I became a music industry godfather by writing confidantes.

Chapter 013 Takeoff

Thursday night is always a delicate moment where the resentment of waiting until Friday begins to intersect with the excitement of finally being able to lie down and relax.

At this time of year, working people are usually in a Schrödinger-like state, either about to explode or about to fall asleep.

Tonight, following the aftermath of the scandal involving a female celebrity secretly reading melodramatic articles late at night, Tao Cheng suddenly appeared across the internet without any warning, without even releasing a concept poster.

These two events are like two high-explosive charges; when one is ignited, it instantly detonates the other simultaneously.

The initial popularity, which had begun to wane over time, was reignited and spread like wildfire by the high-quality, even stunning, song "Flammable and Explosive".

As it turns out, in the entertainment industry, a place of fame and fortune, all conspiracies, smear campaigns, and online trolls are just paper tigers, easily punctured, when faced with absolute strength and outstanding works.

On Weibo's live feed, the oranges, who had been feeling stifled for several days, finally got their revenge.

They launched a full-scale attack with explosive combat power, and with their new song, they crushed the paid trolls, Lemon, and other opportunistic rival fans of Century Music, leaving them routed and retreating in disarray.

Who said this was a half-finished product rushed out in 72 hours? Where is that marketing account called "Insider Melon Farmer"? Speak up! Donate your ears to those in need!

If this is only a half-finished product, then over 80% of the music on the Chinese pop music charts would be subpar.

[As a passerby, I was initially swayed by the rumors and thought it was beneath Tao Cheng to read such melodramatic novels late at night, and that her responses were half-hearted and perfunctory. But after listening to this song, I want to take back my previous opinion. If she can forge a song of this caliber from melodramatic novels, I'd accept it even if she reads "Postpartum Care of a Sow" next time.]

"That's not necessary."

—Can't tell if you're a casual observer or a hater right now?

— "Hilarious!"

Indeed, the core of this song is simply amazing; it wants it all, and it finally pushes people to the point of being "Flammable and Explosive."

[A song titled "Flammable and Explosive" is dedicated to all the gigolos and PUA masters in the world.]

[This song is also known as: "What More Do You Want From Me?"]

With high-quality works as a foundation, one speaks with such confidence.

Within half an hour of the "Flammable and Explosive" article being released online, the complex and conflicting public opinion quickly turned against the original author.

At 11:30 p.m., the famous independent music critic known as "Vinyl Guru," who has millions of followers on Weibo and is known for his sharp tongue, posted a music review of more than 2,000 words.

The headline is extremely eye-catching: "The music scene needs more 'half-finished products' like this."

"I was planning to go to sleep tonight, but my friends kept tagging me, asking me to listen to Tao Cheng's new song."

To be honest, I was initially reluctant.

I've listened to Tao Cheng's songs before; she has good singing skills and is one of the best among the new generation, but her style is mild.

Adding to the uproar over the Zhiyin incident these past two days, I personally believe it's a public relations tactic by Jinshi Music to divert attention, releasing a trivial pop song to whitewash their image.

But I was wrong, not only wrong, but terribly wrong.

The song "Flammable and Explosive" showcases a completely new side of Tao Cheng from the lyrics, composition, arrangement to the vocals.

First, let's talk about the arrangement. As soon as the intro started, I realized that this song was not simple.

It's just a few simple strums, yet it manages to create a dangerous, eerie, dark gothic style.

And Tao Cheng's singing...

Ladies and gentlemen, I must take back what I said before about her singing being lukewarm.

The transition from the low-pitched bubbly sounds in the verses to the explosive mixed voice in the chorus is incredibly smooth, requiring extremely high levels of breath control and pharyngeal vocal technique.

……

The release of "Flammable and Explosive" shattered the stereotype of her previous urban healing love songs.

This proves that she can not only sing the kind of steady pop ballads, but also handle the dark gothic style with ease.

I can say this right now: Tao Cheng's singing skills haven't been fully realized yet; she's not at her peak yet.

Finally, a few words on a different topic.

Ordinary listeners might just enjoy the melody of a song.

As a music critic, I have a professional habit: if I like a song, I will definitely dig into the credits to see which big names were involved.

When I looked at it, I was completely dumbfounded.

In case you're unaware, here's some production information for "Flammable and Explosive":

Lyrics by Yang Du

Composer: Yang Du

Arrangement: Yang Du

Producer: It's Yang Du again!

These days, there are many singer-songwriters who can write both lyrics and music, but it is extremely rare for one person to handle both arrangement and production.

I asked around in the industry overnight to find out who this producer named Yang Du was, and guess what happened?

No such person found.

There is no resume at all.

At this point, we can only speculate; it's estimated that Jinshi Music discovered this talented newcomer from somewhere.

But to be honest, I don't believe that a mature work like "Flammable and Explosive" was produced by a newcomer who just entered the industry.

The sophistication of the arrangement and the genius use of chords are something that absolutely cannot be achieved without several years of experience.

I strongly suspect that this is a new account created by a big shot in the industry for some ulterior motive.

If they really are a newcomer...

Well then, all I can say is that a remarkable guy has arrived in the Chinese music scene.

As for those who have been jumping up and down online these past two days, trying to smear Tao Cheng with sensationalism, vulgarity, and tastelessness, I sincerely suggest you buy a loudspeaker now and play "Flammable and Explosive" on repeat a hundred times.

Cleanse your ears and see what vulgarity truly is, and what damn high-class is!

The publication of this lengthy article by the vinyl expert immediately heralded victory.

The professional trolls, who were still desperately trying to save face by using phrases like "this song is too weird," "it's niche and I don't understand it," and "I can't appreciate it," were instantly overwhelmed by the barrage of criticism from countless netizens.

In fact, we should thank Sun Qingning's team for the generous "praise-to-kill" package they poured in.

They spent a lot of money buying trending topics, stirring up controversy, and making a series of impressive moves, but now it turns out that it was nothing more than pure love warrior behavior. They acted as a free publicity megaphone for Jinshi Music, making many casual listeners who don't usually follow the music scene aware of Tao Cheng's "like" incident.

Then, they artificially heightened the anticipation for Tao Cheng's upcoming new song, creating a forced idol effect, as if not listening to "Flammable and Explosive" this year would mean falling behind a whole version.

The executives at Century Music must be mortified by this blatant disregard for the interests of others and the cost of their online marketing campaigns.

The results of it?

Tao Cheng and Yang Du immediately unleashed a powerful counterattack.

Those netizens who were drawn in by the trending topic clicked on the link and listened to it, and it really was a great song.

How can you not save and download this?

With this boost from Century Music, the data for "Flammable and Explosive" took off.