The award for "Female Singer of the Year" was undeniably well-deserved for Lin Yanyu.
Even without the backing of Tingyu, her talent alone would have made her a formidable presence among Chinese music's female artists, rivaling both younger and older generations.
Coupled with her status as Tingyu's woman, the popularity boosted by CP fans made her heat virtually unmatched.
Skill and popularity were the key evaluations for awards.
In both aspects, Lin Yanyu stood at the pinnacle of female singers, making her win a foregone conclusion.
"Thank you all for your support. I'm quite emotional to receive this award. For a singer, an award is an affirmation of their hard work. I will continue to work hard and strive to bring more good songs to everyone!"
After her acceptance speech, Lin Yanyu gracefully descended the stage in her heels.
She was always a confident woman, never faltering in such occasions.
The venue erupted in thunderous applause.
Lin Yanyu's background was formidable, and the audience naturally showed her great respect and support through their applause.
The awards ceremony continued.
Mo Yan held the script.
His gaze remained fixed on the area where Tingyu was seated.
"The winner of the Best New Female Artist of the Year award is Jiang Xiao'e!!"
After he announced it.
Jiang Xiao'e froze in surprise.
The Best New Artist award was hers?
"What are you waiting for, hurry up and go on stage," Gong Ju Ren reminded her.
Jiang Xiao'e finally reacted and quickly got up, making her way towards the stage.
"I can't believe I actually won this award..." she stammered, her voice trembling as she accepted the trophy from Mo Yan and held the microphone.
While her achievements were already enough to earn her a nomination for best singer, she was indeed a new artist. Lin Yanyu, despite her higher achievements, had debuted many years ago. Since Su Yu's acquaintance, she had already been an idol singer. Therefore, it wasn't entirely unexpected for this award to go to Jiang Xiao'e.
"Thank you to the esteemed judges of the ceremony, and thank you all for your support. Although I know time is limited, I still want to thank one person." Jiang Xiao'e turned her gaze towards Su Yu in the audience.
As their eyes met, she could feel the gratified smile on Su Yu's face, and her own eyes welled up.
"Thank you, Teacher Tingyu, for your constant encouragement and support. Frankly, my personality in the beginning was not suited to being an artist, but your continuous encouragement allowed me to overcome and correct my issues and persevere. Without you, there would be no Jiang Xiao'e today. Thank you!!"
With that, she bowed deeply to Su Yu.
"Why do I feel like crying a little..."
"Tingyu is not only a successful musician but also a successful mentor."
"What mentor? He's younger than Jiang Xiao'e!"
"The wise are teachers, regardless of age. I've been a fan of Jiang Xiao'e since her first song. Her growth over the past three years has been immense, not just hers, but Gong Ju Ren's as well!"
"Many envy the artists in the Singer Group for taking off with Tingyu, but how many realize the immense pressure they endure? Take the Shoe Brothers, also from the Singer Group, who knew their musical talent wasn't enough and have since retired."
"Nonsense, the Shoe Brothers retired because they only wanted to make money and didn't have much passion for music. To avoid damaging Tingyu's reputation, they stopped singing. They're still active on Weibo, and their Sichuan restaurant chain is now nationwide!"
"Damn, I thought those two were kicked out by Tingyu!"
"How could that be? The Shoe Brothers and Tingyu were college roommates; they're incredibly close!"
The audience in the live stream were typing "tears," and also discussing some matters regarding the Singer Group.
Speaking of Tingyu's Singer Group, the two lively characters, the Shoe Brothers, had to be mentioned.
As Zhao De and Zhou Tao witnessed Su Yu's growing success, they felt a sense of inadequacy. Effort was important, but this industry valued talent even more. Gong Ju Ren and Jiang Xiao'e were both talented and hardworking individuals.
Zhao De and Zhou Tao were not. They felt that continuing to waste Su Yu's songs might tarnish his and the Singer Group's reputation. Furthermore, their aspirations weren't grand; they only wanted to sing to earn a living. After their Sichuan restaurant began to flourish, they resolutely dedicated themselves to the catering industry.
Similarly, Zhang Yang also experienced this. His talent was not high either, and he was arguably the weakest vocalist in the Singer Group. However, after choosing to pursue a career in film and television, he transitioned very successfully, even thriving in the entertainment industry.
Therefore, simply following Tingyu didn't guarantee becoming a singing superstar. In addition to personal effort, talent was also essential.
...
The awards for female singers had concluded.
Next came the male singer categories.
And everyone knew that the male singer awards were the true highlight of this ceremony.
Due to gender considerations, although Tingyu possessed a versatile vocal range and sang songs that sounded even more feminine than female singers, rule restrictions prevented Tingyu from winning awards in the female singer category.
As a producer and also a singer.
He was expected to dominate these awards!
Similarly.
Initially, there were some less significant nominations.
This allowed artists strongly promoted by various companies to make an appearance.
Once the appearances concluded.
The audience's gaze shifted towards the front rows of the seating area.
Even Mo Yan on stage, holding his script, had a somewhat peculiar expression…
"Next, we will present the first major award of the day!"
He glanced at Su Yu, then at the script.
A strange smile lingered on his face.
"The winner of the Best Mandarin Male Singer of the Year award is…"
Mo Yan paused for dramatic effect.
Just as the audience grew impatient, he finally announced loudly: "Tingyu!"
Wow!
The venue immediately erupted in incredibly enthusiastic applause!
This was Tingyu's first appearance on stage at this year's Era Music Awards.
But everyone knew it wouldn't be the last.
"I didn't expect the first award I'd receive would be a singer's award…"
Su Yu accepted the trophy from Mo Yan and leaned into the microphone, saying with a light chuckle.
"Should I give my acceptance speech now?" Mo Yan asked with a smile.
"Yes, please. Thank you to all the fans for your recognition and support, thank you for liking my singing."
His acceptance speech was very brief and not overly formal, as if he was casually expressing gratitude. However, the applause and the barrage of comments on the live stream were more enthusiastic and numerous than anyone else's.
This was Tingyu's influence within the Chinese entertainment industry, the achievement he had reached in just over three years!
With that, amidst the applause, Su Yu walked off stage with his trophy, heading back to his seat.
However, he had barely settled in.
Mo Yan's voice rang out again.
"The winner of the Best Cantonese Male Singer of the Year award is… Tingyu!"