The auditions continued.
Although everyone had different opinions, they still had to carry on. Admittedly, the five judges, including Ha Qiqi, had unanimously agreed that Chang Si was quite good in all aspects and could pass the auditions. But with Zhang Ye's veto, it was clear that things would not go according to their wishes. This was because Zhang Ye was the leader and the executive director of this show. Even if everyone thought highly of Chang Si, it would be useless if Zhang Ye did not.
Zhang Ye said with a deadpan expression, "Next."
Teacher Sun wanted to say something but stopped herself. In the end, she swallowed her words.
The next contestant was the second seeded contestant that everyone thought highly of — Hu Liangyi.
This person had been singing for many years. He graduated from a professional music school and had studied music seriously. He had also polished his singing skills at concerts and television shows for a long time. He had even sung for several celebrities before. His singing skills could be said to have been honed through hard work and could stand the test of time.
It was Hu Liangyi's turn.
Ha Qiqi said, "Let's begin."
Hu Liangyi adjusted the microphone. "I'll be singing 'Mountain.'"
This song was probably quite famous in this world. It could be considered a combination of traditional music and pop music. There was even a bit of bel canto or ethnic singing in it. It was very enjoyable to listen to. Hu Liangyi's voice was also quite good. He sang very steadily without any impatience. When it was time to go high and when it was time to go low, it was time to go low. This song was like a textbook. There were no mistakes at all and it was extremely well-behaved!
The song ended.
Ha Qiqi was very excited.
Teacher Sun, Teacher Yan, and the others also perked up.
A music consultant even gave him a thumbs up. "You're really different from those who graduated from a professional music school. You sang …"
Without waiting for him to finish, Zhang Ye put down Hu Liangyi's resume and said, "It's not enough for me. Please go back first."
What?
Not enough for me?
Even this is not enough??
Hu Liangyi immediately stared and said, "My singing is not good enough?"
Teacher Sun could not take it anymore. "Director Zhang, if Hu Liangyi and Chang Si can't do it, then there's no need to hold the auditions. None of them will pass."
Teacher Yan said, "We've already analyzed the contestants' abilities. These two are the most outstanding contestants. Even if they don't have the looks of a champion, they would definitely be in the top ten in other singing talent shows. So what are your requirements? Isn't this requirement a little too high? "
Ha Qiqi frowned and looked at Teacher Yan, saying, "Teacher Yan, it's Director Zhang who decides which contestants can pass and which ones can't. If Director Zhang doesn't think they can pass, then he must have his own considerations. Why are you speaking so harshly?"
Teacher Yan said, "But I don't understand."
Teacher Sun said, "I can't understand it either. They invited us here to help with the selection. We might not be famous in the industry, but we are at least veterans in the industry. How could we not be able to tell who sings well and who doesn't? These two were obviously very good, but they couldn't even pass the qualifiers? It's not that I'm questioning Director Zhang's professionalism, but when it comes to talent shows and singing, we are definitely professionals. "
Hu Liangyi looked at them and said, "Firstly, my new program is not going to be done according to the industry standards, nor will it be done according to the standards of other talent shows. That's why I have my own criteria for judging whether a person sings well or not. Secondly, Hu Liangyi's singing is not bad, but his voice is not recognizable at all. He uses too many techniques when singing and is too 'oily' in some parts. To you, this might be the so-called singing skills and stage experience, but to me, it's just a performance that has no unique characteristics and no feelings. That's why I'm not satisfied with it. Thirdly, you all say that you are professionals, but I'm not an amateur either. How this program is run, how it is done, and how the contestants are chosen will all be decided by me. I don't need excellent contestants, but those who are one in a million. When they sing, no one will be able to imitate them!"
Teacher Sun argued, "Voice recognition? This is the first time I've heard of this being used as a standard for talent shows. What's the use of voice recognition? I don't understand. At the end of the day, it's still about singing skills and stage experience. "
Zhang Ye said, "My program is called The Voice of China. Everyone's understanding of The Voice of China might be different, so I won't force it on you. But I'm the executive director now, so if you all feel that my vision is not as good as yours and that you can't respect my principles and decisions, then please leave!"
He had thrown out his tough words!
