His fingers relaxed, feeling the resonance of the strings and the air, leaving the soundhole, letting the string notes dissipate into the air little by little, just like spring water evaporating in the sunlight, leaving a faint rainbow after disappearing.Hugo closed his eyes, feeling the surge of emotions within him. Although "Sunburn" had a slow melody and calm emotions, the passion in Hugo's heart when he composed it was unprecedented; only then could the emotions permeating the lyrics be truly believable.Composing "Sunburn" today had a huge impact on Hugo himself, because it was different from the previous few times. Before, Hugo was accustomed to letting inspiration combine freely to create a song after it arose.But today, Hugo forced himself to concentrate on thinking and composing, building the framework of a song without any ideas, and then filling in the flesh and blood to finally complete the creation of a song.This was a completely different way of creating, and also a new test for the creator.Fortunately, Hugo completed it, and not only completed the task but did so beautifully.After his transmigration, Hugo's understanding of music seemed to deepen continuously, from the initial slightly hesitant and unconfident attempts at composition, to the passionate surge during "Kill Your Heroes" last time, and then to the free soaring of "Sunburn" this time.Hugo's talent in music seemed to be gradually unearthed.Hugo wasn't sure if this was due to the accumulation and precipitation of his ten years in music before, or the impact and benefits brought by his transmigration, or perhaps because his former self possessed unknown talents—since his former self had a solid foundation in classical literature, allowing Hugo to thrive in works like "Dead Poets Society" and "Scent of a Woman," it wasn't impossible for his former self to hide musical talent.But whatever the reason, in this past year, Hugo's growth in music, though not comparable to his breakthrough in acting, still brought him immense joy.Music would always be the most solid haven in Hugo's heart.The song "Sunburn" stirred countless thoughts and memories in Hugo's mind, forcing him to close his eyes to calm himself down, and then open them again, to be met with the entire audience once again standing up, offering the most fervent applause.This was the true climax of today's recording of "The Oprah Winfrey Show"!Oprah also couldn't help but stand and applaud; this absolutely exceeded her expectations, Hugo's excellence was astonishing.Regardless of what others thought, Oprah knew that Hugo's talent was far more than just "Next Time You See Me," and far more than just "Sunburn."Perhaps her understanding of music wasn't professional, but the genuine emotion easily touched her heart, which was undeniable.All 150 audience members, plus the production crew, stood up and applauded, expressing their admiration for Hugo in the purest way possible through applause.Hugo couldn't help but stand up, holding his guitar in his right hand, and bowed slightly to the audience, expressing his gratitude.Compared to street performances and rock nights, today's performance was more theatrical, and it was also Hugo's first performance on a true stage after his transmigration, and as a singer at that.The significance of this performance far exceeded just a single show.Emotions surged in his chest, a smile blossomed on his lips, and confidence shone in his eyes.Hugo was too excited to speak; he couldn't even find an accurate word to describe his feelings at that moment, just like the recognition he received after "Scent of a Woman" premiered, the mobbing he encountered after the premiere of "A Few Good Men," and the Golden Globe nominations he learned about after Christmas.Hugo's 1992 was sparkling, making him feel, in a trance, as if he were God!"Wow, Hugo, are you serious? You are serious!" Oprah said excitedly, her voice cutting through the pure applause, trembling slightly with excitement."This is truly amazing, I'm telling you, this was really something you just created live.""Haha, yes, I just created it," Hugo said with a chuckle, nodding in affirmation.In fact, the melody of "Sunburn" just now didn't have much fluctuation, and the emotional surges were more internal, so Hugo quickly composed himself and returned to the show's recording."You truly are a genius. I don't know what the experts would say, but to me, a music layman, you are a genius, so outstanding that it leaves one speechless."Oprah wanted to heap all sorts of praise to convey her admiration, but she found all words to be so pale and powerless; in the end, it was some plain language that seemed more genuine.Only those who truly witnessed Hugo's process of composing a song in seven steps on the spot, and felt the emotional changes brought by "Sunburn," could understand Oprah's feelings at that moment."If you keep saying that, I'll get proud," Hugo said, the pressure on his shoulders completely vanishing.As for how the