The live broadcast continued.
As the final note of the song faded, a brief silence filled the airwaves, as if the lingering resonance had yet to dissipate.
Ryan Seacrest's infectious voice immediately filled the void, his tone even more enthusiastic than before:
"Wow! Landon, I have to say, when I learned that you wrote both the lyrics and music for this song entirely on your own, I nearly fell out of my chair! You're only eighteen! This is incredible!"
Landon's laughter came through the radio, sounding a bit more relaxed than at the start:
"Well, it is indeed hard to believe. But sometimes, life is the best library of material. In a certain moment, inspiration just suddenly gets activated."
"Wow, that sounds interesting! Could you share with us what this sudden activation is like? How was this song initially born?" Ryan guided the topic.
Landon's voice came back, with a reminiscent tone:
"I remember it was at a party. The environment was very noisy, but in the distance, a few people were having an intense discussion about something.
One of them kept talking, while the others followed his rhythm, nodding vigorously every so often while shouting 'Yeah!'
Yes, just like that, 'Yeah!'... 'Yeah!'... several times in a row, it had a very strong sense of rhythm, like an instinctive response.
Then, a rotating laser light swept over my head, and in that instant, my brain went 'buzz,' and the melody of the chorus, along with that repetitive feeling of 'Yeah,' just suddenly popped out in its entirety, impossible to stop."
"Wow! That's magical! It's like some kind of musical revelation!" Ryan exclaimed, "So, the inspiration for the core rhythm of this song actually came from the most mundane human interaction?"
"You could say that. I think that kind of collective, simple response has a power of its own," Landon concluded.
At this moment, the phone indicator lights in the studio began to flash frantically, and a stream of text messages and instant feedback flooded the console.
"It seems our listeners can't wait to voice their opinions," Ryan laughed and connected the first call.
"Hey, Ryan! I'm Mark from Manhattan! That song just now was so awesome! I'm stuck in traffic in the lincoln Tunnel, and hearing this made the traffic jam feel less annoying! Can you play it again? Right now!" a excited male voice said.
"Ryan, this is Lisa from Brooklyn. What's that newcomer's name? Landon? His voice is so good, and the song is so cool! It's different from what I usually listen to, but it's so catchy! I need to know where I can buy this single!" a young female voice rang out.
"I'm a DJ from Queens... never mind, that's not important. Ryan, you're actually playing Crunk? And it's sung by a white guy? But I have to say... this fusion is fucking good! This song will absolutely kill it in the clubs!" a comment that sounded like an industry insider said.
The phone lines were almost overwhelmed, and the content of the text messages quickly shifted from curiosity to positive reviews and requests for replays.
The core message was highly consistent: they wanted to hear "Yeah!" again.
A look of complete relief appeared on Ryan Seacrest's face; he knew this gamble had paid off.
He spoke into the microphone, his tone relaxed and confident: "It seems everyone has voted with their phones. So, by popular demand, why don't we...
enjoy this head-nodding 'Yeah!' once more! But before that, Landon, is there anything else you'd like to say to the listeners in New York?"
Landon's voice came through the airwaves, still sincere, but with a bit more confidence after being recognized:
"Thank you all for listening and for your support. I hope this song brings you a little good mood and energy. Remember, my single will be on shelves in major record stores soon. Thanks again!"
The song's intro played again.
In the dressing room, Jennifer Connelly had finished her makeup. As she was about to step out, she found a group of people gathered outside, and it was obvious the sound from the radio had spread.
When she walked out, many people looked at her with curious eyes, because her little boyfriend was not on set.
Her assistant silently turned off the radio, the noisy music stopped, and the room returned to the quiet typical of a film set.
Jennifer walked silently toward the set; she decided that when Landon returned, she would definitely interrogate him thoroughly for keeping such a big thing from her all this time.
After exchanging contact information, Landon shook hands with Ryan to say goodbye.
He walked to Zoe's side and whispered quickly: "Keep an eye out for any related media or initial feedback summaries today, and get them to me tonight."
His tone had returned to the capable manner of a boss, as if the green and nervous person on the airwaves just now wasn't him.
Zoe nodded.
Landon walked out of the radio station, feeling his steps lighter than usual.
It felt as if the melody from the broadcast and the enthusiastic feedback from the listeners were still echoing in his ears.
He knew this was just the beginning.
According to the strategy developed by Tracy and Lil Jon, "Yeah!" did not first attack the well-established urban radio stations; instead, they chose mainstream pop stations with huge influence, such as KISS FM, Los Angeles' KROQ, Philadelphia's WMMR, and New York's Z100 (WHTZ), as the initial launch pad.
This was a risky move, intended to win by surprise and directly open the door to the broadest market. This was completely different from Usher's strategy;
Usher's started from urban radio stations, where the audience was actually relatively small.
Of course, Landon was also worried about it not being well-received, but judging from this first shot on the KISS FM morning show, the response was far beyond expectations.
The speed at which that one song, "Yeah!", spread on morning radio far exceeded Landon's imagination.
Sitting in the back seat of the car on the way back to the set, Landon's phone didn't stop ringing.
The first to call was Cameron Diaz; her voice was incredibly excited, as if this were her own song:
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! Landon! It really is you!
Oh, my God. Oh my God! I was just at the gym, and this song suddenly blasted from the radio—that rhythm! I nearly fell off the treadmill!
I was thinking, why does this voice sound familiar... wait, did the intro say Landon Williams? I got off the treadmill and was completely stunned!"
Cameron spoke at lightning speed, mixing incredible excitement and pure joy, "Honey, you're amazing! This song is so awesome! I have 'Yeah!' stuck in my head now! When did you record it? How did you do it?!"
Landon could imagine her wide-eyed, dancing with excitement at this moment.
He leaned back against the seat, a smile appearing on his face unconsciously, listening to Cameron expressing her surprise incoherently on the other end of the line, feeling immensely satisfied.
However, Cameron's call was just the beginning.
Almost the moment she hung up, a new incoming call notification rang again.
Catherine Zeta-Jones's call came with a surprised voice: "Honey, I heard it while I was eating breakfast. This is truly a wonderful surprise."