It took a bit of time for the remnants of the lights to disappear from the room completely. It was only after that that Steven could control his emotions a bit better.
His mind had somehow drifted into a distant world for a moment because of Aiden's song.
'This kid, I didn't know he was this good.'
Steven was someone who had been seeing singers perform for over a decade, so he had gotten a sense of what level someone might be on.
In his eyes, Aiden was perfect for a beginner, even though he had heard better voices with more control in this season. But Steven was pretty sure about one thing.
'He has a lot of room for improvement, and his musical sense and creativity is quite extraordinary. Moreover, there's just this special vibe about him.'
He thought back to the famous singers he knew and had worked with. They all had the same unique vibe about them.
After all, it takes a lot of things to become a famous singer.
But he also knew that many famous singers would just waste their talents by getting into drugs, women and riches that would jeopardize their careers.
In a way, this was one of the common things in Hollywood.
"Steven, the performance ended a while ago. Say something."
As he was in thoughts, the cameraman shooting the scene from the side whispered to him. Steven had gotten lost in his musing and forgotten that he still needed to give his critique.
He sat straight, realizing his mistake and stared at Aiden before revealing his thoughts.
"Your song… you told me you have been preparing it for the last two years? It is clearly showcased in your hard work through the song. Well done, I don't think I have listened to such a nice song in years."
"Thank you."
Aiden knew that Steven was being genuine. He had seen it for himself how the latter had lost himself in the song, which he deduced was an effect of the silver light.
"Even if I want to, I can't really point out any obvious mistakes. The song was beautiful, and your voice just added into it." Steven said. After a slight pause, he added, "I don't say it often to people, but that song can easily become the title song of any singer's album. It was that good!"
Aiden felt like jumping with all the ecstasy sweeping over him. Only he knew how hard he had worked on the song—giving up his sleep and finding the right emotions to add to it.
And in the end, he had finally succeeded.
It was to the point that Steven, who was known to be the 'Devil Judge' was praising him. Although he seemed friendly currently, Aiden had seen him make contestants cry in the past seasons.
As he was spotting a big grin, Steven suddenly said something that cut off his newly unfolded wings and brought him back to reality.
"Now, let's come to singing. Honestly, the other judges and I have told you that your voice is magnificent, but I believe it could have been better for a song of this much potential."
Aiden's grin disappeared a bit at those words. Even the camera crew were a bit surprised because Steven was only praising the song till now, but now he had suddenly taken a 180-degree turn.
Only the oldest of the crew knew that it was his habit never to overpraise the contestants.
"As the competition goes further, the level of singers also increases. And, I feel you might lack compared to them solely based on singing."
Aiden had a feeling that Steven was only saying that to scare him off a bit. But it was also true that his singing ability was quite lacking compared to others.
He knew it better than anyone else because of his system.
The only way he could compensate for his singing was by performing his own songs, which had also kept him in the competition.
"I understand," Aiden replied, trying not to appear meek. He needed to make Steven confident in himself. "But I'm sure that I would be able to improve as the competition goes on if I get a chance."
"Can you guarantee that?" Steven looked like he wanted to see how confident Aiden was by putting him in a spot.
It was on Aiden whether he could give an appropriate answer here.
"Yes, I can. Of course, I won't declare that I'm the best singer in the competition, but I'm sure I can be the best singer if given a chance and will surely be the one who improves the most."
"Alright. I won't tell you your results here. You would need to wait for it."
Steven said, and Aiden silently left the lawn. He didn't know if Steven was satisfied with his answer or not, but he would learn tomorrow when every performance of the third round would end.
Before that, he didn't want to worry about the results a lot.
After all, he had given his best in the performance, and the system messages that appeared in front of him after he left the lawn were proof of it.
[You have composed a song way above your level. For completing such a feat, you have been awarded substantial experience.]
[Your Composing skill has increased by one level.]
[Your Lyrical writing skill has increased by two levels.]
[You have given a performance that has managed to push your limits and given you a glimpse of what the future might hold for you. A large amount of experience has been granted.]
[Your Singing level has increased from Basic Grade 8 to Basic Grade 9.]
[You are close to breaking into Basic Grade 10.]
[There's a small chance of silver light appearing during your performances.]
'I have never gotten so many system messages.'
Aiden read through all of them one by one, and for a second, he completely forgot what Steven had told him.
In front of him was the confirmation that he was improving. Not only that, he was even close to breaking into Basic Grade 10.
'If I really broke into that grade and then with the help of silver light, I would surely be able to compete with a monster like Rachel.'
Aiden silently thought, but he knew that the road ahead was long. His first wall was to be qualified for the Star Week.
**
"Rachel, as always, your performance broke all my expectations. You are going ahead into Star Week!"
Alyssa, the judge overseeing Rachel's third-round performance, gave her verdict, and for a moment, even the ice-cold face of Rachel blossomed into a smile.
Her challenge was to sing a song called 'House of cards'. It was a five year old song filled with many high notes, and any singer would find it hard to maintain their notes perfectly during this.
Moreover, the song's essence was about a failing marriage which was just like a house of cards that could break with just a puff of wind.
But this song was somehow perfectly made for Rachel, and she had aced the challenge.
Alyssa, who had already expected her to pass this, was pretty happy with her performance. After all, the judges played a part in the contestant's journey.
"Thank you for giving me this opportunity." She said, feeling like a stone was finally off her chest.
Although she doesn't make it seem like she's the type to worry a lot about results, this competition was her biggest chance to prove her skills.
"You deserved it."
Alyssa smiled, and with that, Rachel became the fourth contestant to qualify for the Star week.
**
"So, we have 4 out of 16 contestants who will go through to the next round."
As Rachel's performance was ending, Marlo and Gary, who were standing in the backdrop, couldn't help but start a discussion.
"Yeah, there will be a lot of heartbreaks tomorrow," Marlo said, already used to it. Every year, many contestants feel like their dream is over as soon as they are eliminated.
"We can't do much about it. Who has passed till now?"
"From what I know, Rachel, Cameron, Lydia and Emily," Marlo replied. "I don't think the judges would pass anyone else on the spot."
Hearing those names, Gary was satisfied as these were their premium contestants – those who could amass many core fans.
But he suddenly remembered one more name.
"What about Aiden? His performance ended?"
"I called a staff member who was at Steven's house. His performance ended, and it seemed like he performed great. Even the crew was immersed in the song."
"But he didn't pass?"
"Steven probably felt like he could do better."
Gary nodded, knowing full well how Steven was. Among all judges, only Steven was the one who had enough power to stand against him.
"We will have to wait till tomorrow to know what Steven has in his mind. I hope Aiden passes; he's already getting some traction on social media and is worth investing."
...
//DreamNote//
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