Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 109



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Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter Episode 109

109. Nice to meet you.

George Brown.

His main occupation is being a famous producer ranked in the top ten in the United States.

He is a man who uses the SoundSky named user name ‘georgeking’ as a hobby.

There are many stars he has discovered, but when it comes to choosing the most famous ones, there is one name that immediately comes to mind.

Justin Bobby.

It was George Brown who discovered him, and he became a world-class top star, dominating Billboard as soon as he debuted.

You can see his insight that saw the potential and star quality of a young kid just by looking at one R&B song uploaded to YouTube.

George recently signed another rookie.

The artist who has been keeping an eye on Sound Sky is ‘Mark Synthcity’.

A musician who uses synth-pop and city-pop that is as awesome as his nickname suggests, and is currently working on a new album.

“King, I’m going to take a day off tomorrow. I have something planned.”

Mark suddenly asked for a break.

When asked what his schedule was, Mark said he had to go to the ‘airport’.

“You know Korea, right? The land of K-pop and ‘Yuna’, the one you love. I heard that one of my friends there is a great guy who’s coming here to busk. I’m sure you know him, George.”

George’s eyes lit up at those words.

Recently, Mark participated in a Korean music survival program.

Of all the new friends he made there, there was only one he knew.

“If I had a friend in Korea, I would never…”

“I think you’re right. D.Voice, that’s it.”

“Really?!”

George let out a gasp.

D.Voice.

Originally, he was a musician whose name I heard through Sound Sky.

Half a year ago from now.

By chance, I heard his first self-composed song, ‘Saturday Night Rain Drop’, which he uploaded after creating an account.

The introduction begins with a percussion that is as soft as a wet sponge.

It was a beautiful song that brought to mind a night with raindrops knocking on the window, with an acoustic guitar arpeggio and the elegant sound of bells embroidered on top of it.

I still vividly remember being so captivated by its charm that I commented, ‘I LIKE IT.’

The next time I encountered his name was on a late-night radio show hosted by Swaggydog.

When asked about promising Sound Sky talents, the name ‘D.Voice’ was mentioned, and Swaggydog responded that he had covered a song by his favorite K-pop star, Yuna.

George was quite surprised to learn that he was also a vocalist, having thought that he was just a talented new composer.

And on that day, George was convinced as an unusual event occurred where Asian music, not pop songs, and even YouTube covers that were not official music sources, were played on radio stations across the United States, the ultimate conservative powerhouse.

‘D.Voice. He is destined to be a star!’

His insight to recognize the gem called ‘Justin Bobby’ has once again sparkled.

George had been watching D.Voice’s progress ever since.

I watched Yuna’s cover song challenge series dozens of times a day, which helped increase the number of views.

After finding out belatedly that he had appeared on a singer-songwriter survival show called ‘Who’s the King,’ he stayed up all night watching the show.

I remember. I think I unfortunately got eliminated in a 1:1 battle with Mark, who I was producing.

Although Mark won the competition by a narrow margin, I personally found Sungjun’s stage to be the most impressive of all ‘Who’s the King’ performances.

I also had great regrets about giving up the chance for a revival.

Next, I came across an article saying that he was signed to the same label as Yuna, and I even got to listen to her first EP album that was released soon after.

Even the most recent Japanese anime OP songs.

The small interest had soon developed into a passion.

And like any other fanboy, George was the one who came forward to preach my song.

“Listen. It’s a song sung by a Korean singer named D.Voice-”

“George… Do you realize that this is already the tenth time I’ve recommended him?”

Thanks to this, artists and producers who work with him have heard the name ‘D.Voice’ countless times.

They are all quite famous in the United States.

Anyway, D.Voice is coming to New York!

It was an opportunity that might never come again.

“Where can I go to meet him?”

“I heard the first performance the day after tomorrow is in Central Park. Hehe, I thought you’d be interested too. I’m also planning on having dinner with him-”

After hearing those words, I boarded the plane the next morning.

It was a quick trip from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, to New York. It took a little over an hour.

Then, I took a taxi from JFK Airport and went straight to Central Park.

“It’s still the same here. It’s full of music.”

