Chapter 4: The Sharp-Tongued Judge and the Vocal Coach

After the stage performance of “That Girl,” the show moved into the mentor-student interaction segment.

The host followed the script and began, “Thank you to our seven contestants for their wonderful performance. Do any of the four mentors have questions? Xiyin, how would you evaluate this group of junior trainees?”

Shen Xiyin was the champion of last season’s “Tomorrow’s Star.” The production team had invited her to be a mentor this season, hoping for some crossover appeal. Among the four mentors, Shen Xiyin was the least experienced and dared not speak first. She quickly said, “I’ll let the other mentors go first. I’ll learn from them.”

“Xiyin’s planning to give the final verdict,” joked renowned music producer Liang Yusong.

Shen Xiyin hurriedly waved her hands, “No, no, I’m here to learn.”

At that moment, the director signaled for the music critics at the media panel to give their comments first.

The seasoned host He Hao immediately guided the conversation, “I see one of our critics has raised a hand, eager to comment. Let’s invite Jefferson, our famous music critic, to share his thoughts on this performance.”

Jefferson was a music critic with nearly two million followers on the Weibo platform, known for his sharp tongue. He wasn’t afraid to criticize even the most popular stars, often inciting their young fans to flood his social media. This notoriety, however, brought him more traffic. He had many detractors, but this was his way of surviving in the industry. Many music shows invited him precisely for his biting commentary, and he never refused, always ready to take aim at anyone.

In real life, Jefferson was a middle-aged man, looking to be in his forties, with a stern expression that made him seem hard to approach.

Taking the host’s cue, Jefferson started his critique. “Let’s start from the beginning. Who sang the first line? Step forward.”

Fang Xing took a step forward, standing calmly. The audience and fans, seeing a contestant singled out by the critic, began whispering, “He must have messed up and is about to be criticized.”

As expected, Jefferson’s opening was harsh. “You sang the first line? What was that? Do you even understand music? Tell me, do you?”

Fang Xing blinked, momentarily at a loss for words, unwilling to argue, he simply smiled and replied, “I just sing. I don’t really understand music.”

Jefferson, feeling he had the upper hand, prepared to continue his barrage. “At least you’re self-aware. Your singing lacked breath, lacked pitch…”

At this point, mentor Chen Chaonan, unable to listen any longer, interrupted.

“Stop right there.”

As the vocal coach for the show and a doctoral advisor at Donghai Music Academy, Chen Chaonan maintained strict professional standards. This wasn’t in the script; it was an unexpected development.

Host He Hao quickly took control, guiding the conversation, “Our Coach Chen has a different opinion. Let’s hear his thoughts.”

Chen Chaonan, face stern, said, “When the chief director approached me, they said the show would be judged by vocal standards. So I must use professional criteria. If the production team is dissatisfied, we can discuss it after the show.”

At this, chief director Tong Fei took the microphone handed over by the assistant director and said, “Let’s hear Coach Chen’s critique. On vocal matters, his opinion will be the standard.”

Receiving this assurance, Chen Chaonan turned to Fang Xing on stage and asked, “We met this morning, right?”

“Yes, when I was warming up,” Fang Xing replied in a calm tone.

Chen Chaonan gave a thumbs up and praised him. “When I heard you warming up this morning, you seemed a little rusty. But tonight, your performance was excellent—you accomplished exactly what’s needed in the verse.

“The verse is for storytelling, while the chorus is for emotion.

“In a song, the verse is actually the core, the true message to be conveyed.

“But the verse is often the hardest part to sing with distinction. Yet from your first note, you drew people into the song’s story—very impressive.

“To sing an understated section to its fullest is no small feat.

“As a vocal coach, I must recognize such a contestant.”

Fang Xing nodded in thanks, “Thank you, coach.”

After Chen Chaonan’s evaluation, Jefferson, the sharp-tongued critic, was left awkwardly at a loss. The average audience might not know who Chen Chaonan was, but Jefferson certainly did. With a doctoral advisor from Donghai Music Academy giving such praise, any further negative comment from Jefferson would be humiliating for himself.

As Chen Chaonan finished, the audience was a bit confused.

“Who’s this mentor? Never seen him before. Did the show bring him in to hype up some unknown contestant?”

“Chen Chaonan is a doctoral advisor at Donghai Music Academy. He rarely appears on shows and should be quite professional in vocal music.”

“So who’s this trainee? Why is the mentor’s praise so high? What did he sing?”

“He sang the first line, his name is Fang something.”

