"All units, prepare! Recording, camera, lighting, and props teams, take your positions!" Director Zhang sat in the control room, surrounded by a dense array of buttons, speaking into a microphone connected to the intercom headsets of each team.
The audience below buzzed with anticipation. Apart from the fifty staff members planted among them, the remaining four hundred and fifty were genuine members of the public. Having been briefed beforehand, they waved the glow sticks distributed by the production team, whispering excitedly to each other.
Suddenly, the stage lights blazed to life, illuminating a massive circular stage with a raised walkway extending directly into the audience seating. Eight large, opaque square boxes stood on the stage, their contents hidden from view, though everyone guessed they must contain performers. To the right of the stage, a row of plush sofas beckoned.
Wang Ziqiang and Meng Yan emerged from backstage, eliciting gasps of surprise and excited cheers from the crowd. Wang Ziqiang's appearance was a shock—the veteran comedian had retired long ago, and his sudden return stunned long-time viewers of Tomato TV. Meng Yan's arrival, on the other hand, was greeted with delight. After all, who wouldn't be thrilled to see such a stunning beauty?
The audience erupted in cheers:
"Meng Yan, my goddess! Her feet are sparkling!"
"Brother Wang, you're awesome! We've been waiting for you! Hurry up and revive the talk show—those has-beens have completely ruined its reputation!"
"Looks like Tomato TV is really going all out. They've brought in some serious heavyweights."
"...Just quietly, I'm here to find out who One Leaf Knows Autumn is."
The audience buzzed with chatter, waving their glow sticks to welcome the two hosts onto the stage.
When Director Zhang shouted, "Three, two, one, action!" all cameras swiveled to focus on the stage.
Wang Ziqiang grabbed the microphone and boomed enthusiastically, "Welcome everyone! Welcome to Tomato TV's passionately crafted I Am a Creator! I'm your host, Wang Ziqiang—let's get this show started, brothers and sisters!"
Meng Yan simply smiled, waiting for Wang Ziqiang to toss her the spotlight. When he did, she introduced herself warmly: "Dear viewers, I'm Meng Yan. I'm thrilled to be co-hosting this show with Brother Wang!"
The male audience's cheers grew even louder. Wang Ziqiang, ever the comedian, feigned exasperation. "Hey, my fellow men! Look at you all! I work my butt off warming up the crowd with all this talking, and you barely make a peep. Then Miss Bai shows up, says a single word, and you go wild? This is impossible to record!"
He pretended to step off the stage, but Meng Yan swiftly moved forward, waving him back with a practiced gesture.
"For Teacher Bai's sake, I'll let you off the hook..."
He bounced back onto the stage, their playful banter having successfully warmed up the audience for the main event.
Wang Ziqiang introduced the creative concept and initial vision behind "I Am a Creator." A pre-recorded segment featuring Director Zhang followed, its crisp, authoritative narration tracing the evolution of the Idol Audition genre from its inception to its current state.
Finally, he drove home the point: despite the influx of Idol Audition contestants, the music industry wasn't thriving; instead, it was deteriorating, with poorly produced songs polluting the public's ears daily.
The heart of music lies with its creators—composers and lyricists—who ultimately control its quality.
The public often focuses solely on the trainees of idol audition shows, overlooking the dedicated teams working behind the scenes. A dazzling star's brilliance on stage is impossible without the support of these unsung heroes, especially the creators.
This show serves a dual purpose: to provide viewers with access to high-quality music and to help management companies discover truly talented creators for their established artists.
For already popular artists, maintaining their reputation is crucial. They can't afford to disappoint their fans with subpar material.
As the VCR concluded, Wang Ziqiang solemnly explained the competition format: "The eight boxes you see before you each represent a team of creators who are here today. They will showcase their best original works, and the final rankings will be determined entirely by your votes."
Meng Yan added, "Starting from the second episode, our show will transition to a hybrid format of pre-recorded segments and live broadcasts. The creators' selection of performers and their practice routines will be pre-recorded, while the actual performances will be streamed live. This way, a broader audience can participate in voting and help choose the themes for future songs."
"Yes, our first episode is pre-recorded, but subsequent episodes will be a mix of pre-recorded segments and live performances. Let's cut the small talk—the audience is eager to see tonight's guests. Please welcome our eight guest vocalists!"
Wang Ziqiang, the host, skillfully timed the announcements. As the camera zoomed in, the audience watched on the giant screen as the stars emerged from the backstage dressing rooms.
First up were Yang Chaoyue and Cheng Xiao, who took the stage and performed a dance routine that was technically sound but lacked flair.
Next, Wang Lingkai sprinted onto the stage, his face glistening with oil under the spotlight. Grabbing the microphone, he shouted to the cheering crowd: "Thank you all for coming! I'll bring you joy with my music. If you're feeling as hyped as I am, then I think this is gonna be... totally awesome!" With that, he launched into a musical barrage for the audience.
Ye Huanqiu, confined inside his large square box, nearly had a heart attack from that ear-splitting shout. Seriously? What kind of freaks are they letting on stage these days? he wondered.
Was this a music stage or a circus arena?
The next performer was even more over-the-top, his shoulder pads towering higher than his forehead.
Zhang Yanzhuo's voice was so sticky, like he had malt candy stuck in his throat. His singing style was truly...
Ye Huanqiu had watched the pre-recorded segments earlier. His biggest takeaway now was: with all these bizarre acts, there's no way Earth Star's music market could ever thrive!
Chen Yihan and Liu Ning followed, delivering solid but unremarkable performances.
Finally, Sun Nan and Tan Weiwei took the stage as the lights began to shift through vibrant colors.
The duo prepared a visual and auditory feast to cleanse the audience's ears.
True vocal powerhouses, they elevated even a mediocre song to new heights with their sheer talent.
The audience and everyone backstage politely applauded.
Inside the large square box, the director led a cameraman with a shoulder-mounted camera through individual interviews. When it was Ye Huanqiu's turn, the interviewer asked, "Based on the performances of the singers so far, which one would you most like to collaborate with?"