Chapter 108: The Predicament of Single Release

  Although Nakai Masahiro's singing is out of tune and his voice is hoarse, after so many years in the entertainment industry, he has a good eye for things. This song sounds simple yet nice, exactly the type of music that Smap likes and excels at, most importantly, he can tell it's a good song, although before releasing to market he didn't dare make any guarantees, but Nakai had a faint feeling that this song is just right for Smap.

  "Now there's only one problem left." Nakai said, taking off his headphones.

  "That's it..." Zhou Xiao continued.

  "How can they release an album!" Nakai said with a serious expression.

  Actually, Zhou Xiao gave the song to "S-M" AP, but there was a big problem - would you be willing to give it to "S-M" AP if they didn't necessarily want to use it? "S-M" AP is a super giant group, writing songs for this kind of group may overshadow one's reputation, but in terms of income, it's absolutely astronomical! Sales of tens or hundreds of millions are just a matter of course, and dirty work like running promotions is all done by the "S-M" AP team. Life is too comfortable!

  But this problem is no longer an issue in today's situation. Nowadays, people will either shout "get away" or at least try to avoid having anything to do with the "S-M" AP. People like Zhou Xiao who actively seek him out are perhaps not non-existent, but they are definitely few and far between.

  Those people are worried that, given Johnny's usual petty nature, they would completely abandon and thoroughly kill off a group that doesn't listen to them, not even giving them the chance to turn things around. However, Zhou Xiao, who knows this history, understands that Takuya Kimura's toughness is on a completely different level from someone like Shinichi Mori, and as for Johnny's? They are really petty, extremely petty, but the problem is... Johnny's is actually a top idol group that makes money hand over fist, so abandoning such a cash cow would absolutely not be agreed upon internally!

  So from start to finish, although Takuya Kimura was always pressing on, Johnny's kept his cool and didn't let things get out of hand. They hired newspaper media to smear "SMAP", didn't give "SMAP" a chance to promote their program, and as soon as "SMAP" showed a slight weakness, they would seize the opportunity to launch a fierce attack. Despite doing all this, Johnny's never used his ultimate trump card.

  Until later, Kimura Takuya and the entire "SMAP" thoroughly broke away from Johnny's. He set up his own company, making "SMAP" independent of Johnny's and turning it into a cooperative rather than a subordinate relationship, and the struggle between one person, one group, and a giant company like a dynasty finally subsided slightly.

  The end of the fight will only be possible in a few years, so for now, "S - M" AP and Kimura still have to live under Johnny's rule.

  "What's Kimura-san's drama series this year?" asked Zhou Xiao.

  He was actually pretending to ask, Zhou Xiao was very clear. Originally after the concert in November, Kimura would be filming a new TV drama that will air in March next year, no matter how unwilling Johnny's is, this TV drama has already been signed and can only let Kimura perform. And Kimura having one TV drama per year was also a well-known habit.

  The TV drama that will be broadcast in three months is "Hero", which has left a name in the Japanese entertainment circle, with a viewing rate of over 30% for each episode.

  "After the concert, I was originally going to join the group. But it's been delayed, and after a while, when I do join, I'll have to rush to catch up, but now, he actually doesn't have anything to do, can only be said to be waiting for the company's handling results." Nakai said.

  "That... shall we record the song first?" Zhou Xiao asked. Since it's about flowers, and when Japanese people mention flowers, they naturally think of cherry blossoms that bloom all over Japan in March and April. Wanting to release a single in March, now is a bit early to record the single, but if they wait until Kimura finishes filming, it will be too late. Recording in a studio isn't something that can be finished by just singing for three to five minutes. It requires repeated attempts to grasp the state and try again to adjust one's voice to the most perfect state.

  "What? Now?" Nakai asked in surprise.

  "Anyway, it just so happens that Kimura-san has some free time recently, and if we release it in March, it'll coincide with the cherry blossom season as well as his TV drama. With all these factors working in our favor, I don't think it's possible for it not to sell big." Zhou Xiao said, rubbing her hands together.