Central Park, which I visited after a long time, was unchanged.

As it is a mecca where all the promising indie singers gather, Central Park was also a place where he used to walk as if it was his daily meal to discover new artists.

Since I didn’t hear the exact location from Mark, I wandered around the park and looked around.

Then, I happened to notice a crowd of people gathered in front of the Bethesda Fountain, so I went over and saw black-haired singers busking.

A foreign language other than English.

George, a K-pop expert, immediately knew it was Korean.

Judging by the cameras and lights set up, it was easy to tell that they were the ‘Begin One More’ team that Mark had mentioned.

I stood at an appropriate distance from the audience and enjoyed the performance.

And soon a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

‘Oh, their skills are top-notch.’

Both the vocals and the session are impeccable.

In particular, the three singers’ unique vocals are impressive.

A husky yet powerful voice.

A musical voice with rich resonance.

And a voice in a pop rock style that is appealing yet delicate, with some raspy sounds added.

Among them, the female vocalist was a face that was quite familiar to him.

‘She’s Hyoryeon. Of the girl band ‘Sisters.’

She was one of the most prominent divas among K-pop idols.

As they have thrown down the gauntlet in New York, the city of busking, all the other members except her are bound to be elite members who will do their best.

But as expected, there was another person that George was most interested in.

The gaze inside the sunglasses is fixed on the man in the center.

A handsome guy singing with an acoustic guitar resting on his leg.

In reality, it was my first time seeing your face,

It was a familiar face and voice I had seen and heard countless times online.

‘It’s really him! It’s D.Voice!’

I feel an overwhelming sense of excitement, as if I have met a star I have admired.

I could barely suppress the urge to run up to him right away, shake his hand, and shout, ‘D.Voice, I’ve been a huge fan of yours since Sound Sky!’

And for now, I continued to focus on busking.

The second half featured ‘Love Potion’ by his favorite K-pop star Yuna and ‘Permission to sing’ by a boy band that’s taking the US by storm.

He is a producer who has raised numerous stars.

The two song selections clearly showed what Korean busking teams want from their audiences.

‘It’s a sing along.’

The following song further clarifies this speculation.

‘New York State of mind’

Because I brought out a cheat song that any New Yorker would definitely respond to.

The audience raised their voices at the strategic song selection.

But even so, it did not exceed a certain volume.

Because it wasn’t easy for a group to sing along in a place other than a concert.

But George knew.

The audience is now watching with shyness.

It felt like if someone started singing along loudly, everyone would cross the line and join in the chorus.

‘Let me help you out a little.’

If they were just ordinary buskers, they wouldn’t have bothered to come forward.

So this was just a favor for D.Voice.

“New York!”

George threw his loud voice over the calm humming of the lake, creating ripples.

To push the backs of the hesitant audience members.

And as expected,

“New York, Oh, New York!”

The audience turned up the decibels as if the signal had finally been dropped.

A bright smile spread across D.Voice’s face as the cheers spread like wildfire.

Immediately after seeing that sight, I sneaked away and returned to my room to send a message to Mark.

– Hey, Mark. I’m in New York now.

– Huh? New York? Why? No way.

– I think your guess is correct.

Two people replaying last night’s phone call in reverse.

– By the way, did you hear where he said he’d perform next?

In response to Mark’s continued reply,

A strange light came into George Brown’s eyes, as if he had discovered a desirable jewel.

*

Busking in the US went smoothly.

The second busking location was ‘Washington Square Park’.

This park, built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of President George Washington’s inauguration, is a playground where NYU students and West Village residents gather to enjoy leisure activities, and like Central Park before it, it is a place full of various cultural performances.

The ‘Begin One More’ production team set up a busking spot in front of the marble Washington Square Arch, a signature structure in Washington Square Park.

The Independence Gate, built in Independence Park, resembles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and was also famous as a filming location for two musical films, Begin One More and September Rush.

Oh, and it was also the place where Insectman and Diamondman fought against the villains in Marvel Studios’ ‘Revengers’.

Building on what they learned from their first busking performance, they opened with a medley of famous K-pop songs, which the audience responded enthusiastically.

