章節 197: ### Chapter 195: See You Again
After Link made his statement on Twitter, everything went as Mr. Merida had predicted. The number of articles in the media and online questioning Link's success as a product of hype suddenly plummeted. The reason was that Link's achievements were too impressive. With his numerous high-profile titles, he was a person whose success could withstand scrutiny, and any media praise seemed justified.
Those who attacked him found no effective counterexamples and had to shift their focus to his music. They criticized him for lacking rap skills, claiming he was dominated by East Coast rappers on the charts. They mocked his entry into the rap scene as a joke, given his lackluster performance.
Music magazine *The Source* sarcastically commented that Link entered the rap scene with a bang but left quietly, leaving East Coast rappers without competitors, and suggested that Link won through "clever tactics."
The satire reached its peak when Jay-Z's *Empire State of Mind* topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the fourth consecutive week.
At this time, an ABC TV special honoring MJ featured Link and Wiz Khalifa as special guests, performing their second rap single, *See You Again*. The show, which aired on a Saturday, saw ratings soar from 20 million households to over 26 million during the performance segment.
*See You Again* instantly went viral. The video of their performance on YouTube garnered over 12 million views in just two days. The video was titled "In Memory of MJ," prompting many people to click without hesitation.
Following the show, Link posted about *See You Again* on Twitter, stating that it was created in memory of MJ. He also announced that 50% of the song's royalties would be donated to the MJ Charity Foundation, and 50% would go to the International Red Cross to support underprivileged children.
The MJ Charity Foundation, MJ Fan Club, and International Red Cross all retweeted Link's post to express their gratitude.
Link Music also released the studio version of *See You Again* on major digital music platforms. On its first day, the song reached 2.056 million downloads, easily topping the download charts and breaking single-day streaming and download records on iTunes, Amazon Music, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.
Music professionals highly praised the song, describing it as "the best memorial song" and "the most moving song."
In the days following the song's release, large gatherings of MJ fans took place in Los Angeles, New York, London, and other cities, with tens of thousands of people attending. Fans sang *See You Again* in front of MJ's statues, as a tribute to the recently deceased MJ, resembling a pilgrimage or an emotional release.
Link was surprised when he saw these news reports on TV. He had heard that after the song's release, it was popular among Paul Walker's fans, who organized several memorial events, but these events were small, with only a few thousand attendees. The scale of the MJ memorial events was far beyond his expectations, evolving into grand parades and making headlines in both domestic and international news.
"Hey! Link, how did you write such a great song? *See You Again* is amazing," Paul Walker called, excited.
Link's expression stiffened for a moment before he smiled and said, "You like *See You Again*?"
"Like it? I absolutely love it. I've listened to it more than 100 times. It's the best song I've ever heard. It's my ringtone now," Paul Walker laughed.
"I'm glad you like it!" Link smiled lightly and then asked Paul Walker about his film shoot and when he would return to Los Angeles, suggesting they have a race where the loser must abstain from drinking for a year.
In the first week of its release, *See You Again* achieved 5.458 million digital downloads, setting new records for weekly downloads across major digital music platforms and raising the bar to a staggering height.
It also set a YouTube single-week playback record with 87.27 million views.
The song reached 560 million plays on major radio stations within a week, creating yet another record.
Simultaneously, *See You Again* debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, surpassing *Empire State of Mind* by more than sixty times in data, ending its four-week reign.
The song's overwhelming success also boosted Link's other songs on the charts.
*Believer* re-entered the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, ranking fifth.
*Give Me Reason*, *Trouble I'm In*, *Keep On Movin'*, *This Is Me*, *I'm The One*, *Unstoppable*, *Never Say Never*, and other tracks also climbed back into the Billboard Hot 100, totaling 14 songs.
Among the singles chart, besides MJ and Susan Boyle, Link had the most songs listed.
On the Billboard Rap chart, *See You Again* debuted at number one, *I'm The One* returned to second place, Mars and Bobby's collaboration *Lighters* was at third, and Wiz Khalifa's single *Say Yeah* from last year was at ninth.
MJ's fans, after listening to *See You Again*, became obsessed with Link's other songs and bought his albums.
The impact of this song surprised not only Link but also media and record companies, who were astounded by the massive attention it generated.
*The New York Times* published a lengthy investigative report detailing the song's origins, impact, and underlying reasons.
The origin of the song was Link's inspiration from seeing MJ's portrait at a memorial service.
The impact was profound, with the song becoming the official memorial song for MJ fans. Whenever fans sang the song, they thought of MJ, and whenever they thought of MJ, they sang the song.
MJ's fans spanned nearly 200 countries and over a billion people, spreading the song worldwide.
The reasons behind the song's success were simple:
1. MJ's immense fame and influence as the "King of Music."
2. The song's exceptional quality, with its lyrics, melody, and blend of pop and rap music being superb.
The combination of these elements created a tremendous energy.
It was like the mythical "whale fall," where one whale's death benefits countless others.
After MJ's death, the popularity, attention, and public resources concentrated on him began to disperse and shift to other artists in the music industry, including new stars like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Adele, and Link.
Through this song, Link seemed to inherit the largest portion of resources.
*The New York Times* concluded in its review that if Link does not go astray, he is destined to become a superstar in the music industry.
Ivanka, after reading the news, raised an eyebrow and said to Mr. Graham, "Last year I told you to treat Link more strictly and shape him into a top artist. At that time, I expected he would become a top star in five or ten years. Clearly, I underestimated him; he achieved his goal in just one year."
Mr. Graham sighed, also astonished by the massive impact of the song.
Two weeks ago, when Link and Wiz Khalifa were recording in the studio, Mr. Graham had heard the full version of the song. He thought it was excellent, with top-notch production and great potential for success.
Although he knew the song was fantastic, the energy and influence it generated when linked to MJ far exceeded his imagination, like a musical storm.
Link was at the center of this storm, and this led him to become a top star in the music industry.
Next, the company needed to find ways to help him maintain his current position and avoid falling back to a lower tier.
"You all discuss and come up with a more comprehensive development plan based on Link's current situation. Link is the face and pillar of Link Music. We must address his matters with a more serious attitude," Ivanka said, crossing her fingers with a serious expression.
"Understood."
Mr. Graham nodded, took the documents on the desk, and left.
Ivanka stared at the newspaper on the desk, gazing at Link's sculptural profile in the photo, and her eyes revealed a thoughtful expression.
Knock, knock!
The office door was knocked, and Ivanka straightened up, trying not to let her full chest touch the edge of the desk.
"Come in!"
"Ivanka, the concert is about to start. When are we heading out?" Lana Del Rey smiled at the door.
Ivanka said "Let's go," put the newspaper into her Gucci purse, and left the company with Lana.
(The End of this Chapter)
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