She was a woman wearing a long, green dress, about 1.7 meters tall, very tall and slim, with fair skin and a high nose.
Her facial features were quite pronounced, her eyes clear, and her demeanor unique, as if she were a noble lady who had stepped out of an ancient painting.
Bella Ross, her agent, immediately turned to her and whispered, "Lucia, why did you come out? Hurry and go back in, you don't have to bother with this little matter."
Harrison Clark came to his senses, and this must be Avril Green.
Just like the rumors said, she was an ethereal beauty who seemed to be untouched by earthly matters.
She seemed very approachable, and her expression wasn't arrogant, but Harrison always felt a sense of indifference in her gaze when she looked at people.
Ignoring Bella's advice to leave, Avril quickly walked up to Harrison and said, looking him directly in the eye, "The entire music world knows how picky I am, and you're the first songwriter to dare to come and sell me a song. You're quite interesting."
Harrison felt very awkward.
Terrible dialogue, too middle school-like.
It gave him the impression of a cheesy TV drama filled with overbearing CEOs.
He dared to come here simply because he had nowhere else to go.
He also didn't know that Avril didn't accept songs from outside sources, otherwise, he wouldn't have come.
Seeing that he didn't respond, Avril walked away with her hands behind her back and said, "I'll give you five minutes."
Watching her retreating figure, Harrison took a deep breath.
Now that the opportunity was right in front of him, it all depended on whether he could seize it.
He quickly followed her, and Bella hurried to his side as if to keep an eye on him, like watching a thief.
In the soundproofed makeshift recording studio, Harrison gently strummed the guitar strings and sang softly.
Compared to those gifted singers, Harrison's voice sounded quite ordinary. If he hadn't practiced so much, he might have been off-tune.
In short, Harrison sang very average, while Avril listened quietly. Bella, on the other hand, wore a playful smile from time to time.
After finishing the first part of the song, Harrison stopped before starting the chorus.
Avril slowly opened her eyes, showing no change in her expression.
"Mr. Clark, are you sure this is a song you wrote yourself?"
Instead of commenting on how the song was, she suddenly asked a question.
Harrison felt a slight shock in his heart, but his face remained calm, "Yes."
Avril nodded lightly, her eyes gradually becoming more meaningful.
Harrison felt uneasy under her gaze, losing confidence.
He even began to doubt himself. When Carrie Thomas wrote "Boring" back in the day, did she have a prior conversation with Avril, drawing inspiration from her and getting the base melody from Avril's side?
Had he walked right into a trap?
"The style of this song is very innovative, and the lyrics are quite interesting. It's a fairly good song."
Avril finally spoke.
Harrison's hanging heart gradually settled down, "Thank you for the compliment."
"But it's not stunning enough, nor does it catch my eye. Besides, your performance and singing skills still have a long way to go, which might be the reason I couldn't be moved any further. In short, it's good, but not good enough. So I'm sorry."
Avril really knew how to speak. Compared to Carrie Thomas, she was at the other extreme, her words were watertight, and even in rejection, one couldn't feel the slightest resentment.
Harrison felt helpless, "Well, I guess I really bothered you today."
He didn't understand. How could the debut song that established Carrie Thomas's status in the music world a thousand years ago be not good enough for Avril?
Although this was just one of Carrie's early works, it wasn't so bad that people wouldn't want to hear it, right?
"Mr. Clark, don't be sad. Actually, there are two reasons why I refused this song. First, as Bella said earlier, I now mostly only sing my own songs. So to make me buy someone else's song, it must be stunning enough to make my heart race. Secondly, this song has a bit of a cynical and bleak emotional background, which doesn't quite fit the style I've been pursuing."Harrison Clark felt a little better. "Understood."
"In that case, although I won't buy it myself, if I have a friend in the industry who's releasing a new album and wants a song, and I think the style suits them, I'll recommend your song to them."
After saying that, Avril Green turned her face away and yawned, seeming a bit sleepy.
Bella Ross, who had been standing beside her, immediately stepped forward and said, "Lucia, you didn't sleep well last night. You should go eat and rest soon."
Avril Green agreed and looked at Harrison Clark. "I'm sorry, that's it for now. Leave your number for Bella. If there's a chance, she'll contact you."
Harrison Clark nodded and bowed, "Thank you. I'll leave now."
He quickly packed up his guitar and left.
When he was far enough away, probably in the elevator, the previously drowsy Avril Green regained her spirits and burst into laughter, covering her stomach.
Bella Ross was puzzled, "Why? Lucia, what are you laughing at?"
"I really didn't see it coming. Harrison Clark looks like a tough guy on the outside, but there's a little girl in his heart."
Avril Green said while laughing.
Bella Ross wondered, "Why would you say that?"
"There's a saying that goes 'the writing reflects the writer.' In fact, it's even more appropriate when applied to music creation. Each song, especially those written and composed by the same person, is almost a true reflection of their inner self. The essence of songwriting is to unfold one's inner world and spread it through music. For a creator, the greatest achievement is not fame, but finding more resonance with their inner world."
"You thought the song was written by a woman, so you asked him if it was his own work?" Bella Ross asked.
Avril Green nodded, "Yes."
Bella Ross: "But it sounds quite bold to me. Some female composers also have bold compositions."
Avril Green laughed, "Bella, there are specialties in the art industry. I can't explain it to you, it's a kind of indescribable intuition."
Bella Ross shook her head with a bitter smile, "Never mind, anyway, I'll just be your manager. I don't need to understand these things since they're not my expertise. But speaking of it, Harrison Clark is quite interesting."
"Yes, so I was serious when I said that we can't deceive him. I'll help him keep an eye out for opportunities."
"Why help him?"
"I don't know, it's just rare to see someone with such clear eyes and no distracting thoughts. It feels interesting. And Bella, didn't you hear him? He has never studied music before and learned everything himself. If he can learn to write such songs by himself, it means he has strong creative talent. Maybe he'll surprise me in the future?"
"That's true."
Harrison Clark was unaware of the conversation upstairs.
He took Avril Green's recommendation as a mere courtesy and didn't hold out any hope.
If Avril Green really valued him, she should have asked for his contact information herself or at least added each other on WeChat, instead of just letting Bella Ross take down his number.
He had seen too much of such worldly wisdom and had become numb to it.
He flipped through the notebook and marked off the last line under Coastline Studio.
In Oxfordshire, he had tried almost all the reputable music companies and studios.
No luck.
Harrison Clark checked the upcoming schedule of the Chesterton Apartment company. With the holiday season approaching, many landlord and tenant contracts would expire, and he would be busy.
He felt bitter.
It was impossible for him to quit his job and travel around selling these two songs.
Although his life was now meager, he at least had a stable and formal job.
Taking these two songs and starting his journey down the unknown path of song selling was unpredictable.
What if he still couldn't sell them after a year or even longer?
Wait for death?
Let's just live like this for the time being and see if there are any suitable opportunities later on.