Of course, the main audience was college students, who are the main consumers of K-pop.

The last song is a rehash of ‘New York State of mind’.

Thanks to the support of NYU students, we were able to hear a much easier sing-along than yesterday.

“It’s definitely good that young people have good energy regardless of the country.”

There was a bitter look on the faces of Ryu Young-seok, in his early 50s, and Ha-ram, in his late 40s, who said those words.

The next day we had a gig at New York’s oldest Irish pub.

The ‘Old Ale House’, which opened its doors in 1854 and has been open for over 160 years, is filled with old antiques that give off a sense of the passage of time.

This time, since the venue was indoors, the amplifiers used in outdoor performances were omitted, and only acoustic guitars and keyboards were used.

The song selection was also chosen to match the mood and to have a long-standing sentiment.

As for Korean songs, they presented famous songs from the 7080 era.

For pop songs, we chose jazz, which goes well with old pubs.

The song that drew the most enthusiastic reaction was ‘What a Beautiful World’ by Robert Armstrong, a synonym for jazz.

“I see leaves of green, red tulips too.

(I see green leaves and red tulips.)

I see them bloom, for me and you.

(For you and me, let’s see them bloom.)

And I think to myself.

(And I think.)

What a Beautiful World.

(What a beautiful world.)”

Although it was different from Robert’s deep voice, the customers in the pub stopped drinking and listened to Sungjun’s song, which was both plain and appealing.

Some people closed their eyes and became absorbed in the lyrics of Robert that Sungjun sang.

Finally, when the song ended, cheers erupted.

“Bravo!”

“That was great! Robert would have applauded if he had heard it!”

At the same time,

“How about we have a drink each, friends?”

A pub staff member came over with both hands full of glasses and placed them on the table.

These were dark ales and light ales sold at pubs.

“What should we do?”

“It would be rude to turn down the goodwill of my American friends… Can I go to a light drinking concert, PD-nim?”

The cast’s gaze turns to Byun Sang-woon.

Five letters appeared above his bright eyes.

‘I want to drink!’

In Korea, content featuring live performances while enjoying a glass of soju is also gaining popularity.

In other words, drunk busking is not a problem at all.

So you’re singing and drinking beer in an American pub?

From PD Byun Sang-woon’s perspective, it was a situation where he wondered if such a fresh and perfect picture would ever come out again.

“Instead, just one glass each.”

However, because showing too much affection could somewhat shake his dignity as the main PD, he hid his true feelings and spoke with a strict expression.

On the other hand, when the main PD gave permission, everyone cheered.

Thanks to that, the last song started with beer.

The last song was one that everyone present could enjoy.

A famous song that has been remade by many singers since its first release in the 1960s, and is still loved in the 21st century, over 50 years after its release.

Can’t take my mind off you.

“I love you lady~ and if it’s quite all right~”

A chorus of alcohol-tinged singing echoed through New York’s oldest pub.

*

The fourth day’s dinner continued at the pub.

Because the customers inside the pub all gave you beer as a gift, saying that it had been a long time since they had seen such a great performance.

Thanks to that, the employee in charge of finances for this busking trip smiled brightly and said that the money was solid.

Anyway, as usual, the atmosphere was ripe.

Ryu Young-seok’s eyes opened.

Haram’s octopus head was red and cooked.

Hyorin’s cheeks turned red,

Hong Gwang-woo banged his head on the table.

Seongjun is also quite tipsy.

“I’ll go get some fresh air for a bit.”

As he was the youngest among the cast, he felt a sense of duty to keep his seniors safe, so he headed outside to drive away the drunkenness.

The streets of New York have suddenly turned purple.

I was taking a deep breath while looking at that enchanting night view,

“I enjoyed the performance. The jazz was also amazing.”

Someone came up to him and spoke to him.

“Thank you.”

I smiled and thanked him, thinking he was probably a customer inside the pub.

That was when.

“You really have a deep voice. Just like your nickname, ‘D.Voice’.”

The man’s next words blew away Seongjun’s drunkenness.

When Sungjun turned his head in surprise, he smiled and shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you, D.Voice. My name is George Brown.”