Chapter 557 - The Next Legendary Hitmaker

During the last part of the song, Iris Long allowed Enrique Valdez a certain amount of freedom to modify the song but not too much as to completely change it. Otherwise, it would become his song, not hers!

Enrique Valdez’s daring injection of intricate technical difficulty into the song should’ve made it sound chaotic, but because of Iris’ deceptively effortless bridging of every single elements together, "Monster of Insanity" was on its way into becoming an even more legendary song in rock music than it already was before. The brilliant harmony created by the mentor and student’s hidden battle reached its final high when Blaze sang the remaining lyrics.

"I’m a monster created by love

Your love, oh your love

It’s haunting me, it’s turning me

Into a Monster, a Monster, a Monster of Insanity!!!"

Then the music ended.

The audience didn’t want it to end. They stillwanted MOOOOOOORE!!!

Everything about the song was so cool! They couldn’t decide which version was better—the original or this one. In Iris Long’s original version, rock and classical music fused into an amazing harmony that reached deep into one’s soul, resonating with each listener’s demons while at the same time uplifting them.

This version with Enrique Valdez, however, was simply...mind-blowing!!!

There was no need to think about any deeper meaning to it. All everyone could think was how mind-blowing it was! The music swept over them like a raging tsunami, overwhelming them so much that they felt like they were going insane with its awesomeness. Listening to the song didn’t reach deep inside, resonate with their inner demons or whatever. It simply freaking blasted them off to outer space to get a glimpse of the wonders of the universe! That was how awesome this version was—it turned them into mindless receptacles of the music, filling them until they burst with euphoria.

It was as if the music completely hypnotized them. This was sorcery! And they loved it!!!

A deafening sound of applause and cheers erupted not only inside the grand hall but also outside the convention centre where the fans continued to crowd while watching the livestreams. All across the country, people were going crazy shouting and screaming and crying in amazement in their own homes, in workplaces, on the streets, or wherever they were watching. If a clueless bystander saw all of these scenes, that person would think that a Chinese football team was competing in the World Cup finals. The bystander would never think that all these people were actually watching a launch party for a new company.

The performance almost broke the internet. Countless comments flooded online that web servers had to temporarily increase their capacities than their usual limits to avoid being overloaded by the sudden spike in traffic. It was insane!

"Bravo!!!"

"That was insane! Monstrous!! Epic!!!"

"Smack your mighty slippers together! Make more noise!! Louder!!! Let our Boss Iris, the great Enrique Valdez, and Pandemonium hear our support!!!!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Similar reactions played in different places but more obvious inside the grand hall of the convention centre. Everyone was on their feet, giving the performance a long and loud standing ovation.

Back on the stage, Enrique Valdez beckoned Iris and thePandemonium band members to line up together at the front of the stage. They all held hands. Iris held Enrique’s one hand while Eros held his other hand. The poor Eros almost croaked his last breath right there and then and gone to heaven from the overwhelming joy and excitement of holding his rock idol’s hand. Fortunately, he was able to get a hold of himself and (barely) retain his dignity in front of everyone.

They raised their hands up in the air and bowed together. Iris did her signature elegant curtsy bow while the men bowed from the waist. Even the great Enrique Valdez bowed as deeply as the younger Pandemonium band members, showing his respect to his Chinese audience. His action was noticed and appreciated by everyone.

"Thank you, Enrique Valdez! You’re awesome!"

"My Pandemonium husbands, you’ve improved so much! Your Momma is so proud of you! Ah, I need to buy new panties again!"

"Beautiful Iris Long, please marry me!"

This particular male guest, an escort of one of the invited beauty influencers, shuddered all of a sudden. He cautiously turned his head, feeling murderous intent from his side.

"Eeeek!"

He almost hid under the table when he saw Jin Liwei shooting daggers at him with cold, murderous eyes.

"I was joking, CEO Jin! Aha-ha-ha..."

His nervous laugh petered out after feeling Jin Liwei’s murderous intent increase several folds. The poor man decided to just shut his mouth off, not wanting to aggravate the scary CEO Jin Liwei’s displeasure any further.

On another table, JJ and DJ Song were also still riding high from the performance along with the other guests.

"It’s weird seeing Enrique Valdez play a right-handed acoustic guitar," DJ Song commented. "I expected that he would be a little worse playing right-handed but he’s still as skilled as when he’s playing left-handed. Absolutely amazing!"

"Of course! He’s Enrique Valdez! And there are ambidextrous guitarists in the world. Enrique Valdez is one, the brat is another," JJ said.

"Very true. The first time I saw Iris playing a guitar was when she substituted for Eros during their ’MusicFest Tonight’ performance. It was a left-handed guitar. If you didn’t tell me that she’s actually right-handed, I wouldn’t have known!"

"Yeah. The brat can play several other instruments, too. She would personally demonstrate her skills whenever instructing band musicians during our recording sessions. She’s very strict. What a pain in the ass to work with!" JJ grumbled.

DJ Song chuckled. "She’s very strict, yes. But I don’t think that she’s a pain in the ass. You are."

JJ scowled at his friend but chose to ignore the last part of his sentence. "The brat’s guitar playing style is very similar to Enrique Valdez. It’s clear that she got inspiration from him. However, she also added some of her own personality and even original techniques, as evident on how she managed to invent new techniques while composing ’Monster of Insanity’. I don’t often say this but I really hit the jackpot when I offered her a comeback contract when she sent me those demo tapes back then."

"Yes. Indeed, you hit the jackpot with her," DJ Song replied, nodding. "Iris could play other instruments well, particularly the guitar, but her piano skills are still her main forte."

"No, you’re wrong."

"What do you mean? In what way am I wrong?"

"The brat’s piano skills aren’t her main forte but her composition skills," JJ corrected.

DJ Song’s eyes widened in understanding before nodding. "You’re right."

"Of course I’m right! I’m JJ! I’m always right when it comes to music!"

"Not always," DJ Song muttered.

JJ decided to ignore his friend’s words again. "Since her comeback, the brat has already composed hit songs after hit songs in the country. Mark my words. I bet upon my reputation as a multi-award-winning music producer that the brat will become the next legendary hitmaker, not only in the country but also in the world, after Enrique Valdez. Maybe she’ll even surpass him someday."

The friends became quiet after JJ made this prediction. Even the loud applause and cheers around them felt like a sign, agreeing to the "truth" in JJ’s words.

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