yournovel Chapter 53 They forced me to do it
Chapter 53 They forced me to do it
Less than an hour after the blog post was published, it was widely reposted by Chinese music critics who were obsessed with foreign things.
Lin Chuan took the lead and left a message:
Professor Thomson's comments were spot on.
The biggest problem in the domestic music scene is self-indulgence.
They boast about being "gods," "kings," and "ceilings" for even the slightest achievement, but when compared internationally, the gap becomes immediately apparent.
Wang Junhai followed closely behind:
I've said it before: Chen Fan's songs are only meant to be listened to in the country.
It's not that it's bad, it's that our "goodness" doesn't really work internationally; at best, it's just self-congratulatory.
Xu Man also reposted it, but her wording was more "rational":
I hope everyone will take Professor Thomson's comments calmly.
This is not a denial of Chen Fan personally, but a reminder of the overall level of the Chinese music scene.
We do have a long way to go.
After the three people, even more people rushed out to share it.
The comments section is more like a gathering place for trolls:
"Hahaha, they're hyped up like gods domestically, but nobody abroad recognizes them!"
"Chen Fan is only fit to wallow in self-pity within China!"
"Grammy judges say he lacks soul, but where are those who praised his singing skills? Come out and show yourselves!"
"We've said it before, our standards are different from international standards."
"Chen Fan's fans, stop bragging, it's embarrassing."
#ChenFanLacksSoul# quickly became a trending topic.
Amidst a chorus of pessimism, several elderly gentlemen spontaneously stood up to support Chen Fan.
Among them is Huang Zhenyong, a national-level singer, 78 years old, a living fossil of the Chinese music scene.
His signature song, "Ode to the Yellow River," has been sung by generations. Although few young people listen to it now, in the music industry, his name is synonymous with "highly respected."
His Weibo account has not posted any content for years, yet it still has more than five million active followers, which alone demonstrates his influence.
His participation in this topic itself represents an attitude: we do not agree with the evaluation of that so-called "Grammy" judge.
Are you familiar with our culture?
Or do you know about our singing style?
Even if you know both, it's wrong to make such a judgment about a young person based on just one song.
@Huang ZhenyongV:
That foreigner said Xiao Chen's music "lacks soul"?
I don't understand these things about souls.
I want to ask him if he really understood?
The soul cannot be defined by "internationalization". We have our own aesthetic system and our own way of expressing emotions. Any music critic who cannot accept our differences is not qualified to comment on our music from the outset.
Because he wasn't objective enough.
Xiao Chen's songs express the most genuine emotions of our Chinese people. When did the standard of whether a song has a soul become "international"?
The post was shared a million times instantly.
But the comments section was chilling:
"Old man, you're out of touch with the times."
"What did your generation know about internationalization?"
"Ode to the Yellow River is a classic, but young people today don't listen to it anymore. Chen Fan suffered the same fate; he was only popular for a short time."
"Even washed-up veteran artists are trying to ride the coattails of this trend."
The 78-year-old man remained silent in front of his phone screen.
He doesn't care if others call him "outdated"; what he cares about is that young people in this era no longer trust their own judgment.
They say "internationalization" is the standard, "foreign judges" are the authority, and the "Grammys" are the highest hall of fame.
He put down his phone and let out a long sigh.
"Is this still the Chinese music scene? Is this still the music scene for Chinese people?"
Soprano singer Wang Xiufen, composer Zhao Jiping's disciple, former director of CCTV's music channel, and others have all published articles in support of Chen Fan.
Their wording was rational and mild, presenting facts and reasoning: "soul" is a subjective feeling, "internationalization" is not the only standard, and "cultural confidence" cannot remain just a slogan.
However, they share a common weakness: insufficient influence.
Their combined Weibo followers are less than those of a second-tier celebrity.
Their voices were drowned out by a massive amount of negative comments and online trolls, like pebbles thrown into the ocean, creating only a ripple before disappearing.
