"Little Tiger Group!"
The moment Liao Jia announced those three words, Zhang Junzhi, Yue Yang, and Hu Yiran, who had been anxiously holding their breath, froze for a split second. Then, as the reality set in, they sprang from their seats with huge smiles on their faces.
Nearby, the Little Tiger Group fans erupted. Holding their glowing signs high, they shouted the three boys' names at the top of their lungs, celebrating as wildly as if they had won the award themselves.
These fans had one thing in common: they were extraordinarily young. Quite a few had even come to the ceremony accompanied by their parents. Though relatively small in number, they managed to fill the hall with an infectious energy.
'Global Chinese Music Awards - Best New Group of the Year: Little Tiger Group!'
Little Tiger Group was a teenage boy band formed earlier that year. Though they had been active for only a short time, their debut album 'Butterflies Fly' and their standout performances on 'Singing China' had quickly won them a massive following, establishing them as one of the brightest rising acts in domestic pop music.
Their appeal was built around youthful energy. The three handsome teenagers had captured the hearts of fans their age with strong vocals, stylish looks, and sharp choreography. Their debut album had already crossed two million copies in sales.
It had been an extraordinary year for physical album sales in domestic pop. CDs, once thought to be on the brink of extinction, seemed to be making a sudden comeback. Chen Fei'er's 'Flower Woman', Lu Chen's 'Ordinary Road', and Little Tiger Group's 'Butterflies Fly' had all posted remarkable numbers.
While a large portion of those sales came from limited-edition bundles with merchandise, the overall impact of these hit albums was undeniable. Many independent artists saw a noticeable bump in their CD sales, and even the niche market for dedicated CD players had expanded several times over compared to previous years.
The trend left industry insiders thoroughly baffled. Physical CDs had obvious drawbacks: limited storage and poor portability.
The complete transition to digital music seemed inevitable, with independent singers routinely offering digital downloads, USB drives, and other formats.
Who could have predicted that traditional CDs would enjoy such a resurgence?
Granted, only a fraction of Little Tiger Group's sales came from standalone CDs. Most were sold alongside merchandise, which yielded significantly higher profits.
Still, among listeners aged twelve to eighteen, the group had achieved overwhelming popularity.
Their victory tonight as Best New Group of the Year was practically a given.
The instant Zhang Junzhi rose to his feet, he turned and threw his arms around his mother. The cameras immediately zoomed in on the pair.
Millions of viewers in the auditorium and watching at home could clearly see tears streaming down Sister Li's face, tears of pure joy.
Anyone familiar with Sister Li knew her story. They knew how hard Zhang Junzhi had worked to reach this moment and how much his mother had sacrificed along the way. The entire auditorium responded with thunderous applause.
Warm cheers echoed through the hall as the three boys stepped onto the stage one by one to accept their trophies from the presenters.
Zhang Junzhi took the lead on behalf of the group to deliver their acceptance speech.
Holding the gleaming trophy high, he waved it excitedly before leaning into the microphone: "Thank you, everyone! And thank you to the Global Chinese Music Awards committee for this honor."
"First of all, I want to thank my mom. Without her, I wouldn't be standing here. Without everything she gave up for me, I wouldn't have the life I have today or the future ahead. So I just want to say..."
"Mom, I love you!"
Zhang Junzhi poured every bit of emotion into that final shout.
Applause exploded once again throughout the main auditorium of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, everyone moved by the heartfelt declaration.
Sister Li was still crying, but her smile was brighter than ever.
After taking a moment to compose himself, Zhang Junzhi continued: "Besides my mom, the second person I need to thank is Teacher Lu Chen. You're the best mentor we could ever ask for. We love you too!"
The camera quickly cut to Lu Chen in the audience.
Smiling warmly, Lu Chen raised both hands and gave the boys a double thumbs-up.
Zhang Junzhi added, "I hope you win every single award you're nominated for!"
The crowd broke into good-natured laughter, followed by another round of applause. Nothing touched people quite like the unvarnished sincerity of a young heart.
Following Best New Group came the awards for Best Male Group and Best Female Group. MSN was nominated for Best Female Group and took home the title with their album 'Not Yet Lovers'.
As the flagship girl group under Flying Stone Records, MSN was undeniably one of the hottest female acts in domestic pop. Their debut album 'Not Yet Lovers', released the previous year, had swiftly achieved double-platinum status. Their Wave Blog following had crossed ten million, and they were virtually inundated with invitations for appearances, performances, and endorsements.
At the previous Asian Chinese Music Awards, MSN had narrowly lost Best New Group to July Sky. Now, the three members had finally proven themselves with a prestigious Global Chinese Music Award, taking their place at the pinnacle of the music scene as its premier girl group.
Mu Xiaochu gave the acceptance speech on MSN's behalf, and the very first person she thanked was Lu Chen.
At that moment, the audience suddenly realized something: Lu Chen hadn't won a trophy himself yet, but his name had already been invoked by two separate award winners, and both times, his contributions carried immense weight.
Looking back at 2016, MSN and the rising Little Tiger Group were without a doubt the two brightest group acts in pop music. And neither group's success could be separated from Lu Chen.
Compared to the previous year, MSN's popularity had climbed to even greater heights, solidifying an unshakable standing in the industry.
Their tracks 'Not Yet Lovers', 'Where Is Love', and 'He Still Can't Understand', alongside this year's singles 'Ocean of Love' and 'Tropical Rainforest', had all dominated the music charts and become ubiquitous hits heard on every street corner and in every shopping mall.
Every single one of those songs had been penned by Lu Chen!
MSN's rise had even sparked a girl-group craze across the entertainment industry, with over a dozen new female groups debuting this year alone, a testament to their massive influence.
Little Tiger Group's trajectory was just as impressive, and Lu Chen deserved at least half the credit for the success of 'Butterflies Fly'. With his remarkable songwriting talent, he had propelled two brand-new groups to stardom, making him the single biggest driving force behind both award-winning acts.
The glory of MSN and Little Tiger Group was ultimately Lu Chen's glory, too.
After the group awards, several other categories unrelated to Lu Chen were presented, including Best Music Video and Best Arranger. One by one, the trophies went to their winners.
Then came his very first personal category, Best Producer!
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(End of Chapter)
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