Compared to the original, the music video on TV is naturally completely different. There are similarities, such as A+ suggesting that Lao Qiao wear a pink suit, the overall cheerful atmosphere, and the fact that Xiao Luo Rui and Lao Qiao basically never appear on screen together. Indeed, the rap and chorus of the song "Secondhand Shop" are severely disconnected, and it seems that both directors from different time periods have noticed this problem.
After the music video finished playing, there was a short interview with Lori.
"Thank you. I've been promoting this song for a long time, yes, I've been to almost every corner of the United States. I never thought I'd be chosen by MTV. My God, you know what I mean, this is MTV! I feel like this is all so unreal, like a dream come true. I have to thank MTV, and SBK..."
"Yeah, you know, I'm from the South Side of Chicago. As a poor kid, thrift stores were a place I frequented growing up. I loved them; they solved a lot of my practical problems. I have a special feeling for them."
"When I got the sheet music, I happened to be in a secondhand store. I hummed a couple of lines right then and there. You know, sometimes inspiration just strikes in an instant. I wrote the lyrics on an old T-shirt... hahaha, yes, the white one..."
*Smack!*
A+ turned off the TV series, feeling that this was all too damn 'real'. He knew that what little lowry said was a publicity stunt, and he also knew that the half-signed lyrics copyright transfer agreement was a mutually beneficial arrangement between him and Little lowry, but seeing what had just happened still made him unhappy. What annoyed him the most was that Little lowry, who should have been a flop with only 7,000 copies sold, had gotten a huge bargain, and now acted all high and mighty when facing him.
"I will never allow this to happen again!"
He made up his mind, and when he turned his head, his eyes met those of Eric, who was looking at him.
"Uh...APLUS."
Eric stammered, "I...can I follow you from now on? Like Tony and the others followed Little Lowry?"
"Why do you have this idea? I'm not a singer, I don't need to show my face in public." A+ was very surprised.
"I think… you'll have better opportunities, like this…" Eric gestured toward the advanced mixing console, "and you'll definitely need help. We black people can't survive in such a 'white' place without help."
SBK is indeed a bit 'white' – the management, staff, signed artists, even the hip-hop artist they're heavily promoting are all white. "Okay." A+ calmly thought about it and agreed. He really needed help right now; at the very least, he needed a wingman. "But it can only be temporary. I have to go back to school after I finish this song. By the way, can you recommend some reference books on sound mixing? It's too difficult for a producer if they don't know this."
He had previously told Hayden that he hated the feeling of not being able to control everything, but how could he expect to control everything if he was a complete novice who knew nothing? It was like watching someone shoot a music video. Little Lowry's first music video was very simple: a group of people dancing, with Little Lowry and Al singing in front. He could just watch it casually and imagine the general finished product. But the music video for "Secondhand Shop" was different. It was actually a low-budget production completed in three days, but when he watched the filming, it was like reading gibberish. He couldn't figure out the director's intentions at all. It wasn't until he saw the broadcast that he realized the logic hidden behind those fragmented clips during the filming.
He urgently needs to study now, and all difficulties will turn into a focus on studying hard and making progress every day...
"I see."
Eric's attitude towards him was quite different from before. He spoke softly, "Thank you, APLUS." He buried his head in the cabinet under the mixing console and pulled out a thick booklet, tossing it over to him. "Take a look at the user manual for this mixing console. It's usually not far from the console."
"
A+ flipped through the pages casually, feeling dizzy from the function descriptions of all the buttons. Not long after, Lisa knocked on the door and came in; the daily sound check was about to begin.
Generally speaking, those who come to audition in the morning don't have much of a background and their voices aren't particularly good, but these girls are also the most 'hard-working'. By the end of the morning, A+ had collected a bunch of slips of paper with phone numbers written on them, and even some with hotel room numbers. His palms were scratched red.
"Anyone making it to the second round?" Eric asked, eating his pizza.
A+ shook his head.
"…Not even that?" Eric gave a name. The girl had left a deep impression on the two of them. She was wearing a see-through tank top with nothing underneath. As soon as she entered, she boldly took off her coat, revealing her large, fair breasts that were dazzling to the eye.
"Don't get any ideas," A+ warned him.
"I know, I know," Eric said, with a hint of regret.
