Chapter 720: Recording Album I

By the time Dayo left the studio, the afternoon was already moving towards evening. Wayne had gone back to his department, while Dayo returned to his office to collect a few things before heading home. He still had some work to review, but he had decided not to spend the rest of the day at the company. The remaining arrangements on the album could wait until the following morning.

Sharon was at her desk when he came out of his office. She had been checking his schedule and making a few adjustments to the appointments that had come in during the day. When she noticed him picking up his car keys, she looked up from her computer.

"Are you leaving for the day?"

"Yes. Is there anything urgent I need to attend to before I go?"

"Nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow. Valerie asked me to send you the updated documents for the international label proposal. I’ve already forwarded them to your email."

"All right. I’ll look through them tonight or tomorrow morning."

Sharon closed the file she had been working on. "Wayne came out of the studio looking very happy. I assume you’ve finally let him hear the album."

"I did. I think he enjoyed it."

"Enjoyed it?" She gave him a knowing look. "The man looked like he had just received some very good news."

Dayo laughed as he slipped his phone into his pocket. "That’s Wayne. He gets excited when he hears something he likes."

"Well, I’m glad he liked it. At least now he can stop asking when he’ll get to hear it."

"He has already started asking when we can begin recording. I told him three days."

"Then I suppose he’ll be counting down."

"He probably started counting before I even left the studio."

Sharon laughed, and Dayo wished her a good evening before walking towards the lift. He had a few things to finish before the recording sessions began, but for the first time since returning to the office, he was looking forward to spending the evening at home without having to think about another meeting.

Max was waiting when he reached the entrance. He opened the car door, and Dayo got in, settling back as they pulled away from the building. The journey home was fairly quiet, with Dayo occasionally checking messages on his phone. He responded to a few that needed his attention, then put the device away when he realised he had spent most of the day looking at a screen.

At home, Bella was near the sitting room when he walked in. She greeted him and informed him that Luna and Jennifer were inside. Dayo thanked her before heading towards the living room, where he found Jennifer sitting on the rug with a few of her toys spread around her.

"Daddy!"

She abandoned what she was doing and hurried towards him. Dayo bent down to receive her, lifting her into his arms before she could reach him.

"How is my girl doing?"

Jennifer gave him a happy little sound and rested her head against his shoulder. He kissed her cheek before carrying her towards the sofa.

"Have you been playing?"

She pointed towards the toys scattered across the rug, making a few sounds as she tried to get his attention. Dayo followed her pointing finger and asked her about the things she had been playing with, even though her answers were mostly excited babbling and the occasional word he could make out.

Luna was seated nearby, looking through something on her phone, but she joined them when Jennifer began reaching towards the toys again.

"She has been keeping herself busy since afternoon," Luna said, putting her phone down. "Although she keeps bringing everything over here and leaving it wherever she wants."

Jennifer made a small protesting sound when she heard her mother. Dayo laughed and looked down at her.

"Is that true? Are you making a mess for Mummy?"

Jennifer responded with another string of sounds before pointing towards one of her toys.

"I think she’s trying to explain herself," Luna said.

"Well, I’ll hear her side of the story first," Dayo replied, settling Jennifer comfortably on his lap.

He spent a little while playing with her, picking up the toys she handed him and letting her show him what she had been doing. Jennifer was clearly pleased to have him home, and whenever he stopped paying attention to her, she found a way to draw him back into the game. Luna watched them with a smile, occasionally helping Jennifer when she wanted something that was out of reach.

After some time, Jennifer returned to her toys, allowing Dayo and Luna to have a little conversation. He asked about her day, and she told him about a few things she had been occupied with while he was away.

"How was work?" she asked.

"It was fine. The meeting went well, and I spent some time with Wayne afterwards."

"Did you both go through the production plans?"

"Not exactly. I took him to the studio and let him listen to the album."

Luna looked at him with interest. "So he has heard it now?"

"Yes. He listened to all twelve songs."

"What did he think?"

"He liked them. He had quite a lot to say, actually. You know how Wayne can be when he hears something he enjoys."

She smiled. "I can imagine. Was he happy with the songs?"

"He was very happy. He said the album feels personal, and I think he understood what I was trying to do with it."

Luna looked towards Jennifer, who was now busy arranging her toys in a row. "I’m looking forward to hearing it when you’re done."

Dayo turned back to her. "I thought I had already shown you some of it."

"You wanted to, but I refused," she reminded him. "I told you I wanted to wait until everything was finished. I don’t want to listen to unfinished recordings or bits and pieces. I’ll wait until you’ve completed the album, then you can play it for me."

"All right. You’ll be one of the first people to hear it."

"Good. I want to hear the whole thing properly, from beginning to end."

