“Mid-Autumn Festival Gala and next year’s Spring Festival Gala…”

This is the good news brought by Du Ting. After all, in the eyes of others, being able to perform on these two major stages of CCTV is a great honor and an opportunity that countless artists dream of. But in Shen Lang’s view, such invitations have long lost the original surprise.

Back then, when he was just starting out, he urgently needed to show his face on a big platform like CCTV, leverage CCTV’s super high ratings to increase his popularity and expand his acting career. But times have changed, and now he has established a firm foothold in the entertainment industry and has become famous, and he no longer needs to rely on such conventional channels to attract attention.

Having said that, Shen Lang also knew in his heart that appearing on the CCTV stage would always have more advantages than disadvantages.

Anyway, there was no conflict in my schedule, and it was just singing a song, which wouldn’t take much effort, so I gladly accepted the invitation.

Then, he remembered something and asked Du Ting, “By the way, when will Xixi and Xiaochang’s new album be released?”

Du Ting immediately replied: “At the end of this month, all preparations have been arranged. I will sing the title song “Chinese Words” for the first time at your Jinzhu Station concert.”

Shen Lang nodded, and after a moment of thought, he said, “Then don’t rush to agree to the Spring Festival Gala. Try to negotiate a little bit and see if you can use this opportunity to bring Xixi and Xiaochang up as well.”

Du Ting hummed softly and replied, “I understand.”

You know, CCTV Spring Festival Gala has always been impartial and does not accept artists negotiating conditions. The rules are very strict.

However, Shen Lang has the confidence to try it.

In recent years, the programs he has presented on the Spring Festival Gala stage have set ratings records every time, and his popularity has remained high. He has become the most anticipated star by many Spring Festival Gala audiences, without a doubt.

The Spring Festival Gala program team took a fancy to his strong appeal and tried every possible means to invite him again and again.

And this importance has become a powerful bargaining chip.

To put it another way, given the current influence of Liu Yifei and Shu Chang, as well as the quality of the song “Huaxia Hua”, it is good enough to be performed on the Spring Festival Gala.

Then, Du Ting gave Shen Lang a list. Shen Lang glanced through it casually. There were many brands listed on it, both domestic and foreign. They were all brands that had recently approached him and wanted to invite him to endorse their products or shoot commercials. The fact that these brands appeared on this list showed that they had gone through a rigorous screening process of the company, and both their quality and reputation could stand the test of the market without any major mistakes.

What’s even more interesting is that many brands have extended extremely attractive olive branches, wanting to launch co-branded products with Shen Lang. This kind of cooperation model is not simple. In addition to being able to receive a considerable amount of endorsement fees, you can also participate in dividends from subsequent product sales. It is a cooperation option that is very worthy of consideration.

After Du Ting left, Shen Lang pulled Gao Yuanyuan to sit on the sofa and excitedly started a new topic: “What do you think about us setting up our own brand?”

Gao Yuanyuan blinked a few times and asked, “What brand?”

“A fashion brand.” Shen Lang explained patiently while gesturing, “It makes things like cosmetics, bags, and clothing. The market demand is quite large.”

Gao Yuanyuan said “Oh” softly, then she realized it immediately and said, “That’s a luxury brand.”

Her simple words made Shen Lang fall into deep thought instantly.

China is a populous country with huge market potential. At the same time, with the development of social economy and changes in people’s consumption concepts, the fashion industry has also risen rapidly. Many celebrities have seen this business opportunity and realized that their fame and influence can be converted into commercial value. Therefore, they began to try to create their own fashion brands, which not only satisfies fans’ pursuit of celebrity products, but also maximizes their own commercial value.

First, the emergence of celebrity fashion brands has enriched the market choices and, to a certain extent, met people’s demands for diversity and personalization; second, celebrities, as brand spokespersons and promoters, have attracted a large number of fans, giving the brands greater exposure and recognition in the market; in addition, celebrity fashion brands have also provided young designers with opportunities for cooperation, promoted the development of innovation and communication, and promoted the overall progress of China’s fashion industry.

