Chapter 61 First Single

  As schools across the country gradually went on summer break, the hottest summer season arrived once again. However, after entering June, what drew the most attention was not the sci-fi blockbuster "Terminator 2" announced to premiere on Independence Day, nor the Red Giant slowly walking towards its imperial demise, but a single song that ignited the entire summer season first.

  "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is Mark Winstanley with the music special on National Public Radio. Music is a bridge that connects people's hearts, it can cleanse one's soul, and a heavenly song can leave you savoring the aftertaste. A good song can accompany you into your dreams. What makes a good song? Don't rush, let Mark recommend some to you!"

  "Maybe you guys are complaining, Mark, what kind of ghost thing you're recommending, those are 80s songs! Can't you stop recommending Madonna and Whitney Houston already, I've had enough! Alright, today Mark will satisfy your wishes, recommend a new song, a new song from an 11-year-old boy, Ryan Jenkinson! Yes, you didn't hear wrong, this Ryan Jenkinson is the Los Angeles boy Ryan Jenkinson. Okay, before playing the song, give everyone a warning, if you're eating or drinking something, swallow it immediately, otherwise, you're responsible for the consequences."

  "Enjoy the first single 'He' from the super genius!"

  The lively and brisk music sound, through the radio, reached countless people's ears. Just a prelude attracted quite a lot of attention, but it wasn't until Ryan's pure voice with a hint of huskiness sounded that most people opened their mouths in surprise.

  "He is the brightest star, he rises slowly and speaks eloquently, his beautiful words are startling, but it turns out that they are a thousand-year-old icy sword that can hurt people!"

  The light flashed and the alarm bell rang long, he was like the eyes of a fierce dragon, staring at the innocent children and beautiful women, inflicting cruel torture on them...

  Who is he? The moment people hear this song, a handsome face and the image of a clever and cunning boy flash before their eyes, and they can't help but burst out laughing.

  The employees who were weighed down by heavy work and couldn't lift their heads, shed their burdens in laughter; The children entangled in the confusion of adolescence, regained their brightness in laughter; The workers shrouded by unemployment, gradually regained confidence in laughter.

  As countless music critics have said, great songs always evoke resonance, this song is catchy and playful with a hint of sarcasm, making one involuntarily think of the conflict between Ryan Jenkins and Tom Cruise.

  They seemed to see a weak boy being bullied by a grown-up superstar, yet unable to fight back, and could only hum this song as he escaped from the superstar's side, leaving behind a sarcastic remark.

  With the help of Disney, this single quickly appeared in various record stores. With such a sensational event unfolding before their eyes, how could major and minor newspapers let it go? They rehashed all sorts of things that had happened between the two people, and several major TV stations replayed the video of the clash again.

  At one time, Ryan Jenkins and Tom Cruise became household names across the United States, to the point where even interviewing homeless people on the street could elicit some information about their past.

  But unlike before, Ryan is standing on the side of justice again. After all, there isn't a single swear word in the whole song and the tune isn't gloomy or venomous, it's more like a mischievous work by a kid.

  Tom Cruise has once again become the subject of public criticism, with a certain tabloid reportedly buying off the infamous Jenkins couple, who voluntarily revealed that they are not Ryan Jenkins' parents and only did so because they were instructed to do so in exchange for a large sum of money.

  Although there is no evidence pointing to Tom Cruise, the media still used vague words such as "maybe", "probably" and "possibly" to hastily pin this hat on the young actor's head.

  These guys would frame Jehovah himself if it'd get them attention, and who knows, maybe this isn't even a frame-up.

  It has to be said that the absence of Paula Wagner is now being felt, and Tom Cruise's current publicist is not doing a good job in crisis management, making him more and more passive. Even some of his fans have expressed their disappointment with their idol during interviews.

  "I'm very disappointed, I've always liked Tommy, but I just can't understand why a grown-up superstar would go out of his way to bully minors. Someone like that doesn't deserve my continued admiration!"

  Such a topical and controversial song, it's hard not to be popular, let alone the quality of this song is absolutely top-notch. Plus, over a year has passed, whether book fans or movie fans, Ryan has had a large number of die-hard fans. These people can't help him in his conflict with Tom Cruise, but they can support their idol by buying singles.

  Even many media outlets have approached Ryan in various ways to ask if he is Tom Cruise, but Ryan isn't a fool and naturally wouldn't admit it, so everyone just tacitly understands.

