"It's really solemn now. ”

"I'm sorry. ”

Hearing the agent's half-ridiculous words, Hirai Jian raised his head and smiled a little reluctantly.

"The show starts in half an hour. The agent reminded him.

"Don't worry," said Hirai, "and when you get on stage, you'll be in good spirits." "Before that, I thought of myself who had struggled for all these years without hope, and occasionally willful.

"Ever since you knew that you were going to pass to Ye Zhaosang, you have been worried. "As the person who has been struggling and exploring the trough with him, his agent can be said to know everything about him.

"......" Ken Hirai did not answer.

"Although you have given away the production rights and outsourced them to a partner label that is further away, the person who will take over your production rights is Ye Zhaosang, who has never failed," the agent continued, "If it were other singers in a situation like yours, they would be very happy...... This may be your best chance right now. ”

Of course, it can also be said that the record company gave Ken Hirai the last chance. If you can't even save the gold medal producer from being released, then you can really only make a bag and let him find another job.

"I have also heard about the deeds of that Ye Zhaosang, indeed, very powerful. Ken Hirai said, "From the beginning of his debut to his own role as a producer, he has never missed a beat, and a person who can achieve this level is indeed worthy of respect." ”

However, Furuta-san also knows that when he debuted as a singer, he was a POPROCK, and later as a producer, he is known as a GIRL POP producer, and the music style of the singers produced by him is generally based on this aspect. ”

"In Japan right now, the market for RnB is very small," Hirai said slowly, "especially for an unsuccessful singer like me, every record released now is making the company lose money." ”

Truly. As an agent, Furuta also knows very well that if it weren't for Ken Hirai's insistence on dozens of high-intensity tours every year to support his singing career, I'm afraid that he wouldn't even be able to release a single now.

Even if you are a singer-songwriter, there is a cost to releasing records, and if you want to say where to save the record company, it is just to reduce the trouble of collecting songs from the music library or other composers.

Therefore, for singers who lose money, the cost of releasing records can only be reduced again and again, and finally it becomes a distribution situation with almost no publicity, as if it is simply to complete the contract.

In this way, it seems that a vicious circle has been formed again. The more it can't be sold, the more there is no publicity, the more there is no publicity, the less people know, and in the end, the sales will only get worse and worse.

Unless you happen to encounter some publicity opportunities that hit the big luck, otherwise, if you want to turn over, the difficulty will only get higher and higher.

"Now, if I want that Ye Zhaosang to take over my song production, I'm thinking, maybe the company has given up RnB and wants me to transform instead, right?" Hirai said, laughing at himself, "Seriously, I can't imagine a rock and roll self......"

Although the market for RnB is still small, Ken Hirai at this moment also wants to explore a music path that suits him and can be accepted by the Japanese.

Even if he was frustrated, he still didn't give up.

It's just that now, how can he know that Ye Zhao is thinking the same thing as him.

Ye Zhao and DefSTAR want to use Ken Hirai to open up the RnB market together, which is something that only the top management of the record company knows, and for the people below, all they hear is the label that wants to transfer Ken Hirai's production rights to him.

Therefore, based on the wind heard now, Ken Hirai will feel pessimistic about this matter. That pessimism comes from the helplessness of giving up what you love and the sadness of abandoning what you value but abandoning it.

"This ......" Furuta thought about it, and also felt that it was a little cruel to make him give up what he had been pursuing.

But in the Japanese music scene of this era, there are more than 300 groups of singers who make their debut every year, and they can lose money for several years in a row, and they can still release records, even if the company wants him to transform, the words "cruel" are really unspeakable.

The real cruelty, isn't it that once the results are not satisfactory, they are immediately refrigerated until the end of the contract and then swept away?

In this way, before the official start of the performance, Ken Hirai has been immersed in such emotions. Of course, Ye Zhao, who was waiting for the start of the performance in front of him, didn't know anything about his worries.

Although he was really depressed backstage, when the performance started and stood on the stage, Ken Hirai began to sing with all his heart again, which is his respect for the music he loves.

As an absolute powerhouse, Ken Hirai, watching his performance is really a pleasure. Ye Zhao, who was in the audience, was also infected by his superb stage performance, and spent a pleasant performance time with the rest of the audience.

And after the performance ended, Ye Zhao, who had exited the venue in an orderly manner with the audience, turned back again, and Hirai Ken's agent Furuta had already been waiting in advance at the relational channel.

"Good evening. Taking off his flat glasses and mask, Ye Zhao greeted Furuta.

"Good evening, I'm Furuta, Hirai-san's agent. After Gu Tian finished reporting home, he led Ye Zhao to the backstage, "Thank you for coming here." ”

"No, I should say thank you for your hospitality. As they walked, the two said, "I was fortunate enough to enjoy a wonderful performance." ”

Coming to the door of the lounge, Gutian knocked on the door, said "Ye Zhaosang has arrived", and then turned the doorknob.

The lounge was already small, and then two adult men were squeezed in at once, and it was quite a bit of a stretch.

After greeting each other, Ye Zhao and Hirai Ken sat opposite each other in front of the folding table, because there were only two chairs, and the agent Furuta had to stand on the side.

"Hirai-san's performance tonight was fantastic. Ye Zhao praised him again.

Ken Hirai politely thanked him.

After chatting for a while with the side drums, the topic slowly turned to the over-the-top matter, "...... After that, I'm going to work with Hirai-san for a while, and when the time comes, I'll ask for a lot of advice. ”

"I'm here, please advise. Hirai Jian replied, hesitated, and still asked, "If you can, can Ye Zhaosang roughly reveal about my future route plan?"

"Route planning?" Ye Zhao pondered, "Hirai-san has a deep RnB foundation, and of course you will give full play to your advantages in the future and continue to explore on the road of RnB." ”

When the agent Furuta heard this, he was secretly happy for Ken Hirai on the side. That way, the things he had feared before were gone.

