"Link, during the press conference later, if someone asks sharp questions, be cautious with your answers. If you can't answer, just skip it."
On the day the album sales exceeded one million, Link Music held a press conference at its Los Angeles branch. Link would answer questions from reporters at the conference and address public concerns.
Ms. Mandy was worried about mistakes and prepared a stack of interview drafts beforehand, asking him to look them over before going on stage.
"I got it."
Link stood in front of the mirror, his body straight as a javelin.
His assistant, Anna, was tying his tie. He was wearing a custom-made casual suit, charcoal gray with silver pinstripes and embroidery on the cuffs.
In Link's eyes, this suit was a bit nondescript, but Ivanka, Mandy, and Anna all thought it looked good.
Since Anna had been a fashion editor for men's magazines for a few years and was familiar with fashion elements, Link chose to obey and let them do as they pleased when it came to clothing.
"Isn't the suit too formal?"
Link asked, looking at the platinum collar pin on his collar. Anna had originally suggested he wear an earring to match the outfit, but Link refused. He could accept drawing eyebrows and applying lip balm, but not wearing an earring.
He was a straight man and not interested in androgynous dressing.
As a compromise, the earring was replaced with a collar pin.
He also wore a platinum watch worth $680,000 on his wrist.
"Today's press conference requires photos, so dressing up a bit more eye-catching will attract more people to pay attention to you. You look great now."
Ms. Mandy looked him up and down and smiled.
Link's looks and figure were already good, and wearing this suit made him look even more handsome and upright, with an air of nobility, as if he was glowing.
"Mr. Baker, your figure and temperament, if you were to become a model, you could be a world-class supermodel."
Ms. Anna praised.
Link smiled slightly. He was indeed much more handsome than before, but he didn't care much about it. For a man to live a wonderful life, the most important thing was to rely on ability, not looks.
He flipped through the interview drafts, memorizing a few key points.
Hearing that the front stage was ready, he took Ms. Mandy and Anna to the interview hall.
---
Click, click!
As he appeared, cameras flashed all over the scene.
Link walked in front of the reporters and began to answer their questions.
Over eighty reporters from major media outlets were present, from newspapers to TV stations to international news agencies. They all aimed their cameras and microphones at the stage.
"Mr. Link Baker, congratulations on your debut album selling over a million copies and becoming a platinum record."
"Thank you!"
Link said politely.
"Mr. Baker, we all know that the theme of 'The Fighter' is 'inspirational,' and seven songs in this album were written by you. I want to ask, what was your original intention for releasing this album? Singer Kanye West believes that your album is to cater to the market and the public, taking advantage of the financial crisis to make a lot of money. Do you agree with this view?"
The New York Times reporter asked a rather pointed question right from the start.
Link picked up the microphone and smiled. "These are two questions. I'll answer the first one first: what was my original intention for creating this album?
A lot happened to me last year, injuries, boxing matches, the Olympics, etc., which turned me from an unknown person into a relatively successful public figure.
In the process of transformation, I experienced many things and had many insights. I wanted to express them, but I didn't have a good way. Later, I met a singer friend, a very talented singer-songwriter. Under her guidance, I started learning guitar, piano, and songwriting.
These songs were written after I learned to compose with her.
You asked me about my original intention for creating these songs. I think it should be to share my insights on growth and tell my story to more people through music."
The reporters nodded and asked, "What does Mr. Baker have to say about the second question?"
Link looked at the reporter and said, "I heard that Mr. Kanye West suffers from a neurological disorder and cannot be stimulated. I will not respond to his comments for the time being. I will personally talk to him after he recovers."
Whoa!
Hearing him say this, the reporters at the scene instantly became agitated.
'Kanye has a neurological disorder?'
'Cannot be stimulated?'
Although Kanye West had publicly stated that he had 'bipolar disorder,' which meant alternating between depression and mania, a type of mental illness, this disorder did not affect his work or life, and he was a normal person.
But in Link's response, he directly treated Kanye West as a mentally ill person. This answer was too bold.
Ms. Mandy quickly winked at Link. Kanye was a famous black singer, a top music producer, and a top American star, with a status not much inferior to Michael Jackson.
To put it more directly with a statistic, Kanye was 32 years old this year and debuted in 2004. His first studio album, "The College Dropout," debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 441,000 copies sold in its first week and was named one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" in 2005.
In 2005, he released his second studio album, "Late Registration," which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 860,000 copies sold in its first week.
In 2007, he released his third studio album, "Graduation," which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 957,000 copies sold in its first week.
Earlier this year, he released his fourth studio album, "808's & Heartbreak," which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 450,000 copies sold in its first week.
Currently, Kanye's albums have sold nearly 100 million copies worldwide, and he has won over ten Grammy Awards, making him a king-level figure in the American entertainment industry.
It was inappropriate for Link, a newly debuted singer, to publicly confront Kanye.
Link received Ms. Mandy's signal and shook his head slightly, indicating that it was okay.