  Perhaps adults listen to it with a smile and put it aside, but in the eyes of teenagers, this is a rare good song, especially this kind of unique counterattack method, which suits their taste. You know, now Eminem has not yet emerged, Little Tyler can't even be considered as Lolita, this way of scolding without dirty words is particularly attractive to people's eyeballs.

  And young people are the main consumer group in the entertainment market. Ryan, with the title of super genius, can imagine the sales of this single.

  In the first week of its release, "He" sold 113,000 copies, which is not comparable to established singers, but for a newcomer in the music industry, it's already a very good result.

  It's laughable and tear-jerking that this song has become the go-to choice for scolding people. Many young people have modified the lyrics, adding in the objects of their hatred, humming them everywhere, causing the song's influence to spread far and wide, with its radio airplay count skyrocketing, further driving up single sales.

  "He" directly debuted at number seven on the latest Billboard chart.

  Compared to the song, almost all media attention was focused on the singer, after all, that boy was too surprising, even since his conflict video with Tom Cruise was exposed, most people knew he had extraordinary creative talent in music, but didn't expect him to actually release a single, let alone in such a jaw-dropping way.

  After the new issue of Rolling Stone was published, it simply evaluated the song and still focused on Ryan Jenkins.

  "There's no doubt that 'he' is an excellent song, and Ryan's easy humming showcases the song's liveliness and playfulness. Although his singing still has some flaws, let's not forget that he's only eleven years old this year, and being able to achieve this at such a young age is truly remarkable."

  "Moreover, Ryan is not only the singer of this song but also its composer and lyricist. This single should be just a trial balloon, presumably this Los Angeles boy will soon release his own record."

  Mick Taylor of the Los Angeles Times got the scoop again, revealing in his entertainment column: "We hear from Disney insiders that 'He' was written by Ryan after a press conference at Disney, and back in his dressing room, in just half an hour. Think about it, he wrote another song in just over half an hour at the Hilton Hotel... maybe we should call him Mr. Half Hour?"

  "Obviously, Ryan Jenkins is a masterpiece of God, with outstanding artistic talent, and has already shown extraordinary attainments in literature, film, music and other fields. He is the treasure that God has given to Hollywood."

  A few days later, Hollywood Records also accepted an interview with a reporter, and music director John Burnes said so.

  "Yes, we signed a record deal with Ryan and 'he' was indeed a test. What? Sales? No, no, no, not at all what we expected, how great the song is, how great Ryan is, I think everyone in America knows that, right? To me, Ryan has a rare musical gift, even beyond writing and performing, he's the best of his age."

  "Yes, I have something to say to him. Ryan, you should put all your energy into music, where you will achieve amazing things. Okay, hopefully his book fans and movie fans won't be angry about this."

  "Will Ryan's album be released? Not in the short term. Why? It's simple, he is now entering puberty and we must protect his vocal cords. Yes, once he gets through puberty, making an album will be put on the agenda."

  "Record a song? No need, actually, the album's songs are already prepared by Ryan himself, that's right! All the lyrics and melodies will be handled by him alone."

  As time went on, the song's popularity grew wider and wider. After the second week, "He" unexpectedly topped the Billboard charts, giving Ryan his first number one single, with sales of 250,000 copies. Hollywood Records finally saw a glimmer of hope and found an opportunity to take a share of the record market.

  "Reid, get the record company ready. As soon as Ryan Jenkins is available, put the album on schedule. I don't care what the reason is, there must be a dedicated person to serve him during his voice change period and report his condition back in time."

  Disney is holding a board meeting, as the person in charge of recent key projects, Reed Mells and Carter Eisner are allowed to attend exceptionally, and the speaker is CEO Michael Eisner.

  "Kater, when will the sequel to 'Home Alone' start preparing?" he asked his nephew.

  "Ryan turned down the offer, he has already authorized us to write a script and make a sequel." Carter hastily explained, "In fact, Ryan has developed too fast in the past year. He is no longer suitable for continuing to play this kind of funny and lovely child role, whether it's his height or appearance."

  The Disney executives nodded in agreement after recalling Ryan's current appearance, indeed it was so, if he were to star in the sequel, it would probably be a disaster.

  "But he recommended a suitable candidate to us," Carter added. "Macaulay Culkin, who once starred in 'Uncle Buck', we contacted him and it was okay, of course, not comparable to Ryan."

  Next week there will be a strong push for categorization, thank you all for your support so far... Ah no, I'm deeply bowing in the middle... Friends who haven't registered an account yet, please register and collect it, it won't take long, asking for recommendation votes~ Thank you!