Entertainment: Starting as a Succubus, Taking Hollywood by Storm

Chapter 28: The Powerhouse Team

"Your voice, your vocal cords—they're the finest instrument we could ask for!"

Max Martin's face was filled with awe as he looked at Martin, as if he were staring at the world's rarest masterpiece.

"We don't need to add any instruments. They'd only detract from the raw, pure emotion you bring out with your voice. There's a saying from China for this… something about adding legs to a snake?"

"'Painting legs on a snake,'" Martin replied in Mandarin.

"What?" Max looked puzzled.

"It's the original Chinese saying you were referring to."

"Wow, Martin! You even speak Chinese. Impressive."

With genuine admiration, Max continued, "Martin, do you need a break, or should we start recording right now?"

"Let's go ahead and get started. I have five pieces, and I'd like to finish them all today."

If anyone else had said that, Max would have been taken aback at the lack of respect for music. But Martin's flawless performance earlier had already earned his admiration. The five-minute song had been flawless, needing no breaks or retakes.

Could Martin maintain that level of precision throughout all five songs?

Absolutely.

Although his vocal cords hadn't fully matured and his voice wasn't yet at its peak, Martin's magic could sustain him through the recording session without risking vocal strain.

The process was remarkably smooth.

Max, who had worked with various artists, began to think that the Backstreet Boys barely "understood" music compared to Martin.

Within hours, they wrapped up the recording for all five songs.

Afterwards, Max asked, "Martin, do you have a label lined up, or would you like me to connect you? I've got some good contacts at Universal Music."

Martin glanced at Aunt Nancy, who subtly shook her head, so he replied, "No rush on that. I'll discuss it with my parents first."

"Of course. I don't mind either way. I've only worked with Universal once, anyway."

Max's collaboration with Universal had come about through his work on the Backstreet Boys' debut album, Backstreet Boys, which had become a massive hit in both North America and Europe. The single "We've Got It Goin' On" had climbed to No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and No. 54 on the UK Singles Chart, solidifying Max's reputation as a producer and leading Universal to consider a long-term partnership.

Max figured that recommending Martin to Universal would likely earn him a few favors in return.

…

On the way back, Martin turned to Nancy, who was sitting beside him, and asked, "Aunt Nancy, why didn't you want me to go with Universal? They're a major label, aren't they?"

Based on Martin's knowledge, Universal Music would eventually grow into the largest record company in the world, commanding 25% of the global music market. Even now, they were a giant in the industry.

Nancy smiled. "Universal is strong, yes, but they wouldn't invest too much in a new artist like you. You're not their artist, and Max's influence only goes so far."

"Oh, so you know other labels, Aunt Nancy?" Martin's eyes lit up.

"Not me, but your father does. He's good friends with Tommy Mottola, the president of Columbia Records."

"Is that so?" Martin grinned. In the current market, Columbia Records' distribution power was at least as strong as Universal's—perhaps even stronger. After all, they had superstars like Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey on their roster.

The influence of megastars on a record label's success couldn't be overstated. Michael Jackson alone had boosted Columbia's European distribution network to surpass Universal's.

When they returned to the hotel, Martin immediately called his father.

On the other end of the line, Grant was shocked. "So, you went to London and not only met Lady Diana but became her godbrother?"

"Yes, yes, Dad, that's not important. Let's talk about the record deal, okay?"

"How's Lady Diana doing these days? Is she still down, or is she still with that antique dealer?"

"She's fine, Dad. And she's not with the dealer anymore. Can we focus on the record deal, please?"

"Alright, alright. I'll talk to Mottola, but I can't promise anything."

"Come on, Dad, I'm your own son. You don't want to see my hard-earned money stolen, do you?"

"Hard-earned money, huh?"

"You're mocking me. I'll tell Grandpa!"

"Wait, wait, I'll do my best to negotiate a good deal for you. But honestly, can you stop using that tactic on me?"

"Hehe, as long as it works."

"Martin, you really should get yourself a manager. You can't rely on Aunt Nancy and me for everything."

"Sure thing, Dad. Once I'm back in LA, I'll get one."

"No need. I've already found someone for you."

Martin: "…"

"Who is it?"

"You'll find out when you get back."

…

Three days later, Martin's five-track instrumental demo was ready.

After listening to the final version, Martin readily approved it, and Nancy paid Max.

The two of them then boarded a flight back to Los Angeles.

When they arrived home, Martin finally met his new manager: Jeff Raymond, a senior partner at CAA.

"Hello, Martin. It's an honor to represent you."

"Hello, Mr. Raymond."

"Please, call me Jeff. Since we'll be working together closely, let's keep things casual."

"Alright, Jeff. Let's get started, then."

"Get started? Now?"

"Yes." Martin smiled and pulled a stack of papers from his bag. "Jeff, here's a new script I wrote. Maybe you can find a studio interested in producing it, with me as the lead, of course."

Jeff took the papers, clearly intrigued. "May I take a look?"

"Of course!"

Jeff started reading, noting the title: The Sixth Sense. From the very first scene, the meticulously detailed storyboards drew him in.

Within half an hour, Jeff looked up, his eyes brimming with excitement.

"Martin, this is fantastic. I'll find the perfect buyer for it."

"The lead role."

"Of course, the lead role is yours."

"Oh, by the way, Jeff, Random House is interested in publishing my second book. I'd like you to handle the negotiations."

"Could I ask what your royalty rate was for Kung Fu Panda?"

"Ten percent."

"Wow, ten percent? Then that's the minimum we'll settle for with this one."

Martin grinned. "You understand me well."

"Actually, Martin, I think we should hold off on publishing your second book. Kung Fu Panda sales are still climbing. If we wait until the summer for a big push with both the book and the movie, that'll be the perfect time to release your second novel."

"Hmm?" Martin paused, then smiled. "Jeff, I like your thinking. Go ahead and propose that to Random House."

"Absolutely. Securing the best deal for my clients is what I do."

Martin was pleased with Jeff's professionalism, and Jeff was equally impressed by Martin.

This young prodigy had endless potential—not just in film, but beyond, possibly becoming Jeff's most important client in the future.

[•———•———•———•]

𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:

• 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮

• 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝

• 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟭𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!

👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

💬 𝘼𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝘼𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚: 𝙈𝙮 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩! 𝙐𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 $30—𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 10% 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩! 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙙𝙚: 𝗚𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥.

𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙂𝙋𝙏 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣-𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙮, 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨, 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!

👉𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧/𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙥