debut album "Video Games," which had gone through multiple revisions and was finally completed in mid-August.

There were a total of twelve songs, with the lead tracks being "Young and Beautiful."

Initially completed in May, there were sixteen tracks, including songs accumulated over the years by Lana, two written by Link for Lana, and a cover of "This Is Me" from Link’s second album.

However, after the recording was finished, the initial response to the album was generally not high.

The issue was that the styles of the songs in the album were too chaotic, including vintage Baroque pop, rock, pop music, country music, and more.

The quality of the songs was also uneven.

After discussing, the production team members decided to remove several country and rock songs from the album, leaving only eight classical style songs like "Young and Beautiful," "Video Games," and "This Is Me."

These songs shared a common motif of classical sorrow, with melodies and lyrics that were deeply melancholic.

Having only eight songs was not enough for a standard album, so producer David Kahn had three more songs written for Lana, and Lana wrote one herself, rounding it out to twelve songs.

After more than three months of polishing and refining, the style and tone of the album were consistent throughout.

When Lana sang, her voice had matured a bit, no longer switching between pop mixed with rock and country music.

Now, when she started singing, she could quickly get into the mood, with a tone that was low and mournful, and from her singing, Link could see her growth and transformation.

"Link, how is it?"

Lana, wearing a purple sleeveless dress and with her wavy chestnut hair cascading down, stood in front of him vivaciously.

Graham and David Kahn, along with Mars, were also there.

Graham was the chief steward, David Kahn was responsible for Lana’s album production and supervision, and Mars voluntarily helped adjust the mix and instruments. So far, the atmosphere in the Link Music Studio had been harmonious, with no workplace conflicts.

This was probably also because of the few people involved. Fewer people meant fewer issues and no need to compete for resources.

Link felt that the current situation was pretty good and should be maintained, even if more artists were signed later, the total number of people would not exceed five.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Link put down his headphones and said, "Great job, Lana, I give this album a nine out of ten."

"Only nine?"

Lana was somewhat dissatisfied.

"Nine is very good. I’m afraid you’ll become conceited if I give a perfect score."

Link smiled lightly and then turned to Graham, asking, "Any progress with the movie theme song?"

"I’ve sent samples of the two lead songs to several production companies. So far, I’ve only received responses from two small film projects, one ’Remember Me’ and the other ’Fugitive Band.’ But their films are still in production and won’t be released until next year, so they can’t promote us ahead of time."

Graham explained with a shrug.

"Let it be; the songs on this album are all good, and Lana’s singing style is quite distinctive. After its release, the performance should be very good. Just follow the normal promotional procedure, release a single to test the waters first, and see how the market reacts."

Link said.

Before an album’s official release, singers usually release one or two singles to promote and chart.

For new singers, releasing promotional singles can increase the popularity of the singer and the album. For star singers, it helps gauge market trends.

If the single charts on the Billboard Hot 100 after release, it indicates the quality is good, fans are willing to pay, and the higher it charts, the more popular the song is.

Just like Taylor’s second album "Fearless," which had three singles released consecutively and each reached the top ten of the charts.

Link’s second album released a single "Give Me Reason" two months before the album release, and it topped the singles chart.

His first album did not release singles in advance, but the songs were of high quality. After the album’s release, "Unstoppable" debuted at the top of the singles chart, and other songs also achieved decent rankings.

Lana was both a rookie and not quite a rookie, having previously experienced a failed debut.

During the release of "Keep On Movin’," she performed publicly with Link several times and participated in the recording of "This Is Me" and "Rainbow."

After the big success of "Keep On Movin’," she also gained some fame, with her name appearing frequently in music magazines, and Link’s fans and people in the industry knew he had a female singer named Lana Del Rey under his label.

Now that Lana was about to release an album, the conditions were relatively mature. The only thing worth noting was her music style leans towards classical, tragic themes.

Whether the market will accept this type of artist still requires time to prove.

Link then turned to Mars, inquiring about the status of his debut album recording.

Mars stated that all the songs for his album were recorded and also in the polishing and refining stages, striving for perfection.

Link agreed with his approach. Mars was not only an excellent singer but also a top-tier music producer and creator, with higher pursuits in music, which would likely be the reason he could become a top star in the music industry in the future.

"Link, we should be going,"

Wiz Khalifa called from the doorway.

He was dressed in a white Dior suit, adorned with a gold chain, wearing a few dreadlocks, and holding a cigarette, ruggedly handsome.

After collaborating with Link on "See You Again," his fame in the music industry skyrocketed, moving from a second or third-tier artist directly to the top tier. In the hip-hop rap scene, his current popularity also ranked among the top five.

Wiz mentioned that previously, his appearance fee was less than $50,000. Now, it’s $500,000, and he even landed a few commercials, earning two to three million US dollars.

A real overnight sensation.

Now his issue was being too popular. Every time he went to perform, the organizers wanted him to sing "See You Again," which he had sung dozens of times this month, and he was getting a bit tired of it.

However, today he had to sing it again.

At this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, one important segment was dedicated to commemorating the late superstar MJ.

