The atmosphere in the office room within Bertelsmann Music Group was solemn. Ajay, sitting in front of a group of managers from the record company, felt restless and a little awkward. Looking at the clothes he had thrown on in a hurry, then back at the elegant office with its luxurious decor, he felt completely out of place. Thankfully, none of the managers was paying any attention to him. They were all discussing the thrift shop single that had just broken through 285,000 copies.
Thankfully, he wasn't the only one who dressed inappropriately. Tjay was actually standing out even more, with a new golden chain with his name written on it in embedded gems, a Kashmir woollen jacket, a gold buckle belt, white Vans, and loose-fitting black cargo jeans.
With him here, he was somehow able to feel at ease.
"All right," one of the managers spoke out, immediately attracting Ajay's attention.
They seemed to have reached a consensus, and Brad Grey, who was also one among them, turned towards Tjay and informed him of the company's plan. "We'll shoot the music video by the end of the week, and then you can go on tour throughout the country promoting the single."
"What do you think?"
Tjay didn't immediately respond and continued to sit in a relaxed posture, seemingly lost in thought, until he eventually leaned forward and nodded. "We can do that," he said, but the next moment, His lips slightly curved upward as he looked at Brad with a sharp gaze. "Y'all not gonna skimp out on the budget, right? For the music video?"
"$120,000," Brad Grey immediately responded.
Lil Tjay frowned. "Come on, Brad! It's too little." He gestured with his hands as he continued to explain. "There is no doubt that Thrift Shop will hit gold, and it might even go platinum. It's the only one among the releases distributed by BMG this year so far."
"I heard y'all gave over $500,000 for Whitney Washington's music video. Why don't you match that?"
Brad Grey immediately felt a headache coming. How could you compare yourself with Whitney Washington, one of the biggest divas in the world? He immediately wanted to yell, but he ultimately held back. After all, Tjay has just produced a hit, and his contract with the company is coming to an end. It's best not to contradict him too much.
So Brad took a roundabout approach to convince him. "It's not that we cannot invest more, but didn't you already read the script? The plot is relatively simple, and the budget quoted by the director isn't too high."
Lil Tjay stroked his chin and looked at Ajay out of the corner of his eye, and then he turned his attention back to Grey.
"Brad, if I'm being completely honest, I don't actually like the video idea put forward by the director. Compared to the one Jay told me, his idea was bland and dull, so why don't you hear him out?"
Hearing the request, All the managers suddenly turned their attention to the only outsider in the office, a young biracial boy who looked to be no older than 20.
They all looked at him, confused. They knew that the guy was the songwriter, but what did he have to do with the music video? Was he a scriptwriter as well?
Brad Grey felt the urge to immediately refuse, but thinking about the ability showcased by the boy, he swallowed his words and nodded.
"I'll arrange a meeting with the director. We can discuss the budget later."
Lil Tjay happily nodded and shook Brad's hand. "You can discuss the schedule with my agent. He'll be here in a bit."
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"Of course."
For the next half an hour, Ajay waited in the lounge alone, waiting for the director to arrive. He was feeling extremely restless and giddy, but at the same time, excited.
He felt like if he were able to convince the director, he would have one more thing he could use to pry into Hollywood.
Slowly, a vague plan took shape in his mind.
"If I can learn music production and employ a director to film them the way I envision, it will be like a one-stop destination for all top musicians in the country." He was quite confident that he could attract top talent with all the songs and music videos he had in his mind, and with their help, he could definitely gain a foothold in this industry and accumulate a lot of money in a very short span of time.
Also, leveraging the success in music and music production, he could even venture into other industries, be it film production, like he had originally thought, or even, his eyes lit up, the internet.
"Mr Williamson, Director Cory Schwartz is ready for you at the office."
Ajay woke up from his stupor and immediately got up. "Coming," he said.
Entering the room, Ajay immediately let out a sigh of relief as the solemn-looking managers were nowhere to be seen. Replacing them were Brad Grey and a person whom he had never met.
The man was maybe in his late 40s with a grey beard and a bald forehead, wearing a formal Western suit and thin wire glasses. Ajay guessed that he was the director and immediately extended his hand.
"Hello, Mr Cory, it's nice to meet you."
Cory Schwartz was initially taken aback by how young Ajay was, but he maintained his demeanour and stretched his hand to reciprocate.
Brad Grey acted as a middleman and quickly gave the necessary introductions.
Ajay was surprised because apparently the middle-aged man before him was not just any director; he was actually one of the top music video directors in the industry. He had just learned that his music videos had even won a few awards, although he didn't know what kind of awards were given out for music videos. He still understood that the man before him was the real deal.
As for Cory, he was no different either. He initially felt extremely unhappy that Tjay had rejected his idea for the music video and actually suggested listening to someone else, but after learning that the boy in front of him was actually the one who wrote the song, he couldn't help but take him seriously.
Even in his previous endeavours, he would always consult the people who wrote the songs, because their feelings and their ideas when they wrote the song were the most authentic things that could be used as material for making the music video. It was one of the reasons why people praised him since his work complemented the music so well.
"Mr Williamson, if you don't mind, could you tell me about your thought process when you wrote 'Thrift Shop'?"
Ajay was immediately taken aback because he was expecting the guy to inquire about his idea, but apparently not.
Ajay lowered his head in contemplation. He couldn't directly say that he had plagiarised the work from his last life, could he? He was thinking of a good excuse.
Thankfully, Cory didn't disturb him as well, giving him enough time to get his story straight.
A few minutes later, Ajay finally opened his mouth, his voice soft and filled with a sense of vicissitude. "I grew up in an orphanage, and I rarely got to wear new clothes." This was actually true, but he only experienced this situation for two years. "I never hated the situation, but I did feel a little disconnected from the mainstream music as I couldn't relate to them."
"Once, when I was 17, I went shopping in a thrift shop with a bunch of friends from the orphanage, and I remember having a lot of fun."
"So this song is mainly based on that memory."
Cory nodded repeatedly and excitedly started writing in his notebook.
"You're amazing, Mr Williamson!" Cory complimented, and Ajay felt a little embarrassed, but he still nodded and accepted the compliment.
Cory stroked his beard and slapped his knee as if he had figured something out. "I can now understand why, Mr Tjay. Didn't like the storyline. According to your description, what I provided was indeed incompatible."
"I saw it from an angle of social reality, trying to explain the simple happiness of normal people, but your description made it sound more like partying on a budget while not being afraid to show it off." He became excited and started to note down all the ideas as soon as possible.
'As expected of a top music video director, he realised the core in an instant.' Ajay looked at Cory with some admiration.
"Yes, that's pretty much it," he said and then continued directly describing the Thrift Shop music video from his past life.
"My idea is that the music video starts with the main character and a bunch of his friends riding kids' bicycles and toy bikes. A beat-up shopping cart could be added as well."
"They will all be in cool-looking outfits, but not the elegant kind, but the exaggerated kind like a thick full-on leopard print jacket, large bell-bottom pants, and other things."
Cory immediately caught on to his idea. "Basically, fashion that was seen as stylish in the late 80s."
Ajay's eyes lit up. "Yes, exactly," he said and continued.