The situation was completely different in the afternoon. The lyrics and music that A+ released were only a small part of the song without any profanity. In principle, all the auditioning singers should only get that one sheet of music, but many of the girls who came in the afternoon had obtained the whole song through other channels. They were observant and felt that A+ was not satisfied, so they immediately took the initiative to "add drama" and sing the rest of the song. They also frequently took the initiative to bring up the issue of equality to please him.
A+ only gave the complete tracks to Daniel, and Daniel, apart from his own connections, only discussed them in SBK executive meetings. It seems that these girls all have some background. Some of them would have mid-level managers from SBK come over to "take a look" during auditions, and their casual conversations with A+ were full of hints.
"After recording this song, I'll probably offend everyone at SBK," A+ thought helplessly.
Busy until after 5 a.m., A+ narrowed it down to the name of a girl whose voice was very similar to the original singer's. Then, the 'real person' arrived...
Mila wore a baseball cap, large Ray-Ban glasses that covered half her face, and no makeup. As soon as she entered the recording studio, she stood there with her arms crossed, expressionless.
"APLUS, right? We've met before." Her mother followed her in.
"Uh…the agent can't…" A+ kept a businesslike face and didn't even look at Mila.
"I'm sorry…" Lisa gestured to A+ at the door and mouthed 'please'.
A+ sighed dramatically and fell silent.
Lisa closed the door from the outside.
"Hello..."
Mira's mother extended her hand. Unlike the last time they met, today she was wearing a very well-fitting high-end suit and a heavy pearl necklace around her neck, exuding an air of nobility. After introducing herself, she said, "First, I want to apologize for what happened last time." Although she was apologizing, her tone was very assertive. "Mira is still young and doesn't understand much."
"Hmph." Mira tossed her long hair, pouted, and huffed.
"Last time?" A+ feigned ignorance.
"Mira, you go in first."
She ushered Mila into the recording studio and closed the door. "I know you care about that matter, Mr. Slade ," Mila's mother said, changing her form of address. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have insisted on putting my Mila in the first round, would you? Mila was rude, and I apologize for her."
"Mrs. Jovovich, right? You don't think a young man who came all the way from Chicago to New York to record this extremely important single would cause trouble for such a trivial matter, do you?"
A+ smiled at her, "Besides, you overestimate me. I don't have that much power at SBK."
"I..."
Before Mira's mother could say anything more, A+ didn't give her the chance, turning to Eric and saying, "Let's start the audition." The pressure needed to be enough.
"Okay." Eric pressed the call button and said into the microphone, "Miss, the audition is about to begin. The sheet music for this audition is on the music stand in front of you. Please get ready."
Mira sulked for another half minute before finally taking off her sunglasses, picking up the sheet music, and bringing the microphone closer.
Eric began playing the pre-recorded backing track.
After Eric finished singing a short section, he offered a few suggestions and then played the accompaniment again.
After singing it twice, the second time was significantly better than the first, indicating that the young girl has good comprehension and her singing skills are not a problem. A+ received inspiration from her, so her voice is naturally excellent, especially when she uses a slight pinching of her throat, which is very similar to the original singer.
"Take it easy and have a good time, let's do it again."
After three takes, Eric said into the microphone, "That's it." Mira put on her glasses and walked out of the recording studio.
"Yes, Miss Jovovich, Madam, SBK will inform you of the specific results later." A+ extended his hand.
Mira ignored him. Mira's mother shook her hand. "Can Mira make it to the second round?"
"Emmmm...it's hard to say. I can only say that the sound test was okay, but there's still a lot of room for improvement," Song Ya said, using standard platitudes.
"Can...can you give us some hints? What should we do to get it..." Mira's mother still refused to give up. She was quite knowledgeable, and A+ performance just now gave her the feeling that there wasn't much of a chance.
"Mother!"
Mira suddenly screamed, "Fine, I won't sing then! Let's go!" She opened the door and stood outside.
"Sigh." Mira's mother sighed and took her leave.
Not long after the two left, A+ followed them out of the recording studio and looked down from the glass window in the corridor.
Hayden had been peering out from near Mira's mother's car for a long time. As soon as he saw the mother and daughter walking and arguing, he quickly went over and pretended to bump into them by chance.
After talking for a long time downstairs, the mother and daughter turned around and went back into the building. Hayden followed behind them and quietly gave A+ a thumbs up.