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The movie album of [Echoes of You] became the highest-selling album not just of the year, but of the 21st century. Thanks to Troy's dedicated fan base, the initial reception to the album was phenomenal. The carefully orchestrated marketing strategy, which focused on popularizing the songs on YouTube, worked wonders for the movie. Coupled with the aggressive promotion by Troy's own label, one of his songs was almost always playing on radio and TV channels.

Initially, songs like Sugar and We Don't Talk Anymore were the most popular due to their online release. However, as more people listened to the album, they discovered that the top four songs—Blinding Light, All of Me, Someone You Loved, and Radioactive—were not released online because of their significance to the movie's plot.

Then came the movie's release. Fans who had already listened to the album eagerly flocked to theaters to see how those four pivotal songs were woven into the story. Meanwhile, those who saw the movie rushed to buy the album, wanting to relive the music at home. This created a feedback loop, driving both album sales and ticket purchases to unprecedented heights.

Vinyl records, largely a relic of the past, saw an unexpected resurgence. While most fans preferred CDs or even cassettes over vinyl, something unusual happened with this album. All vinyl records of [Echoes of You] sold out within 24 hours of their wide release. This was due to the deluxe version of the album being initially available only on vinyl. Although the deluxe edition was eventually released on CDs, many fans had already secured their vinyl copies. Some music enthusiasts even purchased multiple formats to preserve the album for the future.

On its opening day alone, the album shattered numerous records, selling half a million copies within 24 hours and leaving the industry in awe of its reception. Its first week was historic, with over 3.1 million copies sold worldwide, breaking NSYNC's No Strings Attached record for the fastest first-week sales of the 21st century.

In just 10 days, the album reached the 5-million milestone, becoming the fastest to do so since Michael Jackson's Dangerous in 1991. Both critics and fans praised the album, lauding the freshness of its sound and the raw emotion in its lyrics—an extraordinary feat for someone as young as Troy. The seamless integration of these songs into the movie's plot elevated the album to another level.

By the end of its first month—and the year 2005—the album had sold over 12 million copies globally, dominating charts in the U.S., UK, Japan, and Australia. It officially became the highest-selling album of 2005.

[Echoes of You] became the highest-grossing movie soundtrack debut since [The Bodyguard] in 1992, surpassing even [Titanic's] legendary sales. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, holding the top spot for 12 consecutive weeks—a feat unmatched by a soundtrack since [Saturday Night Fever] in the 1970s. The best part was that it was yet to come down from the spot even after that.

The most astonishing milestone came on the Billboard Hot 100, where Troy Armitage dominated the charts. The top fourteen songs were all from his album. Leading the pack was Blinding Lights, followed by Radioactive and All of Me. It seemed as if the world had collectively paused to revel in Troy's music, with other artists momentarily eclipsed.

This achievement shattered a long-standing record set by The Beatles in 1964 when they occupied the top five spots on the Hot 100. Troy not only doubled their record but nearly tripled it with 14 songs. He also broke Michael Jackson's 1983 record of seven songs on the chart simultaneously, further cementing his place in music history.

The music industry, which had struggled in recent years due to piracy facilitated by sites like Napster, found an unexpected savior in Troy Armitage. Fans lined up at record stores for midnight releases, and physical albums—CDs and vinyl—experienced a renaissance thanks to [Echoes of You]. The album was credited with reviving interest in physical formats at a time when digital downloads were becoming dominant.

A key factor in the album's success was its universal appeal. It offered something for everyone: romance, heartbreak, joyful tunes, electro, dance music, rock, pop, and even retro influences. The variety and quality left almost no one able to say that they disliked the entire album.

The album's Golden Globe win, combined with its Oscar nominations, further amplified its cultural impact, driving sales even higher. Fans and critics began speculating how many Grammys it might win. However, they would have to wait an extra year to find out. Due to the Grammys' eligibility rule, which only considers albums released before September of the prior year, [Echoes of You] would be eligible for the 2007 Grammys instead.

(Break)

SparkleFan89: Oh my Gaaawd! Did you guys see that!? Troy made history at the Globes. AGAIN! I'm literally crying for him right now. (All the while playing All of Me in the background. I feel as if he is singing for me.)

NovaKnight: How does he do it? How tf can someone be so perfect? He's younger than me, and he's achieved so much already. I feel like crying (not listening to any songs, I swear) for my failed life.

SereneDreamer: I knew he would win! I know he's only 17, but good music doesn't need age verification.

LunaBliss: Good music!!?? Are you high or something? It is great music! Some of the greatest, in fact. I wouldn't be surprised if my great-grandchildren are listening to his songs.

