บท 13: Sing II

Julia Stevens sat at her desk, going through the album Taylor Swift had just sent over. As the new head of A&R at Universal Music Group, her job was to oversee the artistic development of all songs released by artists under the label. Listening to the album, she couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, Taylor, the album's perfect. It can be released anytime," she typed back in a quick email after finishing the last track.

Julia had recently stepped into her new position, filling the shoes of a legendary predecessor who had discovered some of the industry's biggest stars—including Taylor herself. While her primary role was nurturing established artists, a significant part of her job involved identifying raw, emerging talent who could become the next sensation. And Julia believed she had found one.

Having wrapped up her review of Taylor's album, she opened YouTube, eager to check on the budding artist she had her eyes on. She typed the name into the search bar: Ethan Jones.

Ethan had caught her attention days ago with his breakout song Shape of You. She'd sent him a direct message on Twitter after discovering his account had been leaked but reaching him was a challenge. The boy seemed to have no public email or contact information.

When Ethan's page loaded, Julia's eyes immediately went to the stats. Shape of You had amassed 53 million views and 2.9 million likes. Even some A-list artists couldn't boast those numbers.

As she scrolled through the comments section, letting the song play in the background, a new post caught her eye. It was a video titled Sing.

"Wait, has he released another song?" she gasped, clicking on the video.

The screen lit up with Ethan standing in a backyard, holding a guitar.

"Hello, guys! My name is Ethan Jones. Thank you for all the support on my previous song. I want to share another one with you. this one is called Sing," Ethan said, smiling nervously before launching into the performance.

Julia leaned forward as the song played. Ethan moved with an infectious energy, dancing around while singing. The melody was upbeat and catchy, different from Shape of You, but equally captivating.

When the song ended, Julia sat back, stunned. "He's done it again," she murmured. "This kid is incredible."

Her mind raced. He wasn't just talented—he was versatile. Not only could Ethan write and perform incredible songs, but he also had the charisma to connect with an audience. Sure, the video's production quality was amateurish, but she laughed it off due to the nature of her job she had a knack of being critical when it came to stuffs like songs and videos. "What else can you expect from a kid shooting in his backyard?"

Julia's conviction solidified. She had to sign Ethan. But how? The usual channels weren't working. Then, an idea struck her—a bold, unprecedented move.

Meanwhile, Ethan was sitting at his desk, staring at his laptop. His newly released song, Sing, was uploaded and live. His sister had left after reassuring him about his fears, and now he felt a strange mix of excitement and dread.

Determined to take the next step, he grabbed his phone and opened Instagram. He'd been hesitant for days, keeping his account private, but it was time to embrace the spotlight.

He changed his account settings from private to public and accepted all pending follower requests. The number shocked him. His page had 1.6 million followers. "That's… insane," he muttered, still wrapping his head around it.

Returning to his laptop, he refreshed the YouTube page. Sing already had 47,000 views. Ethan's heart raced. He scrolled down to the comments section, eager to see the reactions.

The first comment caught his eye:

"Those of you saying he's a one-hit wonder better start apologizing." — Bella T

Ethan chuckled and replied, "Thanks, Bella ❤️."

He continued scrolling. Most comments were positive, praising his voice, his energy, and the song's catchy tune. But, of course, there were the usual naysayers:

"This guy should give it a rest already."

Ethan read the negative comments without flinching this time. He had made up his mind to focus on the good and ignore the rest.

As he scrolled further, one comment stood out.

"Hello, Ethan Jones. This is Julia Stevens, Head of A&R at Universal Music Group. Apologies for approaching you this way—I had no other way to contact you. I've left a DM on your Twitter. I believe you have what it takes to be the next big thing in the music industry. If you're serious about pursuing this, please get in touch."

Ethan froze. His eyes scanned the words over and over again.

"Universal Music Group?" he muttered. "Isn't that… like, the biggest label in the world?"

His first instinct was disbelief. "This has to be fake." He scrolled down, seeing replies to the comment.

"Don't fall for it, Ethan. Definitely a scam."

"Yeah, Nigerian prince vibes."

Ethan frowned. It did sound too good to be true. Why would the head of A&R for a major label contact him through a YouTube comment? Still, the idea lingered in his mind. What if it wasn't fake?