Despite their epic performance, I wasn’t sure if they could pull off another show of that magnitude. Their energy that day was just crazy, it seemed almost impossible that they would be able to replicate it.
But somehow they did.
Again
And again
And again
Although they still weren’t favorites to win Summer Madness, their small fan base was growing ridiculously larger with every performance. The young, the old, the in between, April and Haruka had a sound that appealed to all and had lyrics that were clever and catchy. Not to mention they were easy to market with April’s overwhelming sex appeal and Haruka’s quiet charm. Together they were probably a talent scout’s dream.
And surprisingly enough, it didn’t take long for some scouts to realize this because they started to show up at April and Haruka’s performances more and more. Haruka didn’t seem to care but what surprised me was that April didn’t seem to care either. I asked them about it because I thought they were only in Summer Madness to get exposure but April quickly set me straight.
“We’re not looking for just any record label” she said “There’s only one perfect match for us. And we’re determined to make them look in our direction.”
I tried to talk some sense into her. The odds of getting
signed were astronomically low. Trying to get a specific deal made it even
lower. I told her she shouldn’t put all her eggs in one basket but she simply
snorted.
“So you don’t believe in us?”
April had a way of listening and not listening at the same
time. She had tuned out all the positive things that I was trying to tell her
and only focused on the negative.
“Of course I believe in you. But what’s wrong with a back-up plan? Whosevers attention you’re trying to catch, what happens if they never look your way? You’re just going to turn away every single offer from everybody else and stay unsigned forever? Be reasonable, April.”
“Remember these words, Jalil Blackwell. April Smith and Haruka Nakamura will be represented by Tiffany Miller and we will get signed by Symphony Records. Mark my words, disbeliever.”
As I stared at her back, I couldn’t help smiling at her unshakable confidence. I still thought she was making a mistake by ignoring all of the talent scouts that were courting them but there was something about April’s confidence that made me want to believe in her high-risk gamble.
With Summer Madness coming closer and closer to an end, April and Haruka continued to pick up steam. Not just with their performances on stage but also with their antics off-stage. During an interview with one of the MC’s of the event, April declared that she was the best guitarist in Summer Madness and challenged any of the other participants to face off against her if they thought otherwise.
Abram Rosado, the lead guitarist of the Network took up her challenge.
In Club Onyx, in front of a massive crowd, they battled it out and what SimMTV called a duel of the ages. Although it wasn’t a part of the schedule, SimMTV still televised it and it got monster ratings, exposing April to the mainstream for the first time. I thought Haruka might have been jealous of the special attention that April was getting but she seemed pleased instead.
“I just want to make good music and get paid for it “she said “Let April handle all of the annoying publicity stuff.”
And April did as she participated in more interviews and
made more statements that made her seem like the bad girl that the industry had
always been waiting for. Ironically, the one bad girl that I never wanted to
run into again; I started to run into her more and more.
Whatever job this malicious tomboy had at Lusha, she seemed
important enough for the waiters to treat her like she was the only customer in
the building. And she always rolled with an entourage of guys who looked like
they could have been extras in a crime movie. I’m not sure if she showed up to
watch Haruka and April’s performance or the bands that performed before or
after them but she always seemed like she came for business. Either way, I
thought she was bad news.
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