FireStarter12: Oh yeah? Name one album from your great-grandparents' time you've heard, @LunaBliss.

LunaBliss: …. Fuck you, @FireStarter12! It was just a way of speech.

GlitchInTime: Lol. But it can't be denied that the album is fire, and the award was more than deserved. I can't wait for the Oscar nominations. Why are they taking so long to get to the good categories?

QuantumFox: Because it's a movie award show, not a music one.

DarkMatter69: Here it is! See, the music category is here. And Troy is nominated for Best Original Score! As expected.

FireStarter12: Obvio! I want to see which song he's nominated for.

SereneDreamer: Here it is! Ooh, the first nomination is All of Me!

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LunaBliss: What the fuck!? Did that just happen?

GlitchInTime: Yes, it did. It fucking did.

DarkMatter69: Talk about creating history.

(Break)

I was still amazed that all three of my movies had managed to secure a total of 11 nominations at the Oscars, six of which were directly attributable to me. True, it wasn't as outrageous as the Golden Globes, but it was still a significant achievement. As a fledgling film producer, it felt oddly satisfying.

[Brick] received a single nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Rian Johnson. Indie films with limited budgets that perform exceptionally well at the box office often get recognized in one of the screenplay categories or a technical award like editing or sound, so the nomination made sense.

With five nominations in the bag, [The Perks of Being a Wallflower] was up for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing.

As I had accurately predicted, neither Jonathan Groff nor Emma Watson received acting nominations at the Oscars. Similarly, Evan and I didn't get nominated for our original screenplay.

[Echoes of You] also secured five nominations across three categories—Best Director, Best Original Score, and three nominations in Best Original Song for All of Me, Radioactive, and Blinding Lights.

The funny part? The outcome of the latter category had already been decided.

(Flashback)

"Troy!" Mum barged into my room like a woman possessed. "Get up! You just won your second Oscar!"

"Ugh!" I groaned loudly, cracking open one eye. "Can't it wait, Mum? I'm bone-tired after shooting all those flying scenes yesterday." With that, I closed my eyes and sank back into the pillow.

Mum stood silently for a few moments, her excitement buzzing in the air. I was almost at the threshold of sleep when she spoke again.

"Didn't you hear me?" she said, more insistent this time. When I didn't reply, she stormed up to my bed and started shaking me. "Troy. For God's sake, get up!"

I sat up reluctantly, glaring at her. "I get it. I probably got some Oscar nominations. That's why you're so excited. But couldn't you wait until I woke up?"

It was awkward enough that I was wearing only a pair of boxer briefs. The only reason I wasn't completely naked was because my parents had a habit of barging into my room at the oddest times. Quickly, I pulled the sheet up to my neck to salvage some dignity. Mum either didn't notice or chose to ignore it in her excitement.

"No," she said, shaking her head with a beaming smile. "You didn't just get nominated. You won the award for Best Original Song."

"But how is that possible?" I asked, confusion replacing my irritation.

"I wasn't sure either," she admitted. "So I did some research. According to Academy rules, every member eligible to vote for Best Original Song uses a points system between 10 and 6. A song can only be nominated if it gets an average score of 8.25 or higher. Because of this rule, there have been times when fewer than five songs were nominated in the category."

She looked at me expectantly, her grin widening as she waited for the realization to dawn.

I knew the Academy's current limit: a maximum of three songs can be nominated from a single film. And if fewer than five songs had made the cut...

"No way!" I exclaimed, my grin matching hers as it hit me.

"Yes way!" she said excitedly. "All three nominated songs this year are from [Echoes of You]. Congrats, son, on your second Oscar win."

I moved to the edge of my bed and pulled Mum in for a tight hug. "Thanks, Mum. Thank you so much!"

"Don't thank me," she said, raking her fingers through my hair affectionately. "Now, get dressed and come downstairs. You have other nominations to hear about as well."

(Flashback End)

And that's how I found out about my second Oscar win.

While I was mostly thrilled with the outcome, a small part of me felt conflicted. So many talented artists and musicians could have been nominated if the system had been a little fairer. This scenario essentially wiped out all competition, which took away some of the fun. I won't lie—I wanted to win that Oscar badly. But not like this, when there was no suspense at all.

This was the first time in history that all nominations in the Best Original Song category came from the same film. It was also only the third time ever that any category had all its nominations dominated by one movie. The other two instances were more than sixty years ago, in the supporting acting categories, back when there were only three nominees per award. Since those categories expanded to five nominees decades ago, such dominance had been nearly impossible—until now.