This is not their fault, but a tragedy of our times.
This scene is a microcosm of the current state of the Chinese music scene.
The standards set by the older generation of artists are not accepted by young people.
Foreign standards are highly sought after by young people.
This is a deep-seated superstition about "authority".
We don't believe in our own "goodness" because "goodness" needs to be validated by "outsiders".
One netizen's comment was pushed to the top of the trending comments:
Old Huang is right.
But what's the use?
If a Grammy judge says hello, even if you're a third-rate singer, the domestic media will praise you to the skies.
If a Grammy judge says you're bad, even if you're on the national team, you can't hold your head up high.
The most upvoted reply to this comment only had a few words:
It was tragic, but I was powerless to help.
Chen Fan didn't look at these.
He locked himself in the recording studio, playing the piano, writing songs, and composing music.
It's not escaping; it's brewing.
Ge Mingyue arrived, sat next to him, quietly scrolled through her phone, and occasionally answered a call.
Her expression was calm, as if she had expected it.
"Aren't you going to try to persuade him?" Yun Duo peeked out from the doorway and asked Ge Mingyue in a low voice.
"What's there to persuade him about?" Ge Mingyue asked without looking up. "What he needs right now isn't persuasion, it's time."
"But public opinion..."
"When have you ever seen him affected by public opinion?"
Ge Mingyue glanced at her younger sister. "He has never been one to sing for the sake of others' opinions. He never was, and he never will be."
Yun Duo was dumbfounded by her older sister's lecture: Huh? Why does it feel like my older sister knows Brother Fan very well?
After a long while, Chen Fan took off his headphones and turned to look at Ge Mingyue.
"How's the overseas distribution of 'Ten Thousand Frontiers' going?"
Ge Mingyue was taken aback: "You really want to go?"
"It wasn't my choice to go," Chen Fan stood up, "they forced me to go."
Chen Fan walked to the window and stared at the gray sky outside.
"Since they all say my music 'cannot go international,' then I'll go to the international stage and show them how I 'go international.'"
Ge Mingyue was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, but for the overseas part, I'll contact Andy's father."
"Okay," Chen Fan nodded in agreement, then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "I haven't signed an artist contract with you yet, right? You can sign it now!"
Chen Fan said somewhat embarrassedly that he had asked people to do the work but hadn't signed a contract with them.
Ge Mingyue understood what he meant, shook her head and chuckled, "If we don't shield you from trouble, how can we bring you over? Don't overthink it, this is what we should do!"
Chen Fan nodded and said nothing more.
Ge Mingyue acted swiftly and decisively, walking out while still on the phone.
Yun Duo finally got a chance to chat with Chen Fan for a bit.
"Brother Fan, are you going out again?"
Chen Fan turned to look at the clouds. "Just say what you want to ask! Why beat around the bush?"
Yun Duo smiled shyly, "Are you really going abroad with my sister?"
"What? You have an idea?"
Yun Duo sighed, "I just find it unbelievable. We're participating in the same competition, right? You're doing this!"
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Chen Fan immediately called a halt.
As soon as she opened her mouth, Chen Fan understood what she was struggling with.
"No matter what I do, it won't stop us from being friends, right?"
"what!"
"So you can actually think of it this way: the higher I climb, the more prestigious our duets will be!"
"Then your pension insurance must be more reliable!"
The cloud was easily convinced, "It seems so?"
"Be more confident, drop the 'seems' part!"
Chen Fan was feeling smug when the system finally gave him a long-overdue reminder.
[Congratulations, host, for completing the main quest: singing the song "Left Finger Points to the Moon" and gaining 1200 million emotion points!]
Mission success reward: [God of Song Aura] Fragment +1!
[Congratulations, host, for activating one of the advanced tasks: singing the song "Above the Moon" and gaining 1800 million emotion points!]
Mission success reward: Advanced Gift Pack +1!
Penalty for mission failure: Utter disgrace!