The music started with the iconic Hedwig's theme before melding into something original, created exclusively for the last Harry Potter movie. It was grand in scale, which was exactly what was needed for the epic finale of one of the greatest film series in the history of movies.
Till this day, I am baffled by the fact that I never realized my love for music in my past life. Even when I participated in X Factor, I was eliminated before it could go anywhere.
For my voice, the only difference I had made was that I started practicing at an early age. Same for the instruments. While the guitar was my favorite, I liked to think that I was equally good at piano and drums.
I closed my eyes and admired the admittedly beautiful melody that the grand orchestra was producing in the studio with Doug Sanders conducting them. Doug had been my music partner ever since I became a professional musician, and he was very good at his job.
He had been immensely helpful while creating music for my debut film [Echoes of You]. It is relatively easier to copy off songs from your memory, but it is so much harder to create raw music out of nowhere. And even when you have that, it is a different thing entirely to mix different instruments together to make something greater than any one instrument ever could be. While Doug was not very good at creating music, he was excellent at conducting the orchestra for the parts where I needed more than one instrument.
Conducting was one activity that was beyond me. Not that I couldn't learn it if I wanted to, but it was too much work. Master conductors spend decades honing their craft before becoming good enough at it to conduct a full orchestra.
The result of our collaboration was in front of me. I had no idea if everyone else would like it as much as I did, but I knew one thing for sure: I won't have any regrets about the album. I had given it my all.
"Very good, guys!" Doug clapped, hyping up the musicians in the room, who had all been playing non-stop for an hour now. "That was as close to perfection as I needed from you all. Now let's take a small break of fifteen minutes. Get your water, coffee, tea, or whatever else you need, and be ready to continue."
The musicians seemed hyped by the praise that Doug heaped upon them, and within moments most of them broke apart to do their thing.
Doug walked out of the recording booth and walked over to the hidden room, from where I had been attending the sessions. The moment he opened the door, he was already saying something.
"So Troy, what did you think of..."
He stopped in his tracks the moment his eyes landed on the man sitting beside me.
"Fuck," he let out elegantly.
I laughed at his reaction before saying casually, "Come on, man, this is not the first celebrity you are seeing. You know me as well, don't you? I told Michael so much about you. Now you're making me look bad."
"It's okay, Troy," Michael Jackson waved off. "I'm used to this kind of reaction. But I have to say, Doug, that was some great conducting you did there. Though I think they could have gone for one more hour before needing a break."
That seemed to do the trick of breaking Doug out of his stupor. "I have my own way of getting the best out of my team. Many conductors try to be assholes to establish themselves as the top dogs in the group. I do the opposite. As a result, no single person has left the group disgruntled. Many who left me for pay bonuses from other music groups even returned months later because of our great culture."
MJ smiled at Doug before turning to me, "You were right. He's a good one. Maybe I will use his services for my next album after all."
"What?" Doug said dumbly before quickly regaining his composure. "You are making another album? Whoa, that's great! I would be honored to be a part of it in any form."
"Easy there, tiger," I raised a hand to stop him from making plans already. "It's a very early stage of development, and may even take a few years before anything materializes, so don't go spreading the news."
"Of course," he nodded in all seriousness.
"As for your first question, when you walked in," I continued, "I loved everything that you're doing, and I think you can continue it the way things are. Prepare the first draft and then I'll make revisions to it next month."
Any good instrumental album needs multiple re-recordings before everything is perfect. At least that's how I work.
"MJ and I will take our leave since you have it all handled," I said.
He didn't look happy at the idea of MJ leaving so soon, but he had no choice here, so he just nodded as the two of us took our leave.
MJ remained silent until we were back in my car and driving back to Hawthorne Keep.
"The music you wrote for this film," he finally said, "it's so good. I wish I knew composition like you do. I don't even know how to play instruments."
"Not everyone can be good at everything," I countered. "You are a much better dancer than me."
"Yet, when we danced together at the Grammys last year, you matched my every step perfectly," he shot back.
I raised my hands in surrender, "You get multiple talents when you sacrifice your childhood. I didn't have a lot of friends growing up. I didn't go out to play with other kids a lot, or even go to school after I turned 11. So I channeled my free time into learning different performing arts."
He carefully observed me for a moment before saying, "Why exactly have you called me here?"
"Hey, I only suggested you should come here, and that was months ago. I didn't expect you to come here now of all times. You knew I was gonna go back to the States for the Award shows, didn't you?"
He looked sheepish as he said, "No, I forgot all about it."
I sighed at that before saying, "Anyway, now that you're here, have you given some thought to my proposal?"
He blinked owlishly for a few seconds before it clicked in his head.
"I have," he confessed. "But I'm not sure about it."
"Michael," I said seriously. "You need to get your finances straight. If anything were to happen to you, all you'll leave behind is half a billion in debt. I'm giving you a lifeline here that will give you enough money to live the rest of your days in comfort, and I promise you, nothing will happen to your songs without your explicit approval as long as you're fit to take care of things yourself."
The proposal I had made to MJ was simple. MJ and Sony Music (which I owned now) jointly had rights over ATV Music Publications, the company that owned rights to most of the Beatles' songs. The company also owned Famous Music, which held rights to song catalogues of artists such as Eminem, Shakira, and many other musicians. I wanted to buy those rights back from MJ, who was nearly half a billion in debt right now. In the deal that I offered, as long as MJ was alive, he would have the final say about use of his own music. The royalties would come to me, but if MJ declined the use of a song, for example, for a movie, then it couldn't be sold at all.
"A billion dollars is a lot of money, MJ," I reiterated.
That was the offer I had made. I would have gone higher, but only if MJ agreed to sell it.
"Is it?" he asked before thinking about my proposal some more.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally said, "Alright, I can agree to sell my music to you, but a billion is not the correct price."