Although Kanye was formidable, he wasn't bad either. He was not only a singer but also a world boxing champion. Being too timid in public would disappoint boxing fans.
"Mr. Link Baker!"
After hearing his answer, over eighty reporters raised their hands simultaneously.
Ms. Mandy pointed to the American Express reporter, who asked with bated breath, "Mr. Baker, are you not responding to Kanye West's comments because you are taking care of his condition? Do you think he is sick?"
Link smiled slightly, realizing that these reporters' questioning skills weren't high, but their ability to stir up trouble was top-notch.
"Yes, the news said he was sick. I hope he recovers soon and brings more good songs to his fans."
Link said earnestly.
"Mr. Baker, are you implying that Kanye is mentally unstable?"
"Mr. Baker, Kanye West is a patient. Are you discriminating against him by not responding to his comments?"
"Mr. Baker..."
The reporters asked one after another.
Link pressed his hands down and looked at the reporters, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen of the press, please be quiet. This is the 'The Fighter' album launch conference. Please ask questions related to me or the album. I will not answer any other questions."
"..."
The reporters opened their mouths but could only swallow the numerous questions they had.
"Mr. Baker, is the singer friend you just mentioned Ms. Taylor Swift? May I ask what your relationship is?"
The other reporters also listened intently as the American Express reporter asked the question.
Link smiled upon hearing this question. Last year, when Taylor released her second album, she had planned to make their relationship public. However, he was in closed-door training and worried about being besieged by paparazzi and reporters if the news got out, so he asked to delay the announcement of their relationship.
At that time, some media in New York had exposed their relationship, but neither of them admitted it in person, and the rumors died down.
Now, it should have been the time for the reveal, but they had broken up not long ago, so there was no need for the rumors to resurface.
"Yes, Ms. Swift is my guitar teacher and my mentor in songwriting, but we are not currently dating."
Link said.
"Why not? You seem like a good match."
A reporter shouted.
Link smiled slightly and leaned on the table, saying, "Thank you. I also think we're a good match, but we're both too busy. I'm busy with training and competitions, and Taylor is also quite busy. We simply don't have time to deal with relationship issues, and I regret that."
"If you had time, would you pursue Ms. Taylor Swift?"
The Entertainment Weekly reporter shouted.
Link thought for a moment, "Yes, Taylor is an excellent girl. I think no one wouldn't want to date her."
"Mr. Baker!"
The HBO reporter also joined in the fun, and his question was naturally related to boxing.
After Link's album became a hit, the boxing world had different opinions about his crossover into singing.
Some thought he was cool, not only good at boxing but also a good singer, truly amazing. For example, Oscar De La Hoya repeatedly praised Link publicly, saying he was ready to form a group with him.
Others believed that he was a promising boxer and should focus more time and energy on boxing instead of singing and dancing. If he spent time in the music industry, his boxing skills would inevitably decline.
For example, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, as seniors, advised him not to be distracted by things outside of boxing.
"Mr. Baker, your album sales are good. Will you give up boxing in the future and become a full-time singer?"
The HBO reporter asked.
"No!"
Link said decisively. "I've said that my goal is to become a world champion in five or more weight classes. Until I achieve this goal, I will continue to fight in the boxing world."
"Mr. Baker, last week, Mr. Joe Calzaghe and Mr. Roy Jones Jr. had a boxing match at the Hard Rock Stadium. Mr. Calzaghe defeated Mr. Jones in twelve rounds and took away his light heavyweight The Ring championship belt. As a fellow countryman of Mr. Jones, would you consider avenging him and having another match with Mr. Calzaghe?"
The HBO reporter asked.
Link smiled. "I also paid attention to their match. They both fought very well. Few boxers are more skilled than them. As for revenge? Mr. Roy Jones Jr. has not retired yet, so there's no need for me to avenge him."
"Will you have a match with Mr. Calzaghe? Boxing fans are looking forward to seeing a match between you and him." The HBO reporter said.
Link said, "I'm also looking forward to a match with Mr. Calzaghe, but the matter of the match depends on the company's arrangements and Mr. Calzaghe's physical condition. If there is a match, Dynasty Promotion will make an announcement on the website homepage. Please stay tuned."
"Mr. Baker..."
The HBO reporter wanted to ask more questions, but two reporters behind him pulled him back. Today was an album interview, and this guy kept asking about boxing, which was really annoying.
"Mr. Baker, Lil Wayne said on a TV show yesterday that you can't sing and advised you to go back to boxing. What's your response?"
"Mr. Baker, singer 50 Cent believes that 'Unstoppable' topping the singles chart for three consecutive weeks is due to Link Records cheating..."
"Mr. Baker, your new girlfriend, Amber Heard, publicly said that you are amazing in bed and can go all night. Is this true?"
The reporters threw out a bunch of questions related to music and boxing. Link answered them one by one, trying not to fall into their traps.
(End of Chapter)