Recommended listening: 'Live Forever' by Oasis.
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The Grammy Awards gather everyone in the music world, from legendary singers to industry insiders and critics.
In such a setting, who wins an award and what kind of performance they deliver are the most crucial metrics for evaluation. The Grammys are one of the few remaining venues where a musician's true caliber can be judged in an industry otherwise saturated with commercialism.
Paul McCartney, the veteran British legend, watched the stages of the fresh-faced rookies with a discerning eye.
*The newcomers these days are far too biased... This is a music awards ceremony, not a talent show.*
Of course, it hadn't always been this way. Geniuses who transcend trends often appear in the music world, and even when the industry leans toward flashy spectacles, truly talented vocalists always emerge.
*Technically, they are perfect... but I don't find myself wanting to hear more.*
The artists Paul McCartney was evaluating were not lacking in skill. The Grammy Awards are a gathering of world-renowned geniuses; talent was not the issue.
Rather, there was a visible musical imbalance. Vocalists had lost their individuality by focusing purely on technical prowess, while performers missed the fundamental essence of 'music' by concentrating on the spectacle. Paul McCartney let out a heavy sigh.
Their skills were superior to those of previous generations, yet this generation lacked the individuality and the message required to truly captivate the public. Having listened to music since the 1950s, he felt that current popular music was merely repeating the past without creating any new waves.
*Lennon... were you lucky to leave early?*
If his close friend John Lennon, who had left the world far too soon in a tragic accident, had seen this sight, he surely would have rushed out to slap these rookies for abandoning the 'basics.'
In such a stagnant industry, the group known as Enfants Terribles, who had appeared like a comet, were the only ones worth anticipating. By actually holding 'instruments' and making music, they had introduced a new meta to the industry, possessing the potential to pull the scene out of its mannerism.
*Though for now, people still treat them as nothing more than an eccentricity...*
Their music was certainly fresh, but the problem was that instruments had become relics of a bygone era. The population capable of playing them had dwindled significantly.
*Electric guitars, drums, and bass... even when I was young, those who played such things were rare...*
If the concept of a 'band' could become mainstream again, the music industry might finally escape its long-standing stagnation. The issue, however, was that mastering an instrument was simply too difficult for the modern era.
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'Live Forever' by Oasis is a track that serves as the essence of the Britpop genre that swept the UK in the mid-90s. It is characterized by a beautiful melody built on six simple guitar chords and optimistic lyrics.
It was also a song I loved in my past life. It was the first song I ever performed because even beginners could play it after a few hours of practice. I had found comfort countless times in the song's message: 'Even if you are a weak being, you can achieve what you want.'
Back then, I was a mere E-rank session musician who hadn't even finished college, subjected to all sorts of contempt and neglect in the industry. Nevertheless, waking up in the morning was a joy because I hadn't given up on my dream. I had put my absolute sincerity into chasing that dream.
"Yokishi, you said you can play keyboard, right?"
"Most instrumentalists learn piano at least once, don't they? It's not impossible."
With 'Live Forever,' I intended to present a new style of performance to this world. I would exclude electronic instruments and perform only with those considered old-fashioned in this era.
*I believe this was called 'Unplugged' in my past life?*
I planned to show the beauty of raw instrumental sounds to the people of this world, who were soaked in flashy but rigid mechanical noises.
For the record, I've been 'Old School' since my past life.
.
.
.
.
.
"The next nominee for Song of the Year is the eccentrics from the East! Enfants Terribles!!"
The three men, now famous across America, stepped onto the stage. However, they looked different than usual.
"Leader? It's been ten years since I touched an acoustic guitar."
"The chords for 'Live Forever' are simple anyway."
The muscular mixed-race man began checking a keyboard that looked comically small compared to his massive frame, while the bald man started warming up his hands with a sigh.
"Leader... guitars have six strings, not four..."
Maybe I don't really wanna know
How your garden grows
Cause I just wanna fly
I took a slouched stance with one leg bent, stretching my neck out and clasping my hands behind my back. This posture forced the larynx upward while singing, allowing me to actively utilize nasal resonance.
To put it simply, it allowed me to produce a more powerful voice than a standard posture. I mixed in a growling sensation to eliminate the nasality and give the sound a more direct, straightforward feeling.
The sound I was producing was inherently attractive because it was created by grinding the vocal cords in a posture considered taboo for professional vocalists.
Maybe you're the same as me
We see things they'll never see
You and I are gonna live forever
I intended to express the pure joy of a band through this performance. Being in a band isn't difficult. Just as 'Garage Rock' was in my past life, a band was something you could start with just an acoustic guitar and a keyboard in a garage.
The core of a band lies in enjoying the stage while playing the same song; there are no limits to its form. I simply maintained the bass, guitar, and drum configuration because I was 'Old School.'
Maybe I will never be
All the things that I wanna be
Now is not the time to cry now is the time to find out why
Since both Yokishi and Shuji were using instruments different from their usual ones, our ensemble was more of a mess than usual. However, that was precisely why it stood in stark contrast to the previous flashy performances.
Watching them, Paul McCartney's jaw dropped. The performance they were delivering was one that could change the flow of the music industry. As the popular music market grew, the gap between the industry participants and the consumers had been widening.
Yet, they were delivering a sharp rebuke to long-standing industry trends as if laughing at them. They were saying that music isn't difficult—it's something easy and fun that you can do just by gathering friends and an acoustic guitar.
Essentially, music is not meant to be a show for others. It had been that way even when he was young. And now, these kids born decades after him were speaking to the 'essence' of music.
They were asking everyone in the industry if they were truly having fun with their techniques and performances, suggesting that it's enough just to be happy among the people making the music.
Gonna live forever
Gonna live forever
Their stage wasn't perfect, but it was joyful. The sight of them enjoying the moment and singing about optimism struck the hearts of the American public like a piece of pure romance.
In his old age, Paul McCartney couldn't help but wonder. He wondered what it would have been like if he had made that kind of music with his friend John Lennon. The scene of freely sharing music with a friend was one that made him happy just to imagine.
At the very least, he could have lived with him forever through the music they shared. A small regret formed in Paul McCartney's heart.
Gonna live forever
Gonna live forever
After the four-minute stage ended, the handsome blond youth bowed like a British gentleman, unlike his usual self.
At that sight, the audience rose from their seats as if enchanted by magic. Paul McCartney was no exception.
Every spectator began to applaud.
This was the best stage of the Grammy Awards.
Moreover, it was a legendary performance that would remain in the history of popular music.
Enfants Terribles changed the flow of the music industry with just a single performance. They were no longer merely rising stars.
They were becoming the icons of the century.
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