Next.
It was the turn of the Faceless Knight and Calico Cat.
Unexpectedly, Calico Cat did not sing an English song with dancing this time.
She sang a Chinese song.
And it was a new song by Ting Yu.
"As Wish Granted."
This song made countless viewers tear up on New Year's Eve on the Spring Festival Gala.
Now it was being used by Calico Cat for the competition.
"Is she trying to prove her strength after being attacked by Ma Xiang?"
"Haha, didn't Ma Xiang already apologize on Weibo?"
"What you said, if I stab you and then apologize, will you forgive me?"
"Ding Sheng Entertainment not only lost this time, but its reputation was also damaged. Coupled with the impact of foreign capital, I don't think they can last much longer."
"I heard that Ding Sheng Entertainment will announce something big in a few days."
"What big thing can they have? Are they signing a few more Kings of Singers with heavy money?"
"I have to say, Ding Sheng is really rich. They've signed nearly ten Kings of Singers recently to maintain their position in the industry."
Calico Cat's song.
This was her first time singing in Chinese on stage.
And she was very smart. Instead of forcefully competing with Cheng Rong's grand singing style, she used her own understanding to sing the emotion of a daughter missing her father.
Although the song's intent was much smaller, her overall performance was still commendable.
Unfortunately, she met the Faceless Knight, known for his consistency.
A classic love song by Mo Yan made the live audience exclaim, "Restoring the classic!"
Finally, Calico Cat entered the loser's bracket.
Next was the competition between the two substitute singers for this episode.
Elk vs. Fang!
Elk sang Ting Yu's "Silk Thread Play."
Her voice was clear, and her opera-style singing was also very good, showing a foundation in opera.
"Her voice sounds very young. There aren't many young singers in the Chinese music scene who sing opera. Could it be Lin Yanyu?"
"No way, if Lin Yanyu came to participate in King of Singers, Ting Yu should write a song for her."
"Do you really think of Ting Yu as a sow in a production team? Three to four songs a month is already very productive. It's normal for Lin Yanyu to sing her old songs."
"But that's Lin Yanyu. I think, given Ting Yu's personality, he might not write for Dark Night Rabbit, but he would write for Lin Yanyu."
"With Dark Night Rabbit already here, Lin Yanyu shouldn't be participating."
"And listening to this voice, it's too different from Lin Yanyu's. It's more like that singing blogger who became popular online recently."
"Feng Xi Jun? Holy crap, now that you mention it, I recall!"
"It does have a bit of Feng Xi Jun's flavor. She also covered Silk Thread Play."
Unlike Elk.
Fang's singing style leaned towards emotional flow, combined with very skilled techniques.
The moment he opened his mouth, it gave people the feeling of being instantly captivated.
Moreover, he didn't sing a very popular song, but a very niche love song.
This song was a re-lyrics of a foreign melody, which was a common technique in an era with limited entertainment but abundant classics.
Fang's performance seemed to transport the audience back to that era, reliving a classic.
Both of their performances were good.
In the end, Fang won by a narrow margin.
...
Next was the elimination round.
In the loser's bracket this week were Thorn, Calico Cat, and Elk.
Among these three, each had their own style.
Thorn's love songs were very touching, especially in the details of his handling, which absolutely showed the skill of a top King of Singers.
Calico Cat changed her style this time, singing "As Wish Granted." Although she lost to the Faceless Knight, the strength she displayed and the surprise of her style conversion still gained support from many. While the audience had fewer "lsp" screams, more people were impressed by her singing.
In the loser's bracket, the songs they chose were astonishing.
Calico Cat sang the "Legend of Sword and Fairy" theme song, "Sha Po Lang."
She once again showcased another style to the audience.
Thorn sang "Old Boy."
His low and melancholic voice gave the song a new interpretation.
As for Elk, she sang "Red Sorcerer."
"Red Sorcerer" was Ting Yu's first song with opera elements, and he was the one who brought this style of song to great popularity, drawing much attention to the Opera Association.
Therefore, while this song might not be considered a classic in terms of historical depth, for opera-style songs, it was definitely a classic among classics.
"Damn, all three songs are by Ting Yu. Plus the two songs from the group stage and the two new songs by Dark Night Rabbit, there are seven Ting Yu songs in this episode!"
"It's ridiculous. What is this called 'Masked Singer'? It should be called 'Ting Yu Singer'..."
"Hahaha, who would have thought that everyone's ultimate move would be Ting Yu's songs?"
"Thorn's 'Old Boy' was indeed very flavorful. I've been listening to this song, and he gave it a different interpretation."
"I think the most impressive one is 'Red Sorcerer.' I got goosebumps when the opera part came out."
It was indeed a bit absurd.
Everyone went all out in the elimination round, and their trump cards were all Ting Yu's songs.
This also stunned the four judges.
When did the show get taken over by Ting Yu?
"Haha, Ting Yu has become the big winner of the city competition, and now 'Masked Singer' is earning a lot of copyright fees!" Liu Huan joked.
"To be honest, I have a show in a few days, and I've also chosen a song by Ting Yu..." Han Qi said somewhat sheepishly.
"Didn't you say you were choosing my song?" Mo Yan looked at her pointedly.
Just a while ago, Han Qi had approached him for song copyrights, and now she directly said she was going to sing Ting Yu's song.
"Cough cough... I can't help it, many fan friends are asking me to sing a Ting Yu song." Han Qi covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Actually, I also have a show later where I'll be singing Ting Yu's song..." Yin Na also said weakly.
Mo Yan shook his head helplessly.
It seemed his era had truly passed.
However, with such an excellent junior carrying the banner of the Chinese music scene, he felt a sense of comfort amidst his disappointment.
Especially when facing the impact of foreign capital, having Ting Yu around gave him some confidence.
Because this was not just an economic impact, but also a cultural one.
In the early years, the Chinese music scene was impacted by Korean Wave. Everyone chased Korean dramas and idolized Korean girl groups. There were countless teenagers who idolized Korea, and even now, many people are still influenced, with a tendency to admire Korea.
And now, with the re-entry of these overseas capitals, it will be another cultural shock to the Chinese music scene.
At that time, Mo Yan and his peers won very difficultly. It was only with official intervention that the domestic entertainment industry had a chance to recover. Unfortunately, over the years, the domestic entertainment industry seemed to have gone astray. The era of traffic led to the prevalence of fast-food culture, and people paid no attention to traditional culture.
This is why the government has been promoting its traditional culture in recent years. It is to build China's cultural confidence, to let people know that China's thousands of years of cultural accumulation cannot be compared to those small countries overseas.
Moreover, the official competitions to create gods are also intended to have a central figure in the face of future cultural impact.
Troubled times produce heroes. The current Chinese music scene, facing the impact of foreign capital, is about to usher in troubled times, and Ting Yu is bound to be this hero!
This was Mo Yan's most certain answer!
...
PS: I had something to do yesterday and only wrote two chapters. However, I will update one chapter later, at least to finish this episode. These chapters will carry some foreshadowing for later plots. I recommend you read them carefully. This book does not have volume divisions, but it should be considered the fourth volume's plot.