Chapter 259: Great, Great, Great, So You Want to Shine Like That? (Fourth Watch!)

Although Zhou Yi has released only one English single to date, his brilliant track record in China has long been placed on the desks of major record labels.

They may not understand Chinese, but they have professional analysts.

The final conclusion was: this person has a versatile style, his songwriting ideas are wildly imaginative, yet he is willing to be guided by market results.

Moreover, the song more closely matching the lyrical theme and style of "The Lazy Song" is "Hate the Dream of the Red Chamber"; both have lyrics that are quite "direct and heartfelt," while the latter's arrangement is even more ornate, proving that Zhou Yi's ability to create such songs is no mere flash in the pan.

You must know that "Hate the Dream of the Red Chamber" is a track from Zhou Yi's first album.

The other song types in his first album all found inheritance and development in his second album, except for "Hate the Dream of the Red Chamber," this single "direct and heartfelt," light and carefree song, which had no counterpart at all.

After conducting market research and consulting the opinions of the branch office in the Chinese market, record labels led by multinational giants such as Sony actually reached a unified consensus:

This English song should have been adapted by Zhou Yi from Chinese; otherwise, it should have been the track in the second album responsible for inheriting and expanding the light, carefree concept of "Hate the Dream of the Red Chamber."

It was just that, perhaps hindered by his influence in the Chinese song circle, he had to abandon this choice due to pressure from Warner, and instead adapted it into English for Warner to release in the foreign language market.

This also means that, based on Zhou Yi's past performance in the Chinese market, he absolutely has the capability to replicate that success in the English market.

After all, his songs became hugely popular after being adapted into Korean, making the solo artist Kangta the top star of SM Entertainment;

Japanese companies not only began purchasing the cover rights to his songs, but Zhou Yi himself also defeated Utada Hikaru on the Japanese Oricon charts, taking the annual single sales championship.

In the exceptionally competitive European and American music market, a multilingual music creator with a solid track record of high achievements and the ability to freely switch between various styles is undoubtedly at the very top of the food chain.

At the very least, before failure, Zhou Yi was unquestionably a hot commodity.

Precisely because of this, when the live director on site spotted the large crowd of celebrities gathering around Zhou Yi, he immediately shifted the camera to stir things up...

……………………………………

Sun Yanzi, who had started watching the live broadcast from her home in Singapore, opened a bag of potato chips and was crunching away happily, but when the broadcast officially began, she bit her tongue in one bite—unable to help but cry out in pain.

"Sister, that is Zhou Yi, he really is handsome, and he's quite tall too."

Her younger sister Sun Yanmei was watching TV with her sister, and when she saw Zhou Yi appear on the red carpet, her eyes immediately lit up: "The one beside him must be Elva Hsiao, right?"

"Mm, mm, pour me a glass of water, quickly." With her mouth covered, Sun Yanzi's tongue was a bit stiff, urging her younger sister, who was watching Zhou Yi's entrance, to hurry over and help.

"No wonder Taiwan is also following the trend saying the two of you have broken up; Elva Hsiao's figure is much better than yours."

"You're going to die!"

Seeing her sister teasing her like this, Sun Yanzi, whose face was a bit embarrassed, couldn't help but kick her with her foot: "What does her figure have to do with me? Do I look like someone who cares about such things?"

"You pour out the papaya milk you have on hand before you say that." The younger but cunning Sun Yanmei disdainfully pouted.

Taking the cup of hot water, Sun Yanzi took a small sip; with the water in her mouth, she couldn't speak, so she could only glare fiercely at her sister, threatening her to shut up and be silent.

On TV, when the red carpet host introduced Zhou Yi as the original singer of "The Lazy Song," the red carpet, which had just seen big-name stars and models pass through not long ago, became lively again.

Although his popularity wasn't immediately obvious, Zhou Yi himself showed no stage fright or shyness; facing the female host's teasing based on his lyrics, he could even turn the tables and invite her to have coffee and chat about life after work.

Until the camera moved into the main venue.

When all the members of the American super-popular girl group Destiny's Child and Latin American diva Xia Qila and other female singers gathered around Zhou Yi, chatting and laughing, Sun Yanmei finally opened her mouth in surprise: "Sister, why do I feel like he's like Tang Seng's flesh? Look, those female demons all have figures better than yours."

"Sun! Yan! Mei!"

Three days without a beating, and you climb the roof to tear off the tiles.

Sun Yanzi, who could no longer tolerate it, let out a roar after her tongue felt much better, grabbed her fleeing sister, pinned her down, and gave her a round of loving whippings.