"Then what is?" I asked curiously.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I'm not good with numbers, but I have people who are. Let them evaluate everything, and then they'll come to you with a number."
I nodded in acceptance, "That's perfect. I'll be waiting for your counteroffer till then."
He nodded back before changing the topic, "So, can we now talk about the concerts you promised to do with me?"
"For sure," I grinned. This was something I was more than excited to do in person with him. "But first, tell me, have you been to rehab as we talked about?"
"I have," he nodded dutifully like a little child telling about his homework to his parents. "I'm clean now. I haven't taken a single non-prescribed drug for nearly a year."
While I didn't say it out loud, I felt proud of MJ. Being in the adult entertainment industry, I knew quite a few people who fell victim to addiction. It is very easy to say 'just stop doing drugs or alcohol,' but in practice, it is the most difficult thing you could do.
"Alright then," I said, "I'll ask my assistant Benji to make a plan for us. Let's start with a concert in New York, a month after the Oscars, what do you say?"
I chose New York because that's where I was headed after the Oscars to see Scarlett's performance in [Black Swan].
"That soon?" he asked, puzzled.
I shrugged, "You and I will sell tickets like hotcakes, even if the announcement was made 24 hours before the performance, let alone a few weeks."
He inclined his head in thought before agreeing, "You're right. But if we are doing this, you'll have to dedicate all your time to practice, especially the dance. My fans expect to see some jaw-dropping dance at my concerts, and we'll give it to them."
"Done," I agreed as I shook hands with him to seal the deal.
(Break)
LunaBliss: Troy got eight fucking Grammy nominations! Honestly, at this point, they should rename the Grammys to Troy Awards.
SereneDreamer: I don't know what you're happy about. He should have gotten way more nominations. At least twenty IMO. Troy 2.0 is the freaking best album of decades. That's the consensus of most critics, not just me.
NovaKnight: The most intriguing part is that despite releasing simultaneously on YouTube and Spotify, the album still went Diamond. It's like people want to make Troy richer.
FireStarter12: The money he would get from this album is pocket change for Troy, so it doesn't matter. That said, I agree with @SereneDreamer that the nominations that Troy got were way too few compared to what he deserved. Why do I have a feeling that he's gonna be unfairly treated at the Grammys?
PatAttack: What about the Oscars? Do you guys think it's the truth that Troy is angry for not getting Best Actor, or is it all a rumor?
PixelWarrior77: Does it really matter? He still got the nomination for a freaking Oscar of all things, that too for a commercial superhero movie. People in the industry are dying to get one, while I have even lost count of how many acting nominations Troy has.
DarkMatter69: It's his fifth. [The Sixth Sense], [Billy Elliot], [Perks], [Little Miss Sunshine], and now [TDK]. Not to mention the non-acting ones he got for his music and film production.
QuantumFox: The dude is barely 20, and already has more Oscars and nominations than most actors get in a lifetime, and is one of the richest guys ever. Sometimes I wonder if we are all in the Matrix, and Troy Armitage is the fucking anomaly that is a signal for us to do something about it.
NovaKnight: @QuantumFox, that is the wildest theory I have heard, but it does make sense in a weird sort of way. I'm a little jealous of him, because he's younger than me, but I'm also kind of happy for him. You know what I mean?
IndieKid09: Hey guys! I'm new here. I read this recent discussion about Troy, and thought I would share something that happened to me. Troy is the GOAT. I worked on set with him for nearly a decade on [Harry Potter].
When I met him for the first time, he was just some kid. A very popular kid, but a kid nonetheless. He would have his temper tantrums, and even caused quite a scandal on set with… someone I can't name without being sued. But the Troy of today is totally different from Troy of a decade ago. He remembers everyone by their name and treats them respectfully, like a friend. He is probably the most polite superstar I have ever met. I have not seen him ever treat any support staff poorly in recent years. He even treats extras on set kindly.
One time, I took a leave of absence because my grandpa had a heart attack. The next time I came there, Troy personally asked about my grandpa's health and even offered to pay for the treatment. (Not that we needed it, thanks to the NHS.)
Then the most recent, he took time out of his busy schedule to host one of the most lavish wrap parties I have ever been to for the entire cast and crew, and went and greeted all of them personally. I almost cried when he said he would miss working with me.
The most important part that no one would tell you about Troy is that he gives very generous bonuses to people working on the films. Not just his fellow cast members, but even crew members, experts in business who no one gives a shit about. Heck, his stuntman got a Bugatti just because Troy bet him to finish the movie without any injuries, and he did.
So yeah, when I got to know about Troy's wealth, I was a little jealous. But at the same time, I was happy that if there is a rich person out there in the world, it's someone as good as Troy. With the end of [Harry Potter], the worst part is realizing that I may not work with him ever again. (I also got used to the annual bonus checks that I used to receive, which are bound to stop now that [HP] is over. I started crying again, writing this part.)
SereneDreamer: Holy moly! And to think people were trying to attack such a great guy just because he made some money. Shame on them. Also, why did you have to remind me that [HP] is over!? Now I am about to cry too.
IndieKid09: But it's not over for you. They'll release it next year, so you have plenty of time. I'll tell you something about the film. The climax is one of the most touching things I have witnessed in person from Troy. I wouldn't be surprised if he bags his sixth acting nomination and his first for [Harry Potter].
LunaBliss: Damn! Now I can't wait for [HP7].
NovaKnight: Can we focus on the award shows for now? Do you think Troy will make a hat-trick with his third consecutive Album of the Year?
DarkMatter69: Only time will tell.
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AN: Visit my personal website to read ahead, or check out my second Hollywood story set in the 80s.
Link: www(dot)fablefic(dot)com