SuperStar!

Ethan's heart still raced from Max Martin's praise as he exited the booth. For a moment, the weight of his journey—the countless sleepless nights spent dreaming of this moment—felt worth it. Jessica and Bill chatted excitedly in the corner, their animated gestures hinting at plans for the album. Meanwhile, Max studied the waveform on the screen, replaying snippets of Ethan's vocals.

"Come here for a second," Max called out, waving Ethan over.

Ethan joined him, still catching his breath. On the screen, his voice shimmered in pristine clarity. Max tapped a particular section. "Hear this? Right here, your inflection adds a kind of vulnerability. It's subtle, but it's magic. We'll emphasize that across the track."

Ethan nodded, absorbing every word. "I can do that," he said, his voice steady despite the nerves bubbling beneath the surface.

"You're good, kid," Max continued, leaning back in his chair. "But great? That's going to take more than raw talent. Are you ready for the grind?"

The question lingered in the air. Ethan swallowed hard. "I've been waiting for this my whole life."

"Good. Because this industry chews up dreamers who don't follow through." Max's tone was kind, but the weight of his words hit like a punch.

The next few days passed in a blur of studio sessions and long meetings. Each track Ethan worked on felt like peeling back layers of himself, laying bare his soul for the world to hear. Jessica's laser focus kept the schedule tight, while Bill acted as the ever-optimistic motivator, ensuring Ethan didn't crumble under the pressure.

One evening, after a particularly grueling session, Max handed Ethan a pair of headphones. "Here. Listen to this."

Ethan slid them on, and the first notes of a stripped-down ballad filled his ears. It was one of the songs he had demoed at home, but Max had transformed it into something transcendent. Ethan's chest tightened as the song swelled.

"It's... beautiful," Ethan whispered, pulling off the headphones. "How did you—?"

"I didn't do much," Max replied with a grin. "Just brought out what was already there."

As the days passed, Ethan stayed at a hotel nearby, having turned down Bill's offer to stay with him.

One morning, Ethan pulled up to the studio to put the finishing touches on the tracks and finally start preparing for the album. Max had agreed to produce it, saying, "I have to be part of something this great."

When Ethan arrived at the parking lot, he was taken aback by the sight of a large crowd gathered around the building. "What's going on?" he thought. He parked his car and barely had time to step out before someone screamed, "There he is!"

A young woman pointed toward him, and the crowd surged in his direction. Voices erupted from every side:

"Can I get a picture?"

"Follow me on Instagram!"

"Can I be your girlfriend?"

"Can I be your boyfriend?"

Ethan stood frozen, overwhelmed by the sudden attention, as fans swarmed around him. Before he could respond, Bill and a couple of staff members from the company appeared and swiftly ushered him inside the building.

"What was that?" Ethan asked, still catching his breath.

"Sorry, Ethan," Jessica began. "The label and your team decided to leak the news about your signing and about you working with us to officially release your three tracks and upcoming album."

"We were going to tell you when you got here," Bill added, shooting Jessica a pointed look. "We thought it'd be good publicity since the songs will be released soon. But we weren't supposed to leak the location, were we, Jessica?"

"What? We didn't release the location. We don't know how they found out he was here," Jessica defended herself.

"Ma'am, we know how they found us," a young man holding a tablet interjected.

"Who?" Jessica demanded.

"A TikToker called FindAll. He exposed that Ethan was at the LA branch," the man replied.

'Him again,' Ethan thought, recalling the same person who had exposed his social media account to the public. He remembered his vow to find the individual someday.

But as he glanced outside, his frustration began to fade. The magnitude of people cheering his name and holding signs of support was overwhelming. "Are they all here for me?" he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yes," Bill replied with a grin. "And this is just the beginning."

Ethan stared out at the crowd, a slow smile forming on his lips. Despite almost being trampled moments earlier, he couldn't help but feel exhilarated. He loved this.

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