The situation caused a huge stir. Critics and fans alike called for changes to the nomination rules to allow greater representation across films. The Academy even held a meeting to address the issue, but they decided against making retrospective changes. Instead, they altered the rules for the future.

Because of me, the point system was abolished, and a new rule was implemented: no more than two songs from the same film could be nominated, and there had to be at least three nominees in the category to maintain some degree of competition and suspense.

As I was thinking about my Oscar nominations and behind the scenes drama of the situation, the reporter standing in front of me looked impatient. When I had spaced out, lost in my thoughts, Dad had moved on, leaving me behind to handle her questions.

"I'm sorry," I said, shaking myself out of my reverie. "What was your question?"

"I asked," she repeated slowly, "Do you plan to dominate the Oscars as well as you did with the Golden Globes? After all, you already have one award in the bag. By the way, which song of the three do you think will win the award?"

"That's a terrible question," I replied with a smirk. "It's like Sophie's Choice! How can I possibly pick one of my children over the others?"

She chuckled and moved on to the next question. "In total, you have six nominations across four categories. So, there are still three more awards you could win."

"Only time will tell," I said evasively. No one likes a braggart. "As much as I'd love to chat about my Oscar prospects, could we focus on the reason I'm here today?"

"Sure," she relented, though reluctantly. "Tell me something about [Little Miss Sunshine]."

"I have just one thing to say about it," I said with utmost seriousness. She leaned forward eagerly, anticipating my answer. "It's absolutely the best film I've ever worked on. Heck, it's probably the best film I'll ever work on."

She laughed. "Come on. You must say that about all your movies."

"No," I said, maintaining my tone of conviction. "I released three films this past year, and none of them can touch [Little Miss Sunshine]. It's just that good."

She still looked skeptical but asked the next question anyway. "Tell me something about your character."

"My character is named Dwayne," I began. "He's a kid who wants to become a fighter pilot, so for that reason, he has sworn to not speak at all until he achieves his goal."

"Wait," she said, looking puzzled. "You mean to tell me that you don't speak in this film at all?"

"Yes," I said with a smile.

The reporter looked confused for a moment, still unsure whether I was speaking in the film or not. But before she could voice that, another woman walked beside me and placed an arm around my shoulders. I turned to see Toni Collette, who gave me a wide grin.

"Toni!" The reporter beamed. "How was your reunion with Troy after all these years?"

"It's surreal," Toni replied. "He was such a cute little tyke back then, and now he's almost a grown man." She shook her head ruefully before changing the topic. "By the way, did Troy tell you about the time he took a vow of silence in real life as well to learn more about his character's motivations?"

"He didn't," the reporter said, her eyes lighting up at finally getting a scoop she could work with.

"It's true," Toni continued. "He came to set on the first day and didn't say a word. I was shocked at the disrespect. We hadn't seen each other in years, but he still didn't speak until we were done shooting his part. He's so good in this role, I'm damn sure he'll bag another Oscar nomination for this film."

"Thank you, Toni, for that endorsement," I said wryly. "I still think it's too early to make such predictions."

"No, it's not!" A male voice called out this time. I turned to see that it was Steve Carell, but he wasn't alone. Beside him stood Alan Arkin and Greg Kinnear as well. The only one of the main cast not present here was Abigail, and that's because she was coming with her mother due to her young age.

Steve walked up beside me and addressed the reporter, "When I got to know that Troy here was joining the cast, I thought he would be a big diva, coming along with a big entourage and throw tantrums and whatnot, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Troy doesn't have an entourage, and he's so dedicated to his craft that I can't help but admire him. I don't think I could've stayed silent for such a long time like Troy did. I'm a grown man, having worked as an actor for more than a decade, but I have a lot to learn from him."

I thought I had grown past the point where praise like this wouldn't affect me, but clearly, I was wrong. I felt flustered by all the praise right before the premiere, but I didn't let it show on my face.

"These guys deserve the laurels more than me," I said, motioning to everyone beside me. "They made the film what it was. It's still very early to talk about award prospects when it hasn't even premiered yet, but I can say with certainty that I loved every moment of being with this cast. I wish we could make a sequel already just so we could all work together again."

Toni, who was yet to let me go, tightened her grip around my shoulders. I gently squeezed her hand back. I meant every word I had said.

"I think we should go in," Greg Kinnear broke the moment. "It would look terrible if we were late to our own premiere."

"That's true," Alan Arkin pointed out. "And don't forget that I have bladder control issues and have to go pee."

Immediately, the cast members of [Little Miss Sunshine] started cackling like crazy at Alan's reminder of the bonding exercise we had done the year before. Meanwhile, the reporter could only scratch her head in confusion, not getting the reference.

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