audience would react after the broadcast, that wasn't a concern for Hugo at the moment, so the smile on his face fully bloomed.Oprah nodded vigorously, "You can be proud, you deserve to be proud."Oprah knew her gamble had paid off! "Today, we uncovered Hugo's greatest treasure.I think I should find another time to sit down with Hugo and talk about music, and let him tell me why, as such an excellent singer and creator, he has kept this talent hidden and not revealed it."Hugo looked at Oprah, a smile always on his lips.He noticed that Oprah was already starting to wrap up, and glancing around the studio, he saw that it was indeed almost an hour, and the recording process was much faster than expected."But unfortunately, today's show has come to an end," Oprah began her closing remarks, as expected, but her smile, despite a hint of regret, shone with satisfaction, because she knew this episode was a success."Today, we met Hugo the actor.I think, one day in the future, we will formally meet Hugo the singer, so let's look forward to that day!Thank you all for watching today's show."After the wrap-up, Oprah stood up and gave Hugo a big hug, then patted Hugo's back, her face full of approval.Hugo initially intended to leave as usual, but unexpectedly found himself surrounded by reporters, which took him by surprise.After Joseph's explanation, Hugo understood that large programs like "The Oprah Winfrey Show" would invite reporters to listen in at the studio; they could take photos, but they had to be approved by the production team.After the show's recording ended, these media outlets would, as per custom, publish articles to report on the first stage of the program.This could be about the highlights of the show, or major gossip discovered during the recording, and more often, it was to generate buzz for the show's ratings.The newspapers and magazines invited to the show's recording site were naturally media familiar to the production team.So, guests would also give face to these media outlets and accept brief interviews.After today's show recording was completed, all the invited media were buzzing and immediately interviewed Hugo.If the end credit song of "A Few Good Men" had only served as a gimmick to pique reporters' interest before, then after today's show, reporters were not just interested; curiosity, excitement, enthusiasm, and various other emotions surged simultaneously.Accompanied by Joseph, Hugo had a simple exchange with the reporters.The previous exclusive interview with Hugo published in the "Los Angeles Times" had already mentioned that Hugo had some insights into music creation, and today, reporters confirmed this with Hugo in person.The "Chicago Sun-Times" published the next day quickly ignited the topic, stating, "During the show's recording, Hugo not only displayed his sunny and cheerful demeanor, but also showed us his humility and humor.But more importantly, Hugo's musical creative talent stunned all the live audience.It's hard to imagine that while people were marveling at Hugo's powerful return as an excellent actor, they also discovered his remarkable talent as a singer-songwriter.Perhaps there are more charms about Hugo waiting for us to discover.Even though he has been in the public eye for ten years, we still seem to not truly understand this young man of only twenty-five.Debuting as a fifteen-year-old, experiencing ups and downs along the way, Hugo gritted his teeth and endured the pain of transformation, appearing before us in a brand new light.We have every reason to have more expectations for his future."Not only the "Chicago Sun-Times," but also the "Chicago Tribune," which consistently ranks first in local readership and advertising revenue in Chicago, reported on the recording of "The Oprah Winfrey Show."This leading daily newspaper in the American Midwest stated in its report, "Hugo's talent displayed on the show is comparable to his double Golden Globe nominations."Such top-tier praise instantly propelled "A Few Good Men," which had just achieved four consecutive championships at that moment, to a new height, and people's anticipation for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" was also pushed to a new level.Originally, the promotion for "A Few Good Men" had already concluded, but now, because of Hugo's "musical talent," a new round of discussion was sparked.Various programs once again extended olive branches to Hugo, as if everyone was eager to personally verify whether Hugo's so-called musical talent was genuine or merely a tactic by "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to boost ratings.Although it was currently the eve of the New Year, and most program production teams were temporarily on holiday, this did not prevent invitations from appearing on Joseph's desk, filling Hugo's January schedule.This situation was something Hugo and Joseph had not anticipated before recording "The Oprah Winfrey Show."Such soaring popularity filled the upcoming New Year with joy.
