Chapter 4: 004: Songs and Clearing Stages
“No, you passed just like that?”
A girl who had just been rejected asked indignantly.
“Mm-hmm, I only sang five or six lines.”
Zhang Liangying turned her head and saw a short-haired, round-faced girl wearing glasses, looking indignant. She was startled and took a step back before nodding and replying.
“Hmph! What kind of a lousy competition is this, ‘Sing If You Want To’!? It’s clearly about looks… I only sang two lines, and that guy told me to get out…”
The short-haired girl, unable to contain her anger, went back to argue with the registration staff.
Not long after.
Inside the temporarily set-up preliminary selection registration building, a shouting match could first be heard, followed by a woman’s powerful singing voice.
It wasn’t that bad, just a bit like a cow mooing…
Moo…
Moo…
Zhang Liangying, with her contestant number pinned to her, giggled, “Even if she gets to the judges, she’ll be eliminated in the first round.”
Shen Qing smiled and said, “It’s about participation, Sing If You Want To.”
Afterward, the two went to the waiting area to discuss what song to sing.
A moment later.
The same girl from before also waved her contestant number and excitedly stood behind them. This completely surprised Zhang Liangying, “She can compete with this level?”
Of course.
Actually, there are four types of situations that occur during preliminary singing selections.
First, their skill is too poor, and they are directly not allowed to register.
Second, their skill is too poor, but they have great entertainment value. The registration reviewer will consider it and let them make a fool of themselves in front of the judges…
Yes, purely to make a fool of themselves.
These people have a high probability of appearing on recorded broadcasts, providing some amusement for the audience.
For example, well-known figures like ‘Happy Worship,’ ‘Butterfly Transformation,’ ‘I Will Remember You,’ ‘My Lover,’ ‘Noodle Brother,’ ‘Wave Brother,’ ‘Happy Hometown,’ ‘Leave the High Notes to Me,’ and other such legends…
Third, their skill is decent, and they can fill a spot.
This group constitutes the vast majority.
Fourth, their skill is very strong, such as Zhang Liangying, Zhou Bichang, He Jie, and others. They are the contestants that the event organizers primarily focus on.
If their skill is exceptionally strong, they might be scouted by the partner company, Tianyu Media, during the preliminary selection stage, leading to a contract, guaranteed advancement to the finals, and a debut with a top-ten ranking.
There are several such contestants, but I won’t name them specifically…
However, there are no free lunches. If Tianyu is willing to guarantee a contestant’s advancement, the contestant must sign a contract, typically an eight-year commitment.
…
“Shen Qing, how about I sing a foreign song?”
“Mm, you can. With your skill, as long as you don’t curse at the judges during the preliminary selection, you’ll be fine.”
“Hehe, you praising me like this will make me proud.”
“Being proud is good, stay energetic!”
“No, I can’t be proud now. I’ll be proud after I win the championship! Hey, what do you think of me singing this song…”
Finally.
Among the songs Zhang Liangying knew, Shen Qing chose Christina’s Contigo en la distancia.
Christina is American, only four years older than Zhang Liangying, but already an internationally renowned female singer.
In 1999, at just 19 years old, Christina won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards for her debut album, Christina Aguilera.
In 2002, she released the album Stripped and won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards for her single Beautiful.
Her most well-known song to Chinese audiences is likely the 2011 collaboration with the band Maroon 5 – Moves Like Jagger.
With its extremely dynamic melody, this song captured the hearts of a large number of listeners.
Speaking of Maroon 5, more people might know them. Songs like Sugar, Payphone, and Animals are all their works.
These singers, shining brightly on the international stage, were still too far away for Zhang Liangying. She only dreamed of standing on stage alongside them.
At this moment, Comrade Xiao Ying…
only wanted to win the championship of the Super Girl Hangzhou Division!
The song she chose, Contigo en la distancia, is actually a Spanish song and quite difficult to perform.
Although Shen Qing had gained +100 in music theory knowledge and his musical level was comparable to that of an ordinary music academy student, he was still clueless about this song.
He couldn’t offer any guidance.
Besides, Zhang Liangying’s music theory level should be much higher than Shen Qing’s now, so she didn’t need his guidance.
Shen Qing’s role, for now, was in providing emotional support.
He put his arm around Zhang Liangying and whispered a few words in her ear. Zhang Liangying’s face immediately turned red, and she lowered her head, saying, “Mm, I will work hard.”
…
“Polaris, take me away, don’t hide.”
“Find the love.”
“I love you, every night.”
“…”
Inside the studio, a soothing and soaring song suddenly began, singing Coco Lee’s song Moonlight Lover.
She sang it well.
But there were also some issues.
Shen Qing: “Liangying, what do you think of the person singing inside?”
Zhang Liangying: “Not bad… but there are some issues. She seems to be a bit off-beat, and her phrasing at the end of each line isn’t very crisp…”
Shen Qing: “Right, she’s trying to hit every beat perfectly, but her execution is a bit lacking. However, she should be able to advance.”
As soon as he finished speaking.
A tall, blonde girl walked out of the studio.
Ye Yiqian!?
Isn’t that Tian Liang’s wife~
Zhang Liangying didn’t recognize her. Seeing that she wasn’t holding a pass, she thought she had failed and said to Shen Qing with a smile, “You guessed wrong.”
Shen Qing smiled and said, “Let’s wait and see.”
Ye Yiqian had only taken three steps when she heard a shout from inside the studio, “Come back, come back…”
When she came out again, she was holding a ‘pass1’ card, indicating she had passed the first round of preliminary selection and advanced to the next stage.
Zhang Liangying gave her a thumbs-up, “Amazing!”
Shen Qing said smugly, “Of course, she’s amazing. You’ve been full of praise for her these past two days~”
Suddenly, Zhang Liangying turned her head.
“Phew…”
“Are you trying to kill me? You don’t even pay attention to where we are.”
“What if someone overhears? How embarrassing.”
“Hmph, I’ll have to talk to him less in public from now on. He’s young, and his mouth just can’t be kept shut.”
…
“Hello, esteemed judges. I am contestant number 165, my name is Zhang Liangying. The song I will be performing is Christina’s Spanish song, titled Contigo en la distancia.”
“No existe un momento del dia.”
“En que pueda apartarte de mi.”
“El mundo parece distinto.”
“…”
Zhang Liangying’s unique dolphin sound was already taking shape.
Furthermore, her control over breath, pronunciation, and rhythm while singing was much stronger than Ye Yiqian’s earlier performance, and her stage presence was more commanding.
Ke Yimin, Hei Nan, and Zhang Man, the three judges, had their eyes light up.
Although they couldn’t understand the lyrics, as professional singers and composers, they had a clear understanding of the singer’s inherent ability.
After Zhang Liangying sang only seven or eight lines, Ke Yimin stopped her, “Stop! That was excellent. You are the most soulful contestant I’ve seen in the past two days.”
Hei Nan: “Indeed, very good. Have you been in this line of work before?”
Zhang Liangying: “Yes, teachers. I started singing in junior high and often participated in small singing competitions.”
Ke Yimin: “No wonder!”
Hei Nan: “Congratulations. Here, take this pass card. I hope to see you at the Changsha finals.”
Zhang Liangying: “Thank you, teachers, thank you!”
