"Breaking News: "Ophelia" officially available on iTunes and Spotify!"
Even though there was a lack of publicity, thanks to the recent popularity on YouTube, the thrilling news was quickly discovered by netizens. They were among the first to spread the word on various online platforms. One user on the Yahoo Community posted a message, "The damn guy Renly Hall has finally decided to officially record! Now we can finally listen to the complete studio version. Jesus Christ, I've been listening to the original version of this song for a full five months!"
After the post went up, it swiftly attracted a flurry of discussions and accolades from numerous netizens. The speculations about calculated promotion surfaced once again, scattered here and there. On the thirty-seventh floor of the thread, Brandomania wrote:
"Regardless of Renly Hall's family background, the objective fact is that he didn't use any resources for promotion. The "Ophelia" video merely caused a stir on YouTube, and there was no subsequent follow-up. As for "Cleopatra", it has been six months since its upload, with zero promotional resources. It relied solely on word of mouth.
Regardless of whether there's strong backing for Renly Hall, the objective fact is that apart from the two professional music reviews from The Fader and Billboard, he has reached this point solely through the excitement and attention of netizens. No scandal news, no hype, no radio advertisements, and definitely no TV promotion.
No matter how things have unfolded to this point, the objective fact is that "Cleopatra" and "Ophelia" are indeed good music. Isn't that the most important thing?"
The post by Brandomania soon ignited fervent debates among netizens. Some supported the statement, some opposed it, and some just observed the commotion. However, overall, the supporters held the upper hand. Combining with the netizens' "conclusions" from earlier, this perspective gradually became the mainstream. The not-so-big, not-so-small controversy quietly subsided after all, considering that Renly was just a newcomer now, lacking extensive discussion value.
However, this minor controversy once again stoked the thread's popularity. The number of netizens aware that "Ophelia" was officially available increased.
Within just six hours after the single was uploaded, "Ophelia" successfully entered the top 200 of iTunes' instant download chart!
On the surface, entering the top 200 might not be something to boast about, but considering there was no announcement, no preview, no reminder, and absolutely no promotion—it relied solely on the fervor of the netizens who played detective—it was remarkable to achieve such results. Moreover, this was just the beginning.
With the spread of the news, the download data for "Ophelia" visibly and rapidly climbed. By three in the afternoon, it had already secured a place within the top 100. This achievement was accomplished within a mere nine hours since the single's upload. Furthermore, this upward trajectory was riding on a metaphorical rocket, soaring up quickly, making people strongly question, "Since when did folk music become so widely anticipated?"
By nine in the evening, "Ophelia" had risen to the fourteenth position on the iTunes instant download chart, and the momentum finally began to slow down. Such an unfolding curve could be considered nothing short of incredible. It truly showcased the remarkable power of the internet era—achieving outstanding results without expending any promotional resources was absolutely astounding.
Meanwhile, the "Cleopatra (Arranged Version)" also garnered significant attention. Compared to the hot topic effect of "Ophelia", this single relied more on word of mouth, as it had been lingering in the lower ranks of the Billboard singles chart for two months. Therefore, the download data lacked a sudden surge but still displayed considerable staying power.
By nine in the evening, the "Cleopatra (Arranged Version)" was just in the sixty-fourth position on iTunes' instant download chart. However, by midnight, its ranking had risen to the thirty-first position. In contrast, "Ophelia" continued to linger at the fourteenth position without any change in three hours.
Of course, the most noteworthy aspect was the original version of "Cleopatra", uploaded back in March of this year. The day after the Emmy Awards, it reached an astonishing rank of third place on iTunes' instant download chart! The top two positions were held by Eminem and Rihanna's collaboration "Love the Way You Lie" and Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream".
This was undoubtedly a massive breakthrough, an unimaginable feat. Although "Cleopatra" remained in the third place for merely twenty-four hours and slipped down the next day, it was still cause for celebration. Now, a week later, with the spotlight on two brand new singles, the download count for "Cleopatra" had been somewhat diverted by the arranged version, but it was still on an upward trajectory, remarkably securing the forty-ninth spot on iTunes' instant download chart.
