Chapter 118: Where Are You, Darling?
[Chapter 118: Where Are You, Darling?]
"You must be talking about pitch shift technology," Deadmau5 said after hearing Ryan's description. He guided Ryan to download a tool called Melodyne, which had pitch-shifting functions.
After a quick attempt, Ryan immediately confirmed that he was heading in the right direction, even though the original track had more effects applied to it.
To put it simply, the sound that resembled an instrument's blowing in the original track wasn't actually an instrument at all. It was just Ryan's voice being pitched up several octaves to achieve a certain distortion effect, with various additional effects layered on top to create that unique sound.
Over the next few days, while Ryan constantly experimented, the sound began to resemble what he had imagined in his mind more and more closely. Several DJs, initially skeptical, eventually became amazed, declaring that Ryan was once again setting the trends.
The evolution of music is truly about the evolution of sound. Rock music once dominated the charts but faded away because the electric guitar sound seemed "high-tech" at the time. After listening to it for decades, people got tired of it. Likewise, when the public perceives a song as "outdated," it's essentially because that sound has been played out.
Only by continuously creating new and engaging sounds could one remain relevant in the music scene. This fundamentally explains why electronic music was on the rise, as advancements in music software and headphone technology provided people with more opportunities to experience unique sounds.
...
Four days later.
"It's almost done." Ryan shut down the effects software. The original track of Where Are U Now was pretty much done; now he just had some finishing touches to make.
They also needed to start preparing for the music video, including wardrobe and choreography, which required some planning. The music video would involve a lot of chalk graffiti -- at least over a thousand -- which was no challenge for Ryan since he was quite close to his fans now.
...
Each night, discussions about Ryan's "talent" lit up the forums. Some fans even posted blurry photos in the photography section, tagging Ryan. Under the guidance of a prominent forum member known as "Chicken Eater" 5854, more and more fans joined the discussion.
[Ryan: To all my 18-year-old female fans, I'm currently preparing a brand new single and need lots of chalk graffiti drawings. Feel free to express yourselves, and post the finished products on the forum. The selected works will earn a reward.] (Pinned Post)
[5854: Ryan, I love you to death! (Crying)]
[4982: Chalk drawings? I'm an art major and work at the Metropolitan Museum! Where can I submit?]
[22222: Can my daughter draw? She loves to do this!]
[17 (Irina Shayk): Ryan has a new song? I need to prepare for Fashion Week this spring and can't make a cameo this time.]
[18 (Alexandra Daddario): I'll probably be going to the bathroom in about half an hour.]
[15 (Elizabeth Debicki): You all got to cameo in Ryan's music video? Why didn't I?]
[167: 18, what are you talking about? Are you a bot? Or do you want to pass a message to someone here?]
[4444: @Ryan @Ryan, why does everyone have such short code ID? Mine is so long!]
[167: Who are you?]
[4444: I'm afraid you'll be scared if I tell you!]
[167: Who are you trying to scare? You don't even have a short code! Couldn't you buy it from eBay?]
[4444: @Ryan, I don't care; you have to give me a short code! If not, I'll make a fuss!]
Ryan ignored her. At that moment, the flow of replies in the chat room sped up, with discussions from the big news creating buzz in the forums. Several chat rooms had someone online 24/7, and even those Ryan knew in real life began participating more actively, not to mention the always-online Chicken Eater.
Over the past few days, Ryan had kept an eye on the forums, noting the most active users.
...
He privately messaged Chicken Eater 5854, 22222 Female Boss, and 167 Theorist, asking these active members to help him select artworks.
[5854: I can help you, but can you send me just one photo?]
[Ryan: {chicken picture}]
[5854: Not that kind of chicken; I meant a different one...]
[22222: I might not be available all day, but I'll help you sift through.]
[167: Am I really able to help? (Nervous)]
[Ryan: Of course.]
[167: Okay, but you have to tell me who 18 is. Never mind, I'll guess; it'll be more fun that way.]
...
Switching back to the chat room, the mood shifted dramatically, with neat posts saying, [Taylor NO.1.]
[12: Now only Britney is left. If you climb over this mountain, then you'll have the Billboard crown.]
[15: They are becoming the most talked-about couple in America.]
[4444: @Ryan @Ryan @Ryan @Ryan]
[14: Taylor is the best!]
[Ryan: Nice!]
[12: Where's Taylor? Why isn't she here to chat?]
[18: She's busy in Pennsylvania and can't come back just yet.]
Ryan knew this, as his assistant had passed along a message saying she had been sick yesterday and needed to rest in her hotel today. The assistant was on watch outside all day.
As for why everyone was popping champagne in the chat, it was obvious -- the new Billboard rankings had just been revealed.
Ryan opened the site and saw that this week, Britney's new single Womanizer had skyrocketed from 96 to number one, with her music video showcasing the most daring performance of her career.
Meanwhile, Taylor's You Belong With Me jumped to second place. TI's Whatever You Like was third, followed by TI's collaboration with Rihanna on Live Your Life.
Pink's So What was fifth, Ryan's Wake Me Up was sixth, and Katy Perry's new song Hot N Cold was seventh. Taylor's previous single Love Story was still holding strong at fifteen.
It wasn't until 2012 that Taylor finally had her first number one song on the Hot 100 with We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. By then, it had been about five or six years since her first entry into the Billboard charts.
During that time, she had several significant singles, but each time, they would invariably clash with other hit songs, leaving her without a number one. It certainly seemed like bad luck, which was one of the original reasons for her nickname "T-Swift."
Now, the situation was different; besides Britney's new song, the rest of the Hot 100's top ten were older songs. With the momentum she had, it looked very likely Taylor could snatch the top spot, barring any unexpected surprises.
...
Ryan glanced at the time and decided to call Taylor. After a few rings, it went straight to voicemail.
'Sleeping?' Ryan thought nothing of it as he headed toward the bathroom at the end of the hall in his record label office, which was still in its raw state.
Ryan coughed a couple of times at the door, and a figure emerged -- it was Daddario. The two exchanged no words as Daddario led the way, Ryan following closely behind. They silently entered a storage room, the hallway empty throughout their interaction.
...
Meanwhile, at the back entrance, security spotted a fully covered blonde woman.
"Miss, you have to use the front entrance. This is an employee-only access area," the security officer said, eyeing her curiously. Apart from her height, she didn't have much else going for her.
Without replying, the woman moved aside to make a phone call.
Moments later, Erica arrived.
"This is the boss's friend. You know, he likes to keep some things discreet," Erica hinted.
The security officer exchanged glances with his partner before stepping aside, completely unaware of who they were letting in.
Once inside, the woman revealed herself -- unsurprisingly, it was the "sick" Taylor Swift. The "sick" act was merely a ruse to throw Ryan off, as she had flown from Pennsylvania to Florida in just one day to confront Ryan face-to-face.
Days before, Erica had been in Ryan's bedroom and discovered several details, like the abundance of used tissues and some rearranged furnishings. Combined with Daddario's strange comments in the chat room lately, the truth was clear.
Taylor and Erica stormed into Ryan's office, finding it empty with the computer still on. Taylor dialed Ryan's phone directly.
"Where are you, darling?" she asked sweetly when the call connected.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.