This was also the first time that Zhang Ye had been so domineering when making a program. In the past, whenever he made a new program, there would always be a lot of opposition and doubting voices. As a program host and planner, all Zhang Ye could do was to convince his leaders and colleagues to believe in him and explain to them why it was good to do so and why it would attract more viewers. But now, he didn't need to do that anymore. This was because Zhang Ye was the leader and he was the executive director. It was also because he had been doubted by his colleagues too many times in the past that this fellow was sick of it. Now that he was the leader, he could no longer be bothered to explain himself. You all don't respect my decisions? I don't care who you are! Get out of here!
Wu Yi broke out in a sweat. "Director Zhang!"
Ha Qiqi also hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Director Zhang, the teachers were just giving some suggestions. This matter …" If there were no music consultants, how were they going to select the candidates?!
"Alright, then I'll ask you to leave!" Teacher Sun stood up angrily and walked away.
When Teacher Yan saw this, his pride was also hurt and he left with Old Sun. "Let's go then. Since the program doesn't need our professional opinions, then there's no need for us to stay here!"
The remaining two music consultants looked at each other and hesitated for a moment before leaving as well.
From their point of view, they had only come to The Voice's program team on loan for a few days. They were here to help them out, but who knew that they would not appreciate it at all and would not even listen to their professional opinions. You're not going to ask us to stay? We're not going to serve you anymore! We'd like to see what kind of viewership ratings your program can achieve after it's broadcast! We'd like to see what this so-called The Voice of China is!
You still want to talk about recognition?
Not one in a million?
Bullshit! With your qualifications, you won't even be able to choose a single person!
At this moment, all of the music consultants left the venue angrily. They wanted to quit.
Zhang Ye said to Hu Liangyi, "Please go back. I'm sorry."
Hu Liangyi could not accept this outcome at all. Before he left, he said, "When The Voice starts broadcasting, I will definitely watch it. I want to see what kind of talent can catch your eye." When it came to singing, Hu Liangyi was very confident. People like him would always have a bit of pride.
Zhang Ye did not say anything. He did not have any opinions about Hu Liangyi and knew that he sang quite well. As for whether Hu Liangyi would become popular in the future or if he would have a big development in the music industry, Zhang Ye was not sure. But he was sure of one thing. There was definitely no place for Hu Liangyi on The Voice's stage. That was for sure.
After quite a lot of people left, the audition venue became much quieter.
Ha Qiqi gave a wry smile. "Director Zhang, what do we do now?"
Zhang Ye smiled and said, "It's only our own program team's people left. That's pretty good. Sister Qi, call the next person. Let's continue."
Ha Qiqi did not know whether to laugh or cry. She could only continue calling for people.
Not the next one.
Not the next one either.
Zhang Ye was a little disappointed. Why wasn't there a single person who was good?
Ha Qiqi and the other program team staff were also feeling uneasy. Many of them had clearly sung very well, so why did Zhang Ye not like them? Almost half of the first batch of audition contestants had already appeared, but none of them caught Zhang Ye's eye. Just what kind of person would be considered a good voice?
Ha Qiqi said listlessly, "Next."
Little Wang called out a name from outside, "Qian Pingfan."
Zhang Ye clicked on the demo that this person had sent over.
After Ha Qiqi heard it, she said to Zhang Ye, "This girl's voice is very clear and clean. It also has a melodious feel to it. Overall, it's not too bad. It's just that her name is a little random. I don't know what her parents were thinking when they gave her such a name."
At this moment, the contestant came in.
But when this person appeared in the audition hall, many of them were startled!
Ha Qiqi said in surprise, "Who are you?"
The person who came in was a young man in his twenties. He looked very ordinary and had very short hair. He was dressed in a "commonplace" outfit. His shoes were still covered in dirt and gave off a "mountain cannon" vibe.
Perhaps the young man was nervous, he stammered, "I-I'm Qian … Qian Pingfan."
Ha Qiqi nearly fainted. "You're a man?"
Qian Pingfan scratched his head. "Yeah."
The song demo that Ha Qiqi and the others had received was just a song. The contestants would usually include their name, phone number, and personal information. But if some contestants did not include their detailed information, they would not know who they were. For example, this contestant in front of them.
Ha Qiqi said in disbelief, "The demo that you sent to the production team was clearly a female voice. You can't just change a contestant at the last minute."
Qian Pingfan said anxiously, "That was sung by me."
Director Wu Yi said, "Please go back."
Qian Pingfan was extremely anxious. "I-I'm really …"
"What we're asking here is to be honest. I don't know who sang the demo, but your attitude during the competition is clearly problematic to us." Ha Qiqi naturally could not believe that such a pure female voice could be sung by a man. Moreover, it was very normal to hear this person speak. It was just an ordinary young man's voice, so how could it be the voice in the demo?