After hearing Ye Zhao say that he would not let him give up his music for a 180-degree transformation, Hirai Jian also breathed a sigh of relief, and his previous pessimistic mood also dissipated a lot.

However, then, in his mind, a thought suddenly popped up, that is: Ye Zhao, who has no RnB production experience at all, even if he is a gold medal producer who has never missed, how far can he go after getting his hands on the new style?

I didn't think about it before, I thought that he was going to be kicked by the record company to Ye Zhao to sing POPROCK, but now, after the old worries disappeared, this thing that he hadn't thought about before appeared instead.

As if he knew his inner worries, the words that came into his ears also mentioned it.

"To be honest, I've never made RnB before, and the Japanese market is really weak enough to survive RnB, so I don't know what kind of thing I'm going to make. Ye Zhao said very frankly.

"I don't know what Hirai-san's idea is...... Of course, if we can, I hope we can communicate as much as possible and exchange ideas with each other. ”

"I don't know what kind of music I can make and what kind of sparks I can create, but I don't think RnB has yet to become a full-fledged hit in Japan, so my basic idea is to find a way to find an RnB that can be accepted by the Japanese people. ”

To explore a path of RnB that can be accepted by the Japanese is also what Ken Hirai thinks about now, and this is also the source of his current confusion.

After listening to Ye Zhao's words, Hirai Jian calmed down a little and replied: "Actually, I am thinking about the same thing, and the efforts I have made before and now are also looking for such a path. However, the failures so far have proven that the path I have taken is not working. So, what's next? I've been worrying about this kind of thing lately. ”

"In this case," Ye Zhao said, "I and I'm Hirai-san, and I can be regarded as having the same goal." ”

Maybe it was the words of "the same goal" that invisibly shortened the distance between Ye Zhao and Hirai Jian, or maybe it was his straightforward and humble attitude that moved Hirai Jian and made him add a lot of impression points to Ye Zhao.

Being in a lounge with a small space, it's a little awkward to talk about business, not to mention that there is an agent Gu Tian next to him who can only stand and listen because he has no seats, at Ye Zhao's suggestion, the three of them changed places and went to a small bar.

The more he came into contact with Ye Zhao and the more he chatted, the more surprised Hirai Ken felt in his heart.

Ye Zhao's understanding of music is not so much profound, but chic, although it sounds a little incredible, at first glance it sounds whimsical, but if you think about it carefully, you can feel quite a lot of maneuverable space from it.

Not only that, although there are many people who talk about the Tao in time, but what they really do is just talking on paper, but what Ye Zhao said does not make people feel like empty words floating in mid-air at all.

The reason for this is not the blind trust in him, a gold medal producer who has never missed, but because what he envisions is based on the current situation of the music scene.

How can this be?" Hirai thought to himself.

Although he didn't believe in this person 100% because of this, he felt that he would definitely be able to open up this situation - he is twenty-five years old, and he has been a singer for three years, he is not the kind of newcomer who has not debuted and goes all out as soon as he is instigated, what he considers is more realistic and feasible.

However, he thought in his heart that if he could cooperate with someone with such a wealth of ideas, then, even if he was dismissed, he still did not lose the opportunity to explore and try, and even more could be explored and tried.

"Anyway, Hirai-san," Ye Zhao told him, "although the situation is a little difficult at this stage, let's find a feasible way together, and try to find this path called 'unknown'." ”

"Yes, please advise me in the future, Ye Zhaosang. Ken Hirai replied. In this "please advise more", it is no longer a polite word, but contains sincerity.

Counting the agent Gutian, the three of them had a few drinks together, and then they ended happily.

For Ye Zhao, serving as the producer of Ken Hirai is not only to get in touch with a style that he has not been exposed to before, Ken Hirai is also known as a GIRL POP producer, the first male singer who will be in charge.

Although he contributed music to SMAP before and also produced the debut single of Kid, it was more of a matter of collecting money and creating Jennis's idol according to Jenny-san's requirements.

And next, he has to take full control from beginning to end, and really produce a male singer. Therefore, in every sense, it is of great significance to pass the gear.

The next morning, Yuri Nakamura, who had already arrived in Tokyo, came to the office under the guidance of a talent scout. Ye Zhao also saw this talented woman with a highly recognizable voice for the first time.

Although now, her goal is not to be a singer-songwriter who debuts, but a composer who is hidden behind the scenes.

WHEN HE HEARD THIS GOAL FROM HER MOUTH, YE ZHAO COULDN'T HELP BUT FEEL A LITTLE STRANGE IN HIS HEART, AFTER ALL, IN HIS MEMORY, YURI NAKAMURA WAS NOT THE MAN IN BLACK BEHIND THE SCENES, BUT THE LEAD SINGER OF GARNET CRO, WITH THREE LIKE-MINDED PARTNERS.

Speaking of partners, Hiroto Furui is now a full man in black, working hard as a backbone arranger within BEING. As for the other two members, Hitoshi Okamoto doesn't know where they are now, and AZUKI-CHI, who was a model-turned-model, may still be photographed in some well-known or unknown magazine.

The band GARNET CRO, in the eyes of later generations, or the outside world, is a band that suddenly turned out to be formed because the members agreed with each other.

However, before "like-minded" and then formed a band, I don't know how many things have to go through before fate brings them together.

And now, the puzzle pieces of the four corners, one corner is in BEING, and the other corner is in Ye Zhao's hand.

"These are a few songs that I have gained a little confidence after learning to compose, please listen to them......" Yuri Nakamura handed over the prepared song sample.

Facing Ye Zhao, her expression was restrained and nervous.

Hungry, wait for me to buy ingredients......