The achievement was so outstanding that words couldn't fully capture it. Though this was just the outcome within twenty-four hours, the trajectory that would unfold afterward remained unpredictable. However, the buzz generated within that twenty-four-hour span was on par with that of popular artists, and no one could deny that these two singles had truly grabbed the spotlight, a miracle in the realm of independent music.
Over the past few years, many independent musicians had released their own singles through new-generation companies specializing in song casting. Yet, their performance had been mediocre. In an age of information explosion, without sufficient promotional support, it was incredibly difficult to break through. Most singles couldn't even squeeze into the top 200 of iTunes' instant download chart, with download counts hovering in the double digits. This plight of independent music was evident.
Now, "Ophelia" and "Cleopatra" had, by chance, achieved such remarkable success, undoubtedly serving as a powerful shot in the arm for the world of independent music!
The story doesn't end here.
iTunes and Spotify's streaming data were merely some of the various metrics used to gauge the success and popularity of musical works. In the United States, Billboard and in the United Kingdom, the Pop Music Charts were the benchmarks for assessing the overall commercial success of music.
In the second week of September, Billboard announced their rankings on Monday, September 6th. Since the "Ophelia" single was released on the same day, the results would naturally have to wait until the following week. However, "Cleopatra", which had already remained on the charts for two months, became the most anticipated single of the week.
The previous week, "Cleopatra" was ranked eighty-ninth, still hovering around the bottom of the list. But this week, it experienced a rocket-like surge, leaping directly to the forty-eighth position. Not only did it become the single with the largest increase in rank this week, but it also successfully entered the top fifty!
This wasn't the iTunes instant download chart, nor was it the daily play count rankings of Spotify or YouTube. This was the Billboard's comprehensive commercial index, a fiercely competitive Billboard that, amid the blazing competition of countless singles, deemed any single's entry into the top fifty a celebratory achievement, let alone when it came to an obscure folk song.
In the first decade of the 21st century, the number of folk songs that made it into the Billboard top fifty could be counted on one hand. Even Jason Mraz, who currently had the most outstanding performance, was no exception. So far, he had only three singles in the Billboard top one hundred, among them the record-breaking "I'm Yours", which had a record-breaking 76-week stay that people talked about. Yet, even that was only the time it lingered on the Billboard chart. Its highest ranking was merely sixth place, and it couldn't advance any further.
This was the most outstanding folk song in terms of commercial performance over the past decade.
Now, "Cleopatra" had once again made it into the Billboard's top fifty! And it shattered all constraints. With no music video, no physical album, no promotional package, no radio promotion, and even without record companies or casting agencies, this miracle was truly astonishing!
Although it was only the forty-eighth place, it still caused a significant stir.
From being ignored to being highly sought after, from complete obscurity to being the center of discussion, "Cleopatra" traced a trajectory that was nearly impossible to replicate. Amidst a fortuitous combination of timing, favorable circumstances, and widespread attention, it carved a path of its own. Suddenly, the folk music trend seemed to experience a slight revival, but how long it could last and how high it could reach remained unknown.
Renly Hall, the rookie actor who had recently made a splash at the Emmy Awards, had now astonishingly made a name for himself on the Billboard charts as a folk singer. The spotlight around him intensified suddenly. Reporters began searching for information about Renly Hall, but the results left everyone surprised.
Nothing.
Reporters were no different from netizens; their only advantage was obtaining basic information about Renly Hall from the actor's guild, such as height, weight, age, and confirming one question: Renly Hall was a Londoner. Finally, some outlines of this newcomer's background began to emerge, but apart from that, there was nothing.
In the era of the internet, everyone's information was exposed in broad daylight, almost impossible to conceal. Even ordinary people were like this, and the formidable power of "doxxing" on the internet was chilling, not to mention public figures living under the spotlight. Now, suddenly, a mysterious figure like Renly Hall emerged, with no information or experiences to be found. This was truly unimaginable.
Reporters felt humiliated by not being able to find anything. As professional gatherers of information, and with insider sources, they were embarrassed to come up empty-handed. Thus, the gossip fire began to burn fiercely. Unnoticed, Renly Hall became the target of many.
And then, September 9th arrived, a Thursday.