Chapter 126: The Heartfelt Love Letter
[Chapter 126: The Heartfelt Love Letter]
"And the winner for Best New Artist is..." Justin Timberlake said as he looked down at the envelope. The broadcast switched to a few nominees: Flo Rida, riding high off his hit Low, the Disney-backed Jonas Brothers, rapper The-Dream, Colbie Caillat, who had previously collaborated with Taylor on Breathe, the rock band Paramore from Nashville, and Ryan.
"Ryan Rivers!" shouted Justin.
The crowd erupted with the background music of Wake Me Up.
As the music played, Ryan made his way to the stage.
He stood up first to embrace Taylor. "Congrats, my Superman," she said, giving a few hearty pats on Ryan's back.
Ryan strode up to the podium, accepting the diamond-shaped crystal trophy that Justin handed him.
"Congratulations, young man," Justin remarked, his signature sharp suit making him one of the few male artists who could match Ryan's looks.
...
As Ryan returned to the crowd, Taylor had already risen to prepare for her live performance.
When she returned to the stage, she wore a flowing white dress and sang passionately from her new album, presenting White Horse. Similar to Love Story, this song had been completed the previous year but conveyed a completely different emotional tone -- one of despair and heartbreak, depicting a story of love gone wrong. This track had been chosen as the third single from her new album, following You Belong with Me.
Taylor had excitedly told Ryan over the phone that this song was included in Grey's Anatomy, one of her favorite shows. As a single cat lady, she planned to name her future Scottish Fold cat after a character in that series and another cat after a character from Law & Order. She now had a Siamese tabby mix named Indy, and during one of Ryan's calls to her, she let him hear Indy snoring. She also had a Doberman that Ryan named Bug.
...
After Taylor's heartfelt performance, several other leading artists took the stage, including Ne-Yo, Leona Lewis, Kid Rock, Coldplay, Mariah Carey, and Katy Perry, with Beyonce's Single Ladies igniting cheers from the audience.
"New style. This song is great, but the competition is too fierce," Taylor said, feeling slightly overwhelmed.
"Ryan, I want to reinvent myself!" she exclaimed, grabbing onto Ryan's arm.
"Are you thinking of singing I Need Your Love?" Ryan pondered. Considering her voice and the theme of the song about passionate love, she is the most suitable one from the perspective of profit, and from the perspective of emotion, she is the only one who can sing it.
"Really?" Taylor was surprised to hear Ryan had new music, given how recently he had released Where Are U Now.
"Once the trend for Where Are U Now starts to drop on the Hot 100, we'll release another single," Ryan replied.
"Actually, I have a new song I wrote for you," Taylor said, flicking Ryan's hair. She explained that while they had been apart, she missed him often, and that longing inspired her to write a new song.
With one song leading to another, Ryan felt he was gaining as well.
"What's it called?" he asked curiously.
"I'll tell you soon," Taylor said, playfully tapping Ryan's nose.
...
After taking their winner's picture, Ryan and Taylor decided to skip the AMA after-party this year, opting to return to their hotel for some quality time together.
"So... when are you planning to sign your new artist?" Taylor inquired.
"In the next few days, Calvin Harris's contract is about to expire, and as for that British girl, it could be anytime..." Ryan motioned for Taylor to sit on his lap.
"What's the deal with that British girl?" Taylor asked, showing mild curiosity.
"I just came across her by luck; her voice is quite unique," Ryan casually answered.
Taylor had secretly checked out the girl's MySpace, thinking to herself that she was cuter than her. The girl didn't have the strong 'presence' of Daddario, so her early warning radar was turned off.
"Hold on, I haven't sung for you yet..."
"You can sing and shout at the same time."
"Forget that, I'm singing now." She escaped Ryan's grasp.
She asked Erica to bring her guitar -- the dazzling custom piece made of Swarovski crystals.
...
♫ Tall, dark, and SupermanHe puts papers in his briefcase and drives awayTo save the world or go to workIt's the same thing to meHe's got his mothers eyes, his father's ambitionI wonder if he knows how much that I miss himI hang on every word that you sayAnd you smile and say, "How are you?"I'll say, "Just fine"I always forget to tell youI love you, I love you foreverI watch superman fly awayYou've got a busy day todayGo save the world, I'll be aroundAnd I watch superman fly awayCome back, I'll be with you somedayI'll be right here on the groundWhen you come back down ♫
...
At that moment, Ryan finally grasped why she said, "I always forget to tell you, I love you" during the award ceremony; it had already made its way into the lyrics.
This was perhaps the most beautiful love letter in the world. As for the song's title, it was clear -- it was called Superman.
"Isn't it good?" Taylor grinned.
"This is the best song in the world," Ryan replied.
"Without you, there would be no song," Taylor pouted, playfully.
"You provided so much inspiration. Even while taking photos after winning the award, new ideas kept coming to me. I can't describe it; every time I'm with you, I feel like I'm flooded with fresh thoughts, like deja vu." Taylor squinted her eyes, struggling to find the right words.
"Deja vu?"
"Pretty much, that's how it feels," Taylor nodded.
So did that mean Ryan's deja vu influence was inspiring Taylor and leading her to write the next album's songs? Ryan found himself deep in thought.
He hadn't realized that now that Taylor had released her new album, she was already working on the next one, and Superman would be a luxury bonus track on that album released in 2010. Rumors abounded, saying it was written for John Mayer, but that had never been confirmed.
Ryan had effectively brought that song out two years in advance.
Would that change Taylor's two-year album cycle completely? Would it reshape her entire career?
And how exactly did this deja vu work on other people? Did it require some manipulation?
Would his own "manipulation" have other effects?
Ryan observed Taylor again; he wasn't sure if it was a change in stylist or something else, but he indeed thought she was even more beautiful than when they first met. It could simply be hormones making her more feminine, but either way, he needed to keep a closer eye on her.
...
Countless thoughts rushed through his mind, none of which he could confirm in the short term. So, he logged onto his computer and began browsing fan forums, where discussions about his live performance flooded in.
In the music discussion section, screenshots of purchases were flooding the threads -- these fans weren't just buying one or two singles, but hundreds, even thousands.
That fan "3" had purchased ten thousand copies alone.
There is no point in buying more digital copies of this kind, it is purely for supporting Ryan.
Not only did they buy, but fan "3" also sent a remittance of $10,000 with the message, "New song's great. Keep going."
"Good thing they just said the song was nice," Taylor remarked, eyeing the screen with some concern.
"That kind of money can't buy me off, right? Besides they are just showing pure support," Ryan chuckled.
"Female fans show pure support? I don't buy it," Taylor shook her head. "Only same-sex fans show pure support. Scott suggested I try a slightly sexier style, but I rejected that; once opposite-sex fans have a taste of that, it's hard to backtrack, they just want more."
What a situation to be in! Ryan found it amusing.
Taylor, on the other hand, focused on her female audience, never flaunting sexiness. Given the style of her songs, her core audience had consistently been women.
She casually opened a chat room and saw Fan 4444 was spamming for a short ID.
"Forget it, let's give her one," Ryan said, figuring having one more friend is better than losing one.
Besides, her sister is pretty and not as promiscuous as her. Taylor has been in the industry for almost 20 years, and the number of known lovers she has accumulated is only enough for one year for Paris. And above Paris, there is the even more terrifying Lindsay Lohan.
Ryan sent two short ID activation codes privately to Paris, only to find she was still spamming.
"I've been fooled," Ryan realized the spamming was actually from a bot.
"Well, it's sent now; I can't take it back. Let me see if there's anyone else I can bring in," Taylor remembered she still had ten activation codes left and decided to share some with friends...
*****
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