Rewind With A Superstar System-Chapter 126: New Song Before Christmas

<🎧 Song Recommendation: The Recipe by Kendrick Lamar ft. Dr. Dre>

***

Von and Aura had already discussed the idea of a single before. They had vaguely agreed it would be done around early December. But now that Julian was trying to lock down the holiday charts, Von had accelerated the timeline.

All that was needed now was her label’s green light for her to come down to Miami.

It wasn’t an easy task for Emily. Aura had just released her debut album a month ago. While her LP wasn’t pulling ridiculous numbers as Lost & Found, she was doing exceptionally well for a newly debuted artist.

The album had debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, and Cloudary Records were more than satisfied by its commercial pull. Of course, music executives always believed an asset could do better, so they were ready to put Aura through one hell of a busy month.

Her schedule was packed with late-night talk show appearances, morning radio interviews, magazine cover shoots, and a rigorous promotional tour across the country.

Coupled with the fact that they didn’t want to cannibalize her current streaming numbers, another release with a completely different artist was simply not on their priority list.

But Emily was relentless with her efforts. After she opened a direct line of communication with Cloudary’s A&R executives, she managed to convince them using Von’s current cultural weight.

She laid out his monstrous streaming numbers and explained how featuring on Von’s track would act as a massive publicity funnel, pushing his millions of listeners directly toward Aura’s debut album.

It was a hard negotiation, but eventually, the executives relented after setting some clauses. First, Cloudary would get to keep fifty percent of the masters for the new single. Second, Von would only have twenty-four hours of Aura’s time. She would fly in, record, and fly right back out to her press tour.

Emily found the deal completely ridiculous, not understanding why Von was so eager to give up half his master royalties just to release a rushed song.

But after Von gave his satisfied approval, she had no choice but to sign it off. Von knew he wasn’t left with nothing, though. This was his first real opportunity to work adjacent to a major record label.

Cloudary would handle the heavy lifting for the single, the advertisements, playlist pitching, and global promotions and Von would still get to keep 50% of the money without lifting a finger on the marketing end. To him, it was a brilliant deal.

Acting quickly, Von set his plan into motion. His goal was to release the song on the exact same day as Julian, which was only five days away. He immediately booked a four-day session block at Neon Studios and linked up with his reliable producer.

***

The Miami sun was beating down when two cars met in the private driveway behind the Neon Studios complex. Von stepped out of his Cadillac Escalade just as the door of a black Mercedes-AMG GT swung open.

A lean guy with long locs tied back, dark skin, and arms completely filled with tattoos stepped out of the luxury car. He was wearing vintage denim and a chain that caught the midday sun.

"Von!" Patch called out, his face breaking into a wide grin as he walked over. "My boy! Long time no see."

"Really, bro? It’s only been two months. What’s good?"

They exchanged a quick, familiar hug and turned to walk inside the air-conditioned complex.

"Man, I’m doing really good, thanks to that hella crazy album of yours. My phone’s been ringing off the hook ever since it dropped. I’m actually renovating my whole studio out in Queens right now. Got contractors tearing down walls as we speak."

"Nah, don’t put that all on me," Von said humbly as they swiped their keycards at the front desk. "I also have your goated beats to thank for that success. And I’ll be needing them again today."

"You already know you can count on me, bro. Let’s make some magic."

After they grabbed the keys and gained access to the back corridors, they found they were assigned to Studio B this time. It was slightly smaller than Studio A where they worked on Lost & Found, but it still featured the exact same high-end acoustic treatment and world-class equipment, so neither of them minded in the slightest.

After Patch found his seat behind the massive SSL mixing console, he booted up his software and spun around in his leather chair to face Von.

"So, what’s this one about?" Patch asked, pulling up an empty project file. "Do you have a beat in mind, or are we starting from scratch?"

Von went into deep thought. Of course he already had a firm song concept in his head before even driving to the studio.

From what he envisioned, it was going to be a song about being separated by an apocalypse. Von wanted the song to remain relevant even when the global lockdown approached in a few months. It would be structured like a love song; two lovers that were unable to meet because of the chaotic state of the world outside their windows.

More importantly, he wanted Aura’s verses to carry the full power of her healing skill. Von believed that if it worked, it would be a truly special record, and it would also help Aura realize exactly what type of songs she should be singing in the long run to maximize her unique gift.

Von stepped up to the desk and began to hum, describing exactly how the rhythm and chords should go.

The process was remarkably different this time. The previous day, Von had spent the entirety of the EXP he had earned from his recent milestone rewards to upgrade his [Composition] skill to an A- rank.

That upgrade was a massive part of what gave him the confidence that they could prepare a guaranteed hit in just five days. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Because of his deeper knowledge, he didn’t just have abstract feelings anymore. He was able to easily and perfectly explain the exact musical vision in his head to Patch. He called out specific BPMs, chord progressions, and synth textures.

The work flowed incredibly smoothly, with Patch translating Von’s specific instructions into the software with lightning speed.

But at some point, about an hour into building the digital foundation, Von held up a hand and stopped him, realizing that something was fundamentally wrong with the track.

Patch paused the playback, raising an eyebrow. "What’s wrong, my G? The mix sounding muddy?"

Von paced the wooden floor of the control room with crossed arms.

"No, the mix is clean. But there’s something I just realized. Think about the tracklist. Coming Home, You’re Gonna Come Home, Thousand Miles, It Doesn’t Even Matter, Northern Attitude." Von looked over at the producer.

"They’re all doing significantly better than the rest of the songs on the album, and it’s not a coincidence."

Patch was intrigued by what Von had to say. He leaned back in his leather seat and crossed his arms to listen. "Word? So what is that common thing you say?"

"Instruments!" Von exclaimed. "Live instruments! I think that’s something special. It gives the music life, something a machine simply can’t compute. Don’t you think?"

Patch’s eyes lit up in agreement. He clicked his fingers and pointed at Von.

"You’re not wrong, boy. You’ve hit the nail right on the head. I’m with you on that philosophy a hundred percent. A computer can make it perfect, but humans will always produce more life than machines."

A confident smile returning to Von’s face. "So, now how about I invite the best drummer I know to this project? I can play the piano, but Aura is a lot better on the keys. She’ll handle that part when she comes in tonight. But we need a real heartbeat for this beat."

"Man, that’s exactly why I like working with you. You take this music stuff like a real craft, bro. Like art. That’s the passion lacking among so many artists out there right now. Don’t ever lose that."

"Of course I can’t settle for less," Von chuckled proudly before concluding, "Conor is still in Miami. I’ll call him over right now."

He picked up his phone from the desk and turned away, scrolling through his contacts to wake his favorite drummer.