Now, any public event involving a tribute to MJ must include "See You Again" as an essential song, it seemed to have become a consensus among MJ fans worldwide.

Wiz Khalifa was also invited by MTV as a singing guest to perform "See You Again" alongside Link.

The awards ceremony was at eight in the evening.

Link checked the time, it was already seven, and it was time to leave.

He and Wiz said goodbye to everyone, got into a Rolls-Royce Phantom, and headed to the MTV awards ceremony.

This year’s awards ceremony was held at the Radio City Music Hall on Manhattan’s Sixth Avenue, not far from the Rockefeller Center.

Before he even arrived, Taylor called to ask where he was and why he hadn’t arrived yet?

Link said he would be there soon.

Taylor asked if he had changed clothes and if not, he should hurry and change since she was dressed very beautifully today and didn’t want her look to be downgraded by his attire.

Link assured her with a smile, promising he would be graciously handsome.

At the intersection of Sixth Avenue, the Rolls-Royce Phantom met with the car Taylor was in—a black Bentley State Limousine, the same model used by the Queen of England at her Golden Jubilee.

Link temporarily said goodbye to Wiz and entered Taylor’s car.

He and Taylor were the most famous duo in the music industry at the moment, both also nominated for this year’s MTV awards for Best Male/Female Artist.

If they did not appear together, the media would speculate about a rift in their relationship tomorrow or even claim they had broken up.

As Link opened the car door, he saw Taylor sitting in the back, dressed in a silver sheer chiffon one-shoulder gown, personally designed by the renowned designer Kaufman Franco. Her delicate, fair left shoulder was exposed, her golden hair swept up with only a few strands of curls cascading down the sides.

Today, her lips bore a strawberry red hue, and her eyebrows and lashes had been neatly groomed, making her face look even more delicate and attractive.

"Wow! So beautiful, how can there be such a beautiful girl in the world? You must be the reflection of Venus de Milo on earth," Link praised unreservedly.

Taylor didn’t even look at him, just curled the corner of her lips and gave him a composed expression.

Link smiled lightly and sat opposite her. "Beautiful miss, may I kiss the back of your hand?"

Taylor slowly lifted her fingers and presented them to him.

Link took her hand and kissed the back, inhaling a scent of Chanel mingled with a hint of sweets. She must have snuck some desserts earlier.

"Can I kiss your cheek?"

"No, you’ll ruin my makeup," Taylor said with a glance, drawing back her hand. "Sit properly, I want to check your suit. If it’s too ugly, you’re getting off here to change."

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"How could that be? With my looks and figure, even if I wore a trash bag, I could start a fashion trend. Besides, I’m wearing a suit specially tailored for me by Dior, and even my hairstyle, tie, and shirt have been meticulously vetted by stylists. My attire could never be subpar," Link bragged, crossing his legs and leaning back in his seat with a grin.

Taylor scrutinized him for a moment, noting that his suit’s style was very trendy and suited his temperament and build well, which only enhanced his already handsome features, making them even more distinct in combination with his bright eyes, clean demeanor, and barely-there smile. He was too handsome.

Taylor thought that even if the guy in front of her wasn’t a top singer, just based on his looks alone, she would have fallen for him.

"Not bad, only slightly less impressive than me," Taylor said, gesturing with her fingertips.

"Thanks for the compliment!"

"You two stop messing around and get ready, we’re almost there," Andrea, Mrs. warned.

Link and Taylor quieted down and looked out the car window. As they approached the venue near Radio City, the crowd on the streets grew denser.

Tens of thousands of fans crowded the sidewalks, and cheers rose and fell as each celebrity singer arrived.

As Link and Taylor’s car was about to make its entrance, a yellow fire truck drove in from outside. Members of Green Day Band alighted one after another from the fire truck, sparking cheers from the fans on the scene.

Besides the fire truck, there were buses, double-deckers, coaches, ambulances, and various other vehicles.

This marked the difference between the MTV and Grammy awards.

The Grammy awards favored conservatism and classical music, making the atmosphere at their ceremonies rather solemn.

Attendees of the Grammy awards would also adhere to this tradition, avoiding any out-of-the-ordinary performances.

In contrast, the MTV Music Television Awards were relatively avant-garde, advocating leading the world’s music trends, inclusive and open to outstanding musicians from around the world. Huaxia singers like Cui Jian, Zheng Jun, and Jolin Tsai had once won related awards.

When attending the MTV awards, singers also went all out with their outfits, sporting various quirky and bizarre looks, akin to a grand all-star costume party.

"Link, that’s Joanne," Taylor pointed to someone in a nearby car and said, "Her outfit is really cool."

Lady Gaga also spotted them and pointed to a spot ahead, suggesting they go first.

Link waved his hand, indicating she should proceed as her spot was further up front.

The traffic marshal on the street also directed Lady Gaga’s car to go ahead.

As Lady Gaga’s car left and the Bentley was about to start, a white stretch Lincoln swooped in from the side and cut in front.

The door opened and Beyonce, Lil Wayne, T.I., 50 Cent, Drake stepped out one after another.

Lil Wayne and the others also turned back and grinned at him.

Link shook his head and sarcastically gave a thumbs down.