Soon, the day for the Kollon Prize ceremony arrived.
As the most important award in the rock music scene, the Coron Awards have no dress code requirements. After all, the spirit of rock is about freedom and no compromise, so as long as you're not naked, you can wear whatever you want.
For example, Nick Garcia, a long-time friend of the Columbus Awards, has been wearing a floral shirt, baggy shorts, and flip-flops on stage for several years in a row.
However, Ye Cang couldn't dress so casually. After all, the Cologne Award is an international award, and Ye Cang represents not only himself but also China, so he had to be more careful.
So Shen Huai had chosen clothes for him well in advance. It was a dark blue suit with Tang Dynasty elements. The design seemed simple, but the fabric was made using a long-lost technique, exuding luxury in a low-key manner.
Ye Cang was already tall and had an upright posture, making him the perfect clothes hanger.
As soon as he stepped out of the car, the eyes of the reporters on both sides of the red carpet lit up, and their cameras flashed incessantly.
This time, Shen Huai couldn't resist Ye Cang's insistence and followed him onto the red carpet. The two wore the same style of clothing, but Shen Huai chose a more understated gray. Even so, the two walking side by side on the red carpet was enough to capture the attention of all the reporters.
The Cologne Prize started in the afternoon, which was exactly midnight in China. I wonder how many people set their alarms, groggily got up, and squatted in front of their computers to watch it.
Cao Yun and Yao Jianing set their alarms for 3 a.m. to watch the awards ceremony. As soon as the alarm rang, the two of them quickly got up, rubbing their red eyes, and turned on their computers.
Cherry has been busy with the second season of "Stars of Tomorrow" lately, editing videos until the early hours of the morning. But even so, she didn't forget the Colum Awards ceremony. She drank a can of coffee to force herself to wake up and then turned on the live streaming app.
There are many people like them. Some are fans of Ye Cang, some are rock music fans, and some are nobody but just here to join in the fun. Even so, they are all talking about it on social media.
The Yusheng Forum even created a special thread for the Kelun Award, where netizens were discussing it enthusiastically.
23L: It's starting! The red carpet event has begun.
58L: I used to hate listening to rock music the most, and I felt that I couldn't understand it at all. But after listening to Cang Cang's songs, I became interested in rock music for the first time. I realized how much treasure I had missed before.
147L: I used to only stay up all night for football, I never thought I'd be staying up all night for rock music...
177L: My dad bought beer and peanuts last night. For the first time, my dad and I have reached a consensus on staying up all night to follow our idols! [laughing and crying emojis]
298L: The person above mentioned following celebrities with their dads. Have any of you ever followed celebrities with your grandparents?! My two grandparents keep asking me when Ye Cang will be released...
354L: The studio posted some photos of Cangzai today, he's so handsome! I'm ready to take screenshots anytime!
533L: It's just a nomination, no award, is it necessary to praise it like this? My Feiyang also went, and was a guest, and he didn't cause such a fuss. No wonder he came from a talent show, he's so petty.
534L: Get out of here, you brainless fan of LS! What are you doing here trying to ride the wave of popularity!
541L: The Cologne Awards are rock awards, okay? What is Zhuo Feiyang, a pop singer, doing there?
596L: Zhuo Feiyang's new song plagiarized Twisted Falcon's "Darkness". You guys should respond first. Don't think that just because people don't listen to English songs, you can act so recklessly. You even have the nerve to release it overseas. You're embarrassing yourselves abroad.
Just as the thread was about to go off-topic, the original poster quickly steered the conversation back on track, which brought things back to a calmer state.
Even so, Zhuo Feiyang had posted on Weibo long beforehand that he would be attending the Cologne Awards as a guest, and his fans had been clamoring for him for half a month. Some fans were too smug and praised Zhuo Feiyang to the skies by putting others down, which angered the fans.
Ye Cang's nomination for the Cologne Award was originally a great honor for them, but who knew that not only were people trying to ride on his coattails, but they were also being dragged down and belittled. How could they stand this?
The two sides argued for a full half month. After the argument, most of the entertainment industry knew that Zhuo Feiyang would be attending the Cologne Awards as a guest.
The leaves then realized they had been tricked, but by then it was too late.
Zhuo Feiyang's fans acted arrogantly, attracting a lot of hatred.