“He’s ranked tenth from the bottom in popularity, so unknown, but gets such high praise—really?”

Some audience members checked the “Tomorrow’s Star” rankings on Penguin Video, scrolling all the way to the bottom to find Fang Xing’s name.

“To be honest, he did sing pretty well. Not flashy, but verses aren’t like choruses—you can’t belt out high notes. It’s hard to stand out.”

To ordinary listeners, the high notes in the chorus are the most impressive. But for critics with higher musical appreciation, singing the verses well is more difficult. The verse lacks showy high notes but is the real storytelling part of the song. To convey the story with a plain voice is a challenge.

Next, the host noticed that the last mentor, superstar singer Zhang Huiying, signaled she wanted to speak. He immediately passed the topic to her, “Sister Ying, do you have a different opinion?”

Applause echoed.

Zhang Huiying began by clapping, “The song’s emotions rose and fell, so I didn’t clap during the performance. Here’s my applause now.

“Overall, the song was excellent. It was obvious that both the choreography and the singing were handled with care.

“Coach Chen Chaonan already commented on Fang Xing, but I’d like to add something.

“The first line was fantastic. If I didn’t see how young you are, I’d have thought it was sung by a veteran with decades of experience.

“However, after the first two lines drew me into the story, the later part felt a bit flat, leaving my emotions suspended—neither rising nor falling.

“Still, overall, it was very good. I’ll give this stage a high score.”

“Thank you, mentor,” all seven contestants replied in unison.

The host continued, “Xiyin, the two mentors have spoken. Do you want to speak last, or now?”

Shen Xiyin flashed two thumbs up, “I’ll go now. All I can say is it was wonderful. The verse was great, the chorus was great, and the last high note in the chorus shocked me. Wu Junchen, you must have hit D5, right? Amazing—even female voices can struggle with that note.”

As last season’s champion, Shen Xiyin was still under contract with Penguin Entertainment. Penguin Entertainment produced these talent shows to make money. To profit, they needed to hype up popular contestants, so someone had to praise them. Chen Chaonan, Zhang Huiying, and Liang Yusong—the mentors—were either academic experts, superstar singers, or famous producers. The production team couldn’t control their comments, so most mentor remarks were left for Shen Xiyin.

Her evaluation immediately set off a wave of screams from fans in the studio.

“Wu Junchen! Wu Junchen! Wu Junchen!”

After Shen Xiyin finished, only renowned music producer Liang Yusong remained.

Liang Yusong took the microphone, coughed, and joked, “You’ve all said the good things, leaving the bad news to me.”

He glanced at his messy notes and began his critique. “First, the overall performance was uneven—some high points, some low.

“Just as Mentor Huiying said, the emotional arc was erratic because the singing was inconsistent.

“And the high notes in the chorus—I suggest working on resonance. Otherwise, the sound is too thin, and D5 was unstable. Lowering it by half a tone would help, though only a little.

“And Fang Xing, Coach Chen praised you highly, but I have a different opinion.

“You sang two lines well, but only two. That’s hardly enough to judge anything.

“At least show a wider vocal range and more expression before I can give an accurate evaluation.

“So, for the upcoming PK round, who’s singing in your group? Did the director ask you to prepare a PK song?”

He raised a song list and continued, “The PK songs listed here don’t include your name. If Class F can’t break through in the first performance, you might be eliminated. Director, please mute the mics and come up for a discussion.”

Chief director Tong Fei walked up to the mentor panel and quietly discussed things with the four mentors.

Since Fang Xing hadn’t submitted his backing track, his name wasn’t on the PK song list.

After a few minutes of discussion, recording resumed.

Liang Yusong continued, “Fang Xing, the production team reminded you yesterday to submit your PK song’s backing track, yet you didn’t hand it in before the show started. Why?”

Fang Xing considered his answer, “Honestly, I just couldn’t find any arrangement equipment.”

Liang Yusong raised his brows curiously, “You wanted to arrange it yourself?”

Fang Xing shrugged, relaxed, “That was the plan, but I didn’t get it done. It’s not important.”

Liang Yusong’s tone grew serious, “This is a competition and fairness must be ensured. Since you didn’t submit your backing track on time, if you get a chance to sing in the PK round, you’ll have to perform a cappella. Of course, first you need to qualify for the PK.”

In the upcoming PK round, each team had only one slot. That meant only fourteen contestants would have a chance, while Class F boasted forty members. Not every Class F contestant would get the opportunity.