After venting her pent-up frustration thoroughly, she finally turned her gaze back to the TV—

"The winner of the 2002 World Music Awards for Best-Selling Artist in China in the Asian Region is: Spike Zhou! Congratulations!"

After Utada Hikaru won the award for Best-Selling Artist in Asia, Zhou Yi immediately took the stage to receive the first country-specific award.

After the award presenter Kylie Minogue finished announcing the winner, Elva Hsiao, the award presenter standing beside her who was just there to fill the numbers, immediately flashed a brilliant smile on her face and personally handed the trophy, which she had also won, to Zhou Yi: "Congratulations."

"Thank you to the World Music Awards for giving me this award, although I myself am not satisfied with just this one award."

Knowing that this live broadcast could be seen across the entire United States, Zhou Yi, holding the trophy, pressed down on the microphone with his hand to maintain his image from last year, and said with a smile: "Just now, while chatting with Xia Qila downstairs, I said that if I come next year, I will definitely not just win this one award."

While the crowd below cheered, the camera, understanding the situation, also cut to Utada Hikaru, who had not had any interaction with Zhou Yi since entering the venue.

Everyone knew that if Zhou Yi's English album also exploded this year, then the one whose trophy he would snatch first next year should be Utada Hikaru in the Asian region.

Moreover, compared to Utada Hikaru, who holds American citizenship, the European and American singers downstairs were more interested in Zhou Yi, who had already proven himself on stage.

In terms of sincere applause, Zhou Yi received even more.

"Spike, do you mean you want to win the Best-Selling Artist in Asia next year?" Kylie Minogue, who had also been surpassed by Zhou Yi on the Billboard charts, offered a compliment after clapping.

"No, no, not just Asia."

Zhou Yi raised the trophy in his hand, a confident smile playing on the corners of his lips: "The world."

Oh no!

He pulled it off!

When Sun Yanzi, watching from in front of the TV, saw Zhou Yi say this in front of European and American singers including Linkin Park and other big shots, her cheeks, which were chewing potato chips, suddenly stopped.

On Yahoo, as soon as Zhou Yi appeared, memories of him, along with his arrogant persona from last year which formed a huge contrast with his Chinese identity, surged into the minds of many young people again.

"Fuck! Haven't seen him in a few months, Spike is still so arrogant!"

"I have to admit, this guy really has some skills; I admit I kind of like this guy who keeps his word."

"He's just a shameless piece of trash! World's highest? His sales haven't even surpassed Utada Hikaru in Asia, let alone beating Alicia Keys, the super rookie who won five Grammy Awards this year."

"You have to consider the language factor, besides, Spike should only have an English album this year or next year."

"He can't get the world's highest sales; even if he releases an album this year, don't forget, Eminem is the god of sales!"

"There are many categories for world's highest sales..."

After Zhou Yi forcibly broke into the top seven of the Billboard charts, thanks to his outstanding performance, quite a few "great scholars" brought their own dry rations to debate the scriptures.

And another group of viewers who watched the entire live broadcast were surprised by the familiarity between Latin American diva Xia Qila and Zhou Yi; Xia Qila, in front of the camera, did not hide the physical intimacy between herself and Zhou Yi at all.

"Wait, if I remember correctly, doesn't Xia Qila have a fiancé?"

"I think so, but they seem to have broken up; because of her fiancé, Xia Qila's albums were even stopped from being sold in the United States."

"Don't be too sensitive, this kind of contact is normal..."

Domestically, on Sohu, the Zhou Yi special section.

Because of the exclusive rights, Sohu's official account had been broadcasting the scene with text and images; inevitably, it naturally led to a few photos showing intimacy with Shakira.

Benefiting from Zhou Yi's past reputation, the male fans of Zhou Yi who spotted the suspicious detail were somewhat boiling over—

"Although we don't know this woman, her figure looks very good. Zhou Yi, go go go! Bring glory to the nation!"

"Sohu's introduction says she's a top-tier figure in the Latin American region, her status roughly equivalent to Faye Wong?"

"Then rounding up, isn't she Faye Wong? Zhou Yi, hurry up! Don't just be fierce within your own nest!"

When the 2002 World Music Awards concluded, this edition of the awards actually went viral in China from another unbelievable angle, especially in Hong Kong—

"The Emperor Yi Selects Concubines, Exotic Scenery Dazzles the Eyes!"

"Bring Glory to the Nation! Zhou Yi Makes Foreign Female Singers Scream Until Their Voices Are Hoarse!"

PS: Half a step from the peak of the Yang Realm!

Four updates! Ten thousand words a day achieved!

(End of this chapter)