Unfortunately, Zhuo Feiyang was nowhere to be seen even after walking the entire red carpet.
A post suddenly popped up on the Entertainment Forum.
—Hahaha, some people might not know that the Cologne Awards aren't like those film festival awards. Only nominated candidates, and officially invited presenters and performers, walk the red carpet. Since this person went to the event but didn't walk the red carpet, there's only one possibility: they were just there to piggyback on the event and gain prestige. And they have the nerve to call themselves a guest? Even internet celebrities wouldn't dare to brag like that!
1L: OP has insulted internet celebrities. Those internet celebrities pay for their tickets to walk the red carpet. How can someone be so shameless!
Besides the Yusheng Forum, people on Weibo and other platforms also began to ridicule Zhuo Feiyang.
Zhuo Feiyang is indeed very popular. Although he did not release any new works last year, he maintained a high level of exposure and participated in many events. In addition, he has the Golden Melody Award for Best Singer. Even if there were similar incidents before, he was never ridiculed as severely.
Ultimately, while the public may be used to following the crowd, a song is either good or bad. Even if they are temporarily misled by marketing, they still dislike it, and the pent-up resentment will eventually explode.
Just as Shen Huai said, crooked paths and evil ways will not last long. Even if you gain something temporarily, you will eventually be punished.
However, the emergence of truly outstanding singers like Ye Cang and Li Zihang has accelerated this process.
-
Inside the Cologne Awards venue, Zhuo Feiyang, dressed impeccably, looked extremely displeased and questioned An Yuanjie, "Why didn't you say I couldn't walk the red carpet!"
An Yuanjie frowned: "That's the rule for the Cologne Awards. Didn't your agent tell you?"
Zhuo Feiyang: "..." His agent had told him not to talk nonsense, and that the company would make publicity arrangements later. However, Zhuo Feiyang was a show-off, so he couldn't help but post that Weibo.
An Yuanjie knew what had happened as soon as he saw his expression. He frowned, cursing the idiot in his heart, but said on the surface, "Alright, go and sit down. There are cameras everywhere here, don't embarrass yourself!"
Zhuo Feiyang was angry, but he was not stupid enough to disobey An Yuanjie. He went to his seat with a dark face.
An Yuanjie sat next to him, but his eyes were fixed on the candidates' seating area.
From his angle, he could see Ye Cang and Shen Huai sitting together. Both of them were quite tall and stood out even among a group of Westerners.
An Yuanjie understood that whether Ye Cang won the award this time would have a very different meaning for the domestic music market.
After all, the sales miracle Ye Cang created last year still makes the entire Huayu Records industry regretful. Ye Cang can be said to have stirred up the stagnant waters of the entire Chinese music market with his own strength.
Although it's only April, there are already more records being released on the market than in the first half of last year, and sales are much higher.
This phenomenon, which can be described as miraculous, has occurred once before in the past few decades.
That was thirty years ago. Lu Yang, known as the "Rock Tyrant," stormed into the fiercely competitive record market with a single album, making a name for himself and igniting a rock 'n' roll craze that has lasted for decades.
Ye Cang at this moment, along his journey, is exactly the same as Lu Yang back then.
Even if An Yuanjie claims to look down on these artists, if Ye Cang really wins the Cologne Award, his status will be completely different. After all, the domestic music market has been sluggish for so long, and Ye Cang's appearance is like a shot in the arm. If he really makes a meteoric rise, he could even completely change the entire domestic music market.
This is why An Yuanjie came to the Cologne Awards in person this time. After all, no matter how high Huayu Records' status is in China, the Cologne Awards don't care about it at all.
An Yuanjie clasped his hands tightly, thinking to himself: Ye Cang has no chance of winning. He's of Asian descent, and this is his first time being nominated. According to convention, the award won't be given to him...
Shen Huai, who was being closely watched by An Yuanjie, also thought of the same question.
Although he understood the significant advantage Ye Cang would gain from winning the award, he couldn't bear to put pressure on him. Instead, he comforted Ye Cang, saying, "There are too many factors that influence awards. Winning an award doesn't prove your ability. Don't be nervous. Everyone knows how excellent you are!"
Ye Cang stroked his chin, looking surprisingly relaxed: "Ah Huai, I'm not nervous. I think you're the one who's nervous."
Shen Huai was stunned.
