章 157: Chapter 157: Singing a Song

"Link, go ahead. I haven't seen your concert before. Let us see how you perform on stage."

Ms. Faith Hill said with a smile.

"I haven't seen Link's concert either, but I saw his performance at Lady Gaga's concert in Miami, the one where he ripped off his suit. It looked amazing."

Carrie Underwood said, shaking her wine bottle.

Link also recalled that concert in Miami. He originally wanted to wear a suit and sing a song honestly, but Lady Gaga thought that kind of stage style was too ordinary and not eye-catching enough.

She wanted him to sing the first song in a suit and then sing "Despacito" shirtless while dancing.

At the time, he didn't feel much, but after watching the replay, he felt his scalp tingle and a bit embarrassed.

"Okay, I'll go up and try."

Seeing that everyone wanted to hear him sing, Link didn't hesitate. He took Taylor's guitar, went backstage to sign up and queue, and then went on stage to sing John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads."

He had trained in the recording studio for several months and had a mature voice. After several performances, he didn't feel stage fright when singing on stage.

It was about five o'clock in the afternoon, and there were fewer spectators, only over 20,000 people left, still a dense crowd.

Because he was wearing a hat and didn't introduce himself, no one recognized him. They just felt that he sang well and could bring new meaning to a classic old song, which was quite impressive.

When he finished singing and was about to leave the stage, many audience members shouted "Encore!"

Usually, at music festivals, the audience shouting "Encore!" meant they approved and wanted to hear him sing more. For those who didn't sing well, the audience would just let them leave quickly.

"Link, one more song!"

Taylor, standing on the grass, also cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.

"Link's voice is very clean and powerful. It sounds even better live."

Faith Hill clapped and said.

"He's a very talented young man."

Tim McGraw, wearing a cowboy hat, said while looking at Link on stage.

Link was a bit embarrassed on stage. He had just covered a familiar country song. Should he continue to cover old songs for the next one?

Old songs were easy to sing, but it was difficult to sing them with new meaning. If he wasn't careful, he could mess up.

He saw a piano at the edge of the stage and immediately had an idea.

The main instruments in country music were guitar, drums, violin, banjo, and piano. He put down the guitar, sat in front of the piano, and said into the microphone, "Next, I'll bring you a new song, 'All of Me,' dedicated to Miss Taylor Swift."

As he was speaking, someone in the audience suddenly shouted, "Link! It's Link!" Then more people shouted, "Link! Link!" Mainly some young girls, who started screaming excitedly and rushing towards the stage before he even started singing.

Link simply took off his hat and waved to the audience. The screams below became even louder.

Link calmed them down several times before the fans gradually quieted down. He placed his hands on the black and white keys, took a deep breath, and played the song's prelude.

What would I do without your smart mouth

Drawing me in, and you kicking me out

Got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down

"Wow! It sounds so good!"

Carrie Underwood and other singers couldn't help but exclaim.

They had heard Link's inspirational songs and the explosive "Give Me Everything," and thought Link was a hard rock singer. They didn't expect his voice to be so gentle and delicate when singing love songs, with a slightly hoarse magnetism that was very pleasing to the ear.

Taylor also covered her mouth, looking at Link who was playing and singing on stage in surprise. She had no idea when Link wrote this song, and it sounded so good.

Cause all of me

Loves all of you

Love your curves and all your edges

All your perfect imperfections

"Very good, although it's not country music style, it's indeed a good song."

Tim McGraw said while drinking beer.

"If I could write a song like this, no girl could resist my charm at a bar."

Josh Turner, a young singer from South Carolina, said enviously.

Everyone rolled their eyes.

"The accompaniment seems a bit off. If the accompaniment was better, the performance would be even better."

Faith Hill asked.

Taylor smiled and said, "It's Link's problem. He's only been practicing piano for half a year, so he's not very proficient yet."

"Only half a year of practice? That's still impressive."

Everyone exclaimed.

On stage, Link played the piano and sang the classic love song "All of Me." Originally, this song would have appeared on the "love" album, but now he was performing it in advance, which could be considered a warm-up for that album.

This song wasn't difficult to sing, but it required more delicate handling of emotions to be moving. Link had practiced it many times under Graeme's guidance, and with his unique voice, his singing was no worse than the original singer.

"Cause all of me, Loves all of you"

When he sang the second chorus, many audience members sang along, as if it were Link's solo concert.

"We shouldn't have let him go up. He's stealing our show."

Ms. Faith Hill laughed.

"And showing off his love in public, I'm so envious."

Carrie Underwood said, glancing at Taylor with a sour tone.

Taylor laughed, hugged her knees, and sat on the grass, blinking at Link on stage, her blue eyes filled with sparkling light.

Clap clap clap!

The performance on stage ended, and the audience shouted for an encore. Link sang it again and then left the stage amidst the cheers of the fans, leaving time for other singers.

In the evening, after the performance, Link followed Taylor and Mrs. Andrea to their home in the western suburbs of Nashville, a detached villa with a red roof and a large garden.

Seeing the flowers in the garden, he suddenly understood why Mrs. Andrea had a strange look on her face when she saw him holding irises.

Because there were irises everywhere around the villa. April was their blooming season, and there were large patches of purple, white, and pink flowers, filling the air with a fragrant scent.

That night, Link stayed in the east bedroom on the second floor. According to Mrs. Andrea's instructions, they couldn't sleep together that night, saying it was a rule in the Nashville countryside.

But Taylor still sneaked over, and the two sat on the windowsill facing the garden, chatting and kissing.

The Nashville countryside was beautiful, especially in April and May, with wildflowers, lush trees, butterflies and birds flying around, a quaint windmill by the creek, and occasionally encountering a few free-range horses leisurely grazing on the plains when passing by farms.

It was very much like the countryside cottages in the paintings of Impressionist painter Monet, and the irises seemed to have been painted by Van Gogh.

It was hard to believe that this place and the skyscraper-filled New York were in the same world.

Link stayed in Nashville for two days, accompanying Taylor for walks, writing songs, and participating in music festival activities.

Until he received a call from Ms. Mandy, saying that the MJ concert rehearsals had started and he needed to go there, while Taylor's activities were also coming to an end, and she had to return to Los Angeles to continue promoting her album.

Link could only temporarily bid farewell to the idyllic life and plunge back into the concrete jungle.

(End of Chapter)