  "These are actually nothing, the most critical issue is......" Nakai still didn't feel any happiness from Zhou Xiao's words, he was still frowning and hesitated to speak.

  "The problem is that they won't give you a way out? En... If I go and talk to them, and also provide them with a song, how about that?" Zhou Xiao asked. The "they" in his words naturally referred to the other faction of senior Jenesis led by Tai Zi Jing Zi.

  "Also give them one? Uh......" Nakai Masahiro's hesitant expression didn't fade away at all.

  "Ah...... it's also...... I don't count as anything......" Zhou Xiao looked at Nakai's expression and understood his meaning, he indeed didn't count as anything. Using one of his own songs to exchange for an "S---M" AP in such a difficult situation, Zhou Xiao, this small character, didn't have that much face.

  "Let's eat first, I'll go back and think carefully, if there's a way, I'll try it out. I'll see Tai Zi... En, Tai Zi's aunt is still pretty good to me, maybe if I go talk to her, she'll agree." Zhou Xiao said.

  Taizi is affectionately called "grandma" by fans, but Zhou Xiao thought about it and still chose to call her "auntie" like Kimura Nakao.

  "Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Your song is really great... At such a young age, you can write such a good song, it's really impressive..." Nakai Masahiro saw Zhou Xiao lose the desire to talk about things, and he also cheered up and started eating with him.

  After dinner, Zhou Xiao bid farewell to Nakai and walked alone on the road, swaying back and forth in his mind, constantly thinking.

  In the history he experienced, "S-M" didn't release another single until August 01. So next spring, they indeed had no plans to release a single. Zhou Xiao chose this time to release a single in order to catch up with Mokuyama's marriage and filming of "Hero", when his popularity was at its peak. In fact, nowadays he probably only has this chance to submit his song to "S-M" and have the greatest possibility of being selected.

  "If there's anything you need help with, come find me. I'll do my best to assist you." Zhou Xiao's mind once again recalled the words of Tai Zi's grandmother backstage at the "S---M" AP concert.

  "If I really went to say it, she would... no, my level is not enough yet. Even if I retreat a step and assume that she made concessions because of me, it must be after extorting enough benefits from me! Zhou Xiao shook his head. For him, being friends with "S-M AP" was not just about friendship, he also wanted to gain something from "S-M AP". Don't mention anything else, just the fact that "being friends with S-M AP" is a very useful card in the Japanese entertainment circle. Of course, this kind of thing is absolutely not to be said too clearly."

  Zhou Xiao thought for a moment, he didn't have many tricks up his sleeve to play, and he was just a small fry after all. Although it seemed like he had great potential because he could write songs, if someone asked him to show off his "face", Zhou Xiao knew he wasn't capable of that. Moreover, helping "S-M AP" was one thing, but their relationship hadn't reached that point yet, and Zhou Xiao wasn't willing to pay a heavy price for it, even though he knew Maki was a person who would repay kindness and was worth paying the price for.

  "But... what excuse can I use to convince Taisuke and Kageyuki?" Zhou Xiao was at a loss.

  After thinking hard, Zhou Xiao finally found that the only thing suitable for him to take out now was one thing, and this thing would definitely be found by Jenice even if it wasn't taken out now. That thing was the script of "Meteorite"!

  "Ryūsei no Kizuna" is a story that takes place in the past experienced by Zhou Xiao. The main actors are Nishikido Ryo, Ikuta Toma, Yuto Nakajima, Miura Haruma and Tabe Mikako, but the problem now is that except for Miura Haruma, all the others have not officially debuted yet. Nishikido Ryo and Ikuta Toma are still doing their own Johnny's work, Yuto Nakajima and Tabe Mikako do not know which corner of Japan they are hiding in, and they are also very young. Even if they were given roles to act, their acting skills would be far from sufficient.

  "If they really take it away, then let's see how they choose." Zhou Xiao thought to herself.