Ye Cang laughed: "Isn't this called being too concerned to think clearly?"
Shen Huai: "..."
At this moment, the host on stage announced the next award, which was the biggest suspense of the night: the winner of Best Record. The presenter, Nick Garcia, had already come on stage wearing his baggy shorts and flip-flops.
Shen Huai instantly forgot his argument with Ye Cang, and his hand on the armrest involuntarily clenched tightly.
Ye Cang took his hand in hers and gently kissed it.
Amid Shen Huai's bewildered and flustered gaze, his voice was gentle yet firm.
"Ah Huai, I will win this award."
Before he finished speaking, Nick had already opened the envelope.
"The winner of Best Album is—'Rebirth,' from China, by Ye Cang."
Chapter 115
As Nick announced the winner, the camera quickly switched to Ye Cang. Ye Cang calmly released Shen Huai's hand, stood up, straightened his clothes, and then walked towards the stage.
Nick opened his arms and gave Ye Cang a tight hug, then put his arm around Ye Cang's shoulder and led him to the microphone.
“We have always believed that music is a universal language, regardless of nationality or language. There are no standards for the awards, and we will not limit how a singer should behave. This is the spirit of the Colum Awards.”
"What's surprising is that this year's nominated works are not only excellent, but also diverse in style. Any album that wins would be well-deserved. After a difficult decision, the jury chose the most special one."
Nick patted Ye Cang on the shoulder as he spoke, “Just like how I felt when I first heard this album, I felt as if I had gone from life to death and then from death to life. The combination of the mysterious East and rock and roll fills people with curiosity and makes rock and roll full of infinite possibilities!”
"Let's congratulate Ye Cang once again."
After Nick finished speaking, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience, including other candidates.
Ye Cang's gaze swept over the faces. Because they were too far away, he couldn't see Shen Huai's expression, but he still smiled in that direction.
Shen Huai stared blankly at Ye Cang on the stage, the warmth of the other's lips still lingering on the back of his hand, a warmth that burned into his heart.
But Shen Huai understood that this kiss had nothing to do with love; it was Ye Cang's way of showing that he wanted to fight alongside him.
As expected, Ye Cang, standing on the stage, said: "In my heart, songs are another language. Some emotions that cannot be expressed in words can be expressed in music. Everyone's music has a unique warmth and style, rather than just being a product that caters to people."
"Although the domestic music market has been filled with superficiality in the past year or two, I believe this is only temporary. Our country's music is not bad, and our musicians are also excellent!"
An Yuanjie, sitting in the guest seat, had a gloomy face. How could he not understand what Ye Cang's words meant?
Now that the results are in, Ye Cang unexpectedly won the Cologne Award, which is definitely not good news for Huayu Entertainment, and there is no need for him to stay here any longer.
An Yuanjie stood up with a cold face, ignoring Zhuo Feiyang who was making a lot of noise next to him, and turned to leave the awards ceremony.
-
Although some people do not want to see Ye Cang receive the Cologne Prize.
But when Nick announced that Ye Cang was the winner, the Chinese internet was in an uproar.
Before, everyone thought that just being shortlisted was already a victory, but when the awards ceremony actually started, everyone still had some faint hope that Ye Cang might actually win the award.
However, the hope is so slim that even fans dare not say that they can win an award.
China's music scene has declined year by year in recent years, and they have long lost confidence. Even though they all think Ye Cang's songs are very good, they still faltered when it came to such international awards.
When Ye Cang went to the United States, many music critics published articles analyzing his chances of winning an award, and almost no one thought he could win.
Even the music association, which has always supported Ye Cang, is not optimistic about this matter.
When Ye Cang actually won the Cologne Award, his words on stage were a wake-up call for Chinese audiences and musicians.
Fang Zhilan, the vice president of the music association, was the one who recognized Ye Cang's potential and has been doing his best to protect him.
But now, after hearing Ye Cang's words, he suddenly realized that Ye Cang saw things more clearly than they did.
As he said, their music is not bad, their musicians are excellent, and most importantly, they must first be confident in themselves. Only when they believe in themselves will the audience believe in them.
In the darkness, Fang Zhilan looked at the sky gradually turning light and let out a long sigh of relief: "The night is over, and dawn is about to break."
Besides Fang Zhilan, many other industry insiders are also paying attention to the Kelun Award.