Qian Pingfan found it hard to defend himself. "It was really sung by me!"
Ha Qiqi said, "Little Wang, call the next contestant."
But at this moment, the disappointed and dispirited Zhang Ye suddenly became excited. "Wait a minute." He looked at the contestant and asked, "Can you introduce yourself first?"
That person immediately said, "My name is Qian Pingfan, I'm 22 years old. My hometown is in Shanxi, but I'm currently in Beijing. My occupation is … I repair bicycles. I work with my master at the Lishuiqiao subway station to repair bicycles for people."
What?
Bicycle repair?
Everyone: "…"
Zhang Ye did not seem to care about the other person's occupation. He turned up the volume of the demo on the computer screen and pointed at it, asking, "Are you sure this was sung by you?"
Qian Pingfan nodded firmly. "Yes!"
Ha Qiqi questioned, "Did you use voice-changing software?"
"No, I really didn't!" Qian Pingfan defended himself.
Zhang Ye's interest was piqued. He stopped Ha Qiqi and the others from questioning him and did not let them say anything else. Instead, he said to Qian Pingfan, "Alright, sing a song for us."
Seeing this opportunity, Qian Pingfan was extremely excited. "Alright, I'm going to sing 'Wishing We Last Forever.'" Perhaps because he thought that singing this song would seem like he was trying to curry favor with Zhang Ye, Qian Pingfan was thin-skinned and couldn't help but scratch his head in embarrassment. However, he still did not change the song and insisted on his "opportunistic" choice. Actually, he had only changed the song at the last minute after listening to the strategy discussed by the contestants in the waiting area. He wanted to increase his chances.
Zhang Ye looked at him. "Shall we begin?"
Qian Pingfan took a deep breath. Just as he was about to sing, he deflated again. He clutched his chest to calm himself down and took a few deep breaths before he finally opened his mouth.
When the first line came out, all of the staff at the audition venue were dumbfounded!
"When will the moon be clear and bright …
"With a cup of wine in my hand, I ask the clear sky …
"In the heavens, I wonder …
"What year is this evening …"
Little Wang's jaw dropped!
Wu Yi looked like he had seen a ghost!
Ha Qiqi and the others also stared with wide eyes in disbelief!
Holy shit!
A female voice!
It really was a female voice!
When Qian Pingfan was speaking, there was nothing wrong with it at all. But when he sang, it turned out to be an extremely gentle and beautiful female voice. It sounded even more feminine than a woman's voice!
He wasn't lying!
The demo that was sent over was really sung by him!
It was sung by a man!
If she didn't know that the microphones and speakers at the venue had not been tampered with, Ha Qiqi would have definitely thought that a voice changer had been installed. At this moment, she felt that her worldview had collapsed. Looking at Qian Pingfan's face and listening to his voice, she would never have thought that he was a person even if she were beaten to death!
And most importantly, Ha Qiqi was also wondering why she did not find it "shocking" at all. If the other party did not sing well, did not sound like a woman, or deliberately imitated a transvestite's voice, Ha Qiqi would definitely have goosebumps all over her body. She would definitely not be used to it. But Qian Pingfan's singing was just too feminine. His voice was practically fake. Moreover, Qian Pingfan's face did not look like he was putting on an act or deliberately putting on an act. He still looked like a country bumpkin, but the moment he picked up the microphone and started singing, he immediately got into it. He was very focused and did not feel embarrassed or anything. It was very natural — this was the reason why Ha Qiqi did not find it shocking at all.
Very quickly, the song came to an end.
Qian Pingfan put down the microphone and broke away from the song. He became that shy young man again, scratching his head here and there and rubbing his nose there. He did not know where to put his hands and feet.
Ha Qiqi rubbed her temples. "Oh my God."
Wu Yi was also looking at Qian Pingfan like he was a god.
Qian Pingfan felt very awkward being stared at. "Teachers, if it's not good, then … then I'll be going back first. I snuck out today and did not tell my master."
Zhang Ye laughed. "Then you might have to go back a little later today."
Qian Pingfan was taken aback. "Why?"
Zhang Ye said, "Because there are some procedures to go through. I also want to inform you of the rules and things to take note of during the recording of the show."
When he said that, everyone was stunned!
Zhang Ye looked at him and said, "Congratulations, you've passed the auditions!"
I've finally found it!
This is the voice that this bro was looking for!
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