In the original time and space, it has become a common phenomenon for celebrities in the entertainment industry to have side jobs, most of which are in the catering industry. For example, Chen Chichi’s Xianhezhuang, Xue Zhiqian’s Shang Shangqian, Ren Quan’s Hot One, Zhou Jielun’s MR.J. Zhou Daxia, Yu Quan’s Hu Taoli, Wu Xin’s Tai Zi Ye, etc. are all various restaurants. There are also many celebrities who open beverage shops, Japanese food restaurants, etc., and some celebrities will create their own brands such as fashion brands.

However, Gao Yuanyuan’s words “luxury brand” reminded Shen Lang.

Whether it is a celebrity-run restaurant or a brand, most of them rely on their own fame to create a brand effect for their side business, making consumers believe that since it is a celebrity’s store, the business will definitely take the influence into consideration and will not deceive consumers. However, failures are common.

So the question is, do celebrities take on side jobs because they want to run their careers seriously and succeed, or are they just trying to make a quick buck by taking advantage of others?
There was a hot search that Shen Lang remembered very clearly. At that time, the pricing of the personal brand established by Ouyang Nana was exposed and immediately became a hot topic. Her products were not very distinctive. They were just ordinary white clothes with the nabi logo printed on them. The material was ordinary polyester fiber and cotton. However, the pricing was shocking, with socks at 168 yuan, hoodies at 438 yuan, and pants at 458 yuan… Netizens all commented that “there is no design to be seen, and it’s so easy to make money.” This precise act of cutting leeks also caused Ouyang Nana’s personal brand to fail before it even went online.

We can draw a conclusion from this incident. As celebrities are the highest-paid industry besides live streaming, it is understandable that artists have spare money to do side jobs. However, when doing side jobs, they should first abandon their celebrity identity and start from the perspective of consumers. Only in this way can the long-tail effect be achieved in the long run. If they just want to make quick money by cutting leeks, not only will the brand not last long, but the celebrity’s own image will also be damaged.

Thinking of this, he raised the corners of his mouth slightly and said with a smile: “If we want to do it, we must make a brand that all fans can afford.”

Gao Yuanyuan didn’t fully understand, but in her heart, as long as it was something he wanted to do, she would not hesitate and would always say, “I support you no matter what you do!” Her tone was gentle yet firm, and her eyes were full of unreserved trust and love for him.

Shen Lang smiled slightly and kissed her on the mouth.

——

——

In the middle of the month, Taylor came to Yanjing with his parents.

In the original time and space, Taylor only had a high school education. It was only after she became famous that she was awarded an honorary doctorate in arts by New York University for her outstanding musical talent and remarkable achievements. This time, she came to the Affiliated High School of Central Conservatory of Music as an exchange student.

There is still more than a month before school starts. Although Shen Lang had promised earlier to take good care of Taylor’s daily life here, her parents are still worried and insist on making this trip in person to arrange key matters such as housing.

Shen Lang kindly recommended a residential area with a quiet environment, complete with all kinds of living facilities, and an excellent location, not far from the school and the company.

Taylor was quite satisfied with this. In her simple and unsophisticated mind, as long as she lived close to her teacher, everything would be perfect. However, the reality was a bit contrary to her wishes. Although she lived close to Shen Lang, Shen Lang was too busy. His tour schedule around the world was full and he was often on the road. Basically, he could only see Taylor once every two weeks.

“Teacher, this is a song I wrote. Can you help me take a look at it?” Therefore, Taylor cherishes every rare opportunity to meet Shen Lang. Whenever he meets Shen Lang, the topic is either about the difficulties encountered in singing or questions about songwriting.

“Your creative efficiency is faster than mine.” Shen Lang looked at Taylor’s serious expression and couldn’t help but joked with her.

“No way! I am still a long way from being as good as my teacher.” Taylor quickly responded humbly, his eyes full of respect and admiration for Shen Lang.

“Are you used to living here?” Shen Lang asked casually while flipping through the song sheet handed to him by Taylor.

“The accommodation is OK, but I still need to get used to the food,” Taylor answered truthfully.

Thanks to her excellent language talent and the systematic instruction of a professional Chinese teacher, her Chinese level has improved significantly, and simple daily communication is no longer a problem. However, there are significant cultural differences between China and the United States, and to fully integrate into life here, it will take some time to slowly adjust and adjust.

“It’s very well written. Put it in your new album.” After Shen Lang carefully looked at the song sheet handed to him by Taylor, a look of approval appeared on his face.

He had witnessed Taylor’s musical talent with his own eyes, so there would be no problem with the song.

