AVA
Two weeks of unending photoshoot, signing of deals with various brands like makeup, clothing etc,it was finally time for me to prepare for my first concert.
" The concert is in five days" I said during my LIVE to curious fans "yes,it can be viewed international via various platform like YouTube" I answered one of the questions I was asked "Oh yes, Beauty Plus Cosmetics is really good", ending the LIVE,I went to bed.
" Good morning everyone" I said as I entered the studio with hot chocolate in my hands " Good morning Ava,how was your night" Jae-Hwan asked " very good" I answered " your LIVE was really smooth last night" Lily said " really?" I asked " yeah" she said " I was raised scared that I may say something off" I said and she laughed " let's get to work everybody,we have a busy day ahead of us" Mr Prakash said as he walked inside the Studio. " Ava this is Dr Tom,he will be your vocal coach" Mr Prakash said " Am Ava" I said " I have heard about you and I love your music" he said and I blushed " thank you" I said " let's proceed with your vocal warm up" Dr Tom said.
I took a deep breath and released gentle lip trills gradually moving to scales and arpeggios,my voice echoed through the empty studio where we stayed, everyone left to go about their daily activities " Ava remember your voice is your greatest strength, always protect it" he said when we were done . Sophie my creative director presented the stage design for me,her laptop filled with different sketches and rendering " Ava what do you think about this" she said " do you like the catwalk or the pyramid stage she asked " I like the catwalk" I said " I like the stage to reflect my music theme ,the harmony , something that will connect me with the audience " I added " on it, it's gonna be magical " she said and walked away.
Days passed and luckily everything was in sync, the costume was a perfect fit, the sound engineer had rapped up everything.
I sat at the center of my room trying to meditate to calm my nerves when my phone started ringing " hey Ava,are you busy" Jae-Hwan said over the phone " no am not" I said " I hope you don't mind a night out before your first concert" he said " is it a good idea" I asked " maybe" he said ,I thought about it, maybe this is what I actually need " sure" I replied " am downstairs " he said " in my apartment" I asked " yeah" he responded ,I ran towards the window and looked down and behold he was there. I wore something more comfortable and met him outside " hey kiddo" Jae-Hwan said opening the passenger door " ready for a night out?" " Yeah" I said excited, I entered his car and a sense of relief washed over me, for the first time in weeks,I won't think about setlist, rehearsals and media appearances " where are we headed" I asked curious " somewhere special " he said " you deserve a break from all the chaos " thank you" I said " you really say a lot of thank yous" he said mockingly " it's a habit" I replied laughing " that's a really good habit to have" he said.
As we drove through the quiet streets of Los Angeles,the city lights twinkling like stars, felt my tension ease like a flowing river and I didn't think about tomorrow. He pulled up outside an Italian restaurant in a quiet neighborhood,the rustic decor and soft lights were calming " this is beautiful" I said to Jae-Hwan " it has the best pasta in town" he said giving it a thumbs up ,we sat in a deserted area to avoid being recognized as that may cause an unwanted scandal. We drank wine and appetizers while waiting for our meal " I still can't believe this is happening,the concert, album and everything " I said " you've worked really hard, you deserve every moment of this success " he said, our conversation flowed freely as we talked about a lot of things Jae-Hwan music journey,our favorite books and movies, the food was served and it tasted heavenly " this is amazing" I said,he smiled " I knew you'd like it" he said.
" time to get you back to your apartment, you have a big day tomorrow " he said after we finished our deserts, " thank you Jae-Hwan, this means a lot " I said to him outside my apartment " your welcome" he said " sleep tight ,your ready for tomorrow" he said
" thank you" I said to him and entered my apartment building.
The next morning I woke up Lily call " please open the door so we can get in" she said " okay" ," good morning Ava, sorry for the inconveniences but we decided to use your apartment to get you ready for the concert" she said " why" I asked her " because it's closer to Hollywood bowl and instead of doing everything inside the building, it'll be more convenient here" she said " oooh, okay" I said.
After weeks of tireless preparations,it was finally the day for my first concert ,I paced left and right backstage " what if I forgot the lyrics?" ," what if m to voice cracks and sounds weird" I asked myself these questions " Ava" Jae-Hwan called bringing me out of thoughts " I told you, you've got this" he said " you won't forget the lyrics and you'll do great " he said as if he was reading my thoughts ,my nerves began calming down and I nodded " that's better" he said " my team oiled the machines and made sure every detail was perfect, stagehands adjusted the lighting rig, while the sound engineers fine - tuned the acoustics and the air vibrated with anticipation .
As the door opened,a sea of fans flooded the venue, their faces glowed with excited ,they held glowing sticks, phone flash lights,card boards with encouraging words written on it. Taking in deep breaths,the light dimed as I walked up stage,the cheered as my intro music pulsed through the stickers " this is it Ava, everything you've ever wanted, don't mess it up".