Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion

"Mr. Baker, are you getting off work?"

In the afternoon, at Link Music, Link received a call from Mr. Graeme, preparing to go to the recording studio to practice singing. In the corridor, he bumped into a tall girl who stopped and waved at him.

"Are you... Lana?"

Link looked at her, asking uncertainly.

"Mr. Baker, don't you recognize me?"

Lana spread her arms and laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

Lana was dressed in a dark blue skirt, slender and slim with a somewhat bony figure. Her thick, reddish-brown curly hair cascaded down like satin, complementing her pale skin and giving her an air of a classical beauty.

Link nodded, recognizing the Lana he remembered.

"You've changed a lot, and you look really good."

"Thank you!"

Lana brushed the hair on her shoulders and smiled, "I've dressed like this before, but I didn't really like it."

"Oh? Why not?"

Link asked as they walked.

"This is ladylike attire, but I'm not a lady, nor do I want to be defined as one. Once you become a lady, you have to act like one—no smoking, no swearing, no sitting with legs crossed, and many things you can't do. It's very awkward. I prefer being a rock girl."

Link nodded, understanding her sentiment. This is a country that celebrates freedom, where everyone pursues liberty. Forcing a rock girl to play the role of a lady indeed felt restrictive.

"So now you're preparing to be a lady?"

"That was Ivanka's suggestion. She thought dressing this way would help attract more fan attention and promote my new song. For the sake of music, I decided to be a lady temporarily," Lana explained, spreading her hands.

Link smiled gently. She had already signed a six-album deal with Link Music. The next steps were to release singles and albums, aiming to become a singer.

With her beautiful looks, good figure, solid singing skills, distinctive voice, and decent songwriting ability,

turning her into a star singer wouldn't be difficult.

"Lana, you have good skills and a great image. Why did your initial album release fail?"

"I used to love country music. My first album was in that style, but following its release, the fans didn't embrace it. I then switched to rock music, which also didn't seem right, until I met you. Only then did I understand what kind of music suits me," Lana said, fanning her long eyelashes as she spoke.

Link smiled at her explanation.

Country music is working-class music, meant for the lower strata to enjoy and unwind to after work, typically sweet, positive, sunny, and warm. Singing it also requires a sunny and warm disposition, like Taylor's voice, which suits it well.

But Lana's voice was melancholic. Listening to her sing country music could often make one feel more depressed instead of better, making it clear why fans wouldn't buy her album.

As for rock music, although she wanted to be a rock girl, her temperament and image were too ladylike, lacking the hysteria typical of rock performers. Standing out in the crowded rock scene would be even more challenging.

Lana's previous failures were due to misdirection and mispositioning.

Meanwhile, the song "Young and Beautiful" that Link wrote was not just a song; it was a path, a direction. In a sense, he was Lana's guide in music.

As they talked, they arrived at the recording studio together.

In March, after the album royalties were deposited, Ivanka invested some money and purchased a recording studio in Metropolitan Music City.

There were four recording studios, all equipped with top-tier furnishings, soundproofing, recording equipment, lighting design, and musical instruments, which cost over eight million US dollars in total.

When it came to spending money, Ivanka was a professional. She could purchase the best items at the appropriate prices in the shortest time, which Link perceived as an enviable skill.

——

"Good!"

"Lana, compress your voice a bit more, it will make your timbre fuller and more dynamic."

In Studio Two of Link Music, Lana stood in front of the microphone, singing "Young and Beautiful."

Mr. Graham and Mr. David Kahn and other producers were all present.

Mr. David Kahn, in his forties, was one of the music producers who had switched from Universal Records last year.

He had previously assisted Mr. Graham, handling things like the scoring for Link's albums.

After Lana Del Rey joined Link Music, he would be in charge of producing her singles and albums.

David Kahn stood outside the soundproof glass, adjusting the mix and frequencies on the sound control console and occasionally giving feedback through the microphone.

Link listened with headphones and found Lana's voice deep, lazy, with a touch of decadence and sadness. Although it sounded pessimistic and negative, it was truly pleasant to hear, which was also a characteristic.

"Graham, Lana has great potential. You and the other producers should discuss and come up with a specific development plan,"

Link asked.

"Alright!"

Graham thought for a moment and responded, "Link, in your second album, there are two songs that need a female duet part. One of those could be given to Lana. She has the capability. Next month, we plan to release this single first to see how the market reacts. If the responses from the fans are good, we'll consider her first album."

Link nodded thoughtfully. Lana's career path was different from his own; she was a complete newcomer with no fame in the entertainment world.

For a newcomer like her to establish herself in the music industry, she needed strong personal talent, an excellent song that could target market trends, and a powerful record company to handle promotions.

In terms of distribution abilities, Link Music was mediocre, but Lana had good talent and the song was also good. Now, the only other factors to consider were market trends, which could also be attributed to luck.

"This song carries a sense of the era; before its release, we could contact some Hollywood movie companies to see if there's any movie suitable for it to be the theme song."

Link realized that this song was meant to be the theme for "The Great Gatsby," but since the movie was still years away from release, it was temporarily impossible to capitalize on it to gain fame.

However, Hollywood produced period dramas every year, and with careful searching, they might find a suitable one. Find your next adventure on empire

A single supported by a movie could circulate faster, and the company could also save some promotional expenses.

Just like "Give Me Reason." Once "Transformers 2" was released, this single would definitely have the potential to top the charts in multiple countries.

After a brief discussion, Link and Mr. Graham headed to Studio One to start recording "Give Me Reason" and practicing songs for his second album, including two songs by MJ.

On Monday, Link made a trip to the American Record Industry Association (RIAA) New York branch to collect a symbolic platinum record.

According to RIAA rules, sales over 500,000 copies in the United States qualify for a gold record, one million for a platinum record, and ten million for a diamond record, and certification itself is also a form of publicity, which Link was happy to participate in.

After the record certification, he immediately rushed to New York University's Stern School of Business to report and discuss course arrangements and sports meetings with Dean Raghu Sundaram.

This year, the 25th Intercollegiate Summer Sports Games were held in mid-May in Serbia, Eastern Europe, lasting 15 days.

Link said he could participate in all the swimming events.

Mr. Sundaram welcomed him, but for fairness, he needed to participate in the school's sports meet and achieve a favorable ranking before he could represent the school in competition.

Link said it was no problem, although it meant adding another item to his already busy schedule.