“Then, teacher, will you write a hit song for me?” Taylor was not satisfied when he heard the praise. Instead, he looked at Shen Lang with burning eyes, his eyes full of expectation and desire.

“You’re so great now, do you still want my songs?” Shen Lang asked with a smile. In fact, he was quite pleased in his heart that Taylor had such an enterprising spirit and always had higher pursuits in music. This was a good thing.

“Yes, of course.” Taylor answered without hesitation. In her heart, it was an incredible honor to have the hit song written by Shen Lang.

“Take a look at this song and see if you like it.” Shen Lang said, and took out a song he had prepared long ago and handed it to Taylor. He didn’t want to force songs into other people’s albums. If the artists under his company could stand on their own and support the album with their own abilities, he would save trouble and resources.

Seeing that the teacher had even prepared the title song in advance, Taylor was stunned at first, then his eyes became slightly red, and his heart was filled with joy and touching.

【——Baby

Lyricist: Shen Lang

Composer: Shen Lang

Arranger: Shen Lang]

Taylor took the song sheet with great joy, and after looking at it carefully, she discovered that it was a pop song, different from the country songs she was usually good at.

However, she did not feel confused or lost at all, because Shen Lang had told her before that she should not limit her career to being a country singer, but should look beyond the stage and stride towards the goal of becoming a pop queen.

It was from then on that becoming an all-round singer like her teacher became her unswerving goal.

The title song that Shen Lang prepared for Taylor’s new album is “Baby” from Justin Bieber.

There is a very popular saying in the original time and space: There are only two kinds of people in the world, those who like Bieber and those who hate Bieber.

Some people played the song “Baby” on repeat in school, some people enjoyed it, but some people took out $100 and asked the school to stop playing it. In the end, the school earned half a year’s worth of school funding by playing this song.

Bieber also became famous at a young age with this song, which ranked fifth on the US Billboard Singles Chart and was certified as one of the diamond singles in the United States (sales exceeded 1000 million). The album, “My World 2.0”, also topped the Billboard Album Chart that year, with global sales exceeding 700 million copies and the number of plays on Spotify officially exceeding 10 billion times, ensuring its position in the platform’s exclusive billion play club.

Taylor once invited Bieber as a guest during her tour and sang this song on stage, leaving a deep impression on the audience.

“Teacher, there is a rap in it.” Taylor suddenly raised his head, his eyes full of surprise, and looked at Shen Lang and said.

“Yes, if you think it’s suitable for you, I can sing the rap part. If you have other ideas, I can also find other professional rappers to sing for you.” Shen Lang explained to her patiently and carefully.

“Then, teacher, can you sing?” Taylor asked with a pleading tone. In her heart, it would be perfect if she could sing this title song with the teacher.

“Okay.” Shen Lang said with a smile.

“Baby” is a medium-fast pop song that combines rich and diverse musical elements: the youthful vitality of Teen Pop, the dynamic rhythm of Dance-Pop, the rhythmic charm of R&B, the retro style of Fifties doo-wop, the trendy attitude of hip-hop music and the gorgeous atmosphere of disco strings.

It is not difficult to see that this song has obviously absorbed the musical essence of Michael Jackson in its creative style. The classic style unique to the pop king is clearly visible. Listening to it as a whole, it sounds like a single tailor-made for the passionate summer. As soon as the melody sounds, it seems to make people feel the comfort and vitality of the sun and the beach.

It’s just that Bieber was only 16 years old when he released this song. Being still young, his singing talent is still in the growth stage and has not yet been fully shaped. Although he sings with rhythmic flexibility, his voice is nasal, so he is slightly inferior in emotional transmission, which makes the whole song less appealing. Taylor has gone through many stage experiences and has accumulated sufficient singing experience. She has also gradually explored and formed her own singing style. Whether it is delicate emotional control or changing music styles, she is at ease. Her interpretation of this song will undoubtedly dig out the deeper charm of the song and give a more wonderful expression.

After getting the song, Taylor still needed time to familiarize himself with it.

After all, if you want to perform a song perfectly, you have to slowly get used to it, and figure it out bit by bit, from the melody to the lyrics.

Fortunately, there is still plenty of time to record the new album, so there is no need to rush. As long as the new album can be released smoothly by the end of the year, it will be fine. (End of this chapter)