Dayo smiled. He liked that she wanted to wait. The songs were personal, and some of the feelings behind them were connected to experiences they had shared. Luna had been there through much of what inspired the album, even if she knew nothing about the songs themselves. Hearing the finished work would be different from hearing him explain what he had been writing. He wanted her to experience the music without having to think about the unfinished parts or the decisions he had made along the way.

They continued talking about his return to work, and Luna asked whether the recording sessions would begin immediately. Dayo explained that he had given himself three more days to complete the remaining arrangements and organise the sessions with Wayne.

"Then you’ll be spending quite a bit of time at the studio again," she said.

"Probably, but I don’t think it’ll be as bad as the month I spent writing. Most of the work is already done. We just need to record the songs and make the final adjustments."

"That’s good. At least you’ll have more time at home."

"I’ll try to make sure of that."

Luna picked up her phone again, checking a reminder she had received earlier. "There’s something I wanted to tell you. I have a show I’d like to attend."

Dayo looked at her. "A show? When is it?"

"Later this week."

"Where?"

She gave him the details, explaining that a friend was involved and she wanted to be there. Dayo listened, then asked whether it was someone he knew.

"No, I don’t think you’ve met her. She’s a friend of mine, and I’m doing her a favour by attending. She asked me to come, so I told her I would."

"Is that all?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Nothing. I was just asking. I wanted to know what the show was about."

Luna put her phone down. "I’ll tell you more about it when I have everything confirmed. I just wanted to let you know before making plans."

"That’s fine. You should go if you want to attend. We can arrange everything around it."

"Thank you."

Dayo asked whether she needed him to help with anything before the event, but she told him she would handle the arrangements herself. Their conversation moved on to other things, and Jennifer eventually returned to the sofa, reaching for Dayo and making it clear that she wanted him to play with her again.

Dayo agreed, and the three of them spent the rest of the evening at home. He helped Jennifer with her toys, listened to her excited babbling and later sat with Luna while they watched something together. He checked his phone only once, when a message came in from Wayne about the recording preparations. After replying, he put it aside again.

The following morning, Dayo returned to JD Records earlier than usual. He had a few arrangements to review before meeting Wayne in the studio, and he wanted to use the quiet hours to work through them without interruptions. Sharon had already arrived and had placed the documents he needed on his desk.

"Good morning," she said when he came in.

"Morning. Anything new?"

"Nothing urgent. Valerie has a meeting with the finance department this morning, and Yuri has asked for your approval on the revised departmental schedule. I’ve placed it with the other documents."

Dayo took off his jacket and went through the papers. "All right. I’ll review them before lunch."

Sharon gave him the remaining updates before returning to her desk. Dayo spent the next hour going through the reports and responding to a few requests. Once he had finished, he opened the album files and began reviewing the arrangements he had marked for adjustment.

Wayne arrived later that morning, carrying his laptop and a notebook. He entered without much ceremony, greeted Dayo and placed his things on the desk.

"I hope you’re not planning to spend the whole day in here," he said.

Dayo continued looking at the screen. "I have work to finish."

"I know. I’m just checking whether you remember that we have an album to record."

"Wayne, it’s been one day."

"Exactly. One day has already passed."

Dayo laughed and turned towards him. "You really are counting."

"Of course. I told you I was looking forward to it."

They spent some time discussing the recording schedule. Wayne had begun organising the production team and checking the equipment they would need. He wanted the first session to run smoothly, without having to stop repeatedly because something had not been prepared.

Dayo showed him the arrangements he was still working on, and they went through a few sections together. Wayne made suggestions where he felt a change might improve the sound, while Dayo explained why he had made certain choices. They agreed on some adjustments and left others as they were.

The work continued through the morning, with occasional interruptions from calls and messages. At one point, Valerie came by to ask about the progress of the album. Dayo told her they were still on schedule and expected to begin recording in two days. She was pleased with the update and reminded him that she wanted to be informed once the first sessions were underway.

"I’ll let you know," he said.

"Good. Wayne has been talking about the album since yesterday, so I assume he has already heard it."

"He has."

Valerie looked towards Wayne, who was still seated beside the production desk. "And?"

Wayne smiled. "I think you’ll understand when you hear it."

"That sounds promising."

"It is."

Valerie left them to continue their work, and Wayne returned his attention to the schedule. Dayo shook his head at him, amused by how much he was enjoying the anticipation.

The second day was spent mostly in the studio. Dayo went through the remaining arrangements, checking the transitions between tracks and making sure the production files were properly organised. Wayne worked alongside him, preparing the sessions and making notes for the recording team. They did not need to make major changes, but Dayo wanted to be certain that everything was ready before they began.

By the afternoon, most of the remaining work had been completed. Wayne checked the files one more time, then turned towards Dayo.

"So, tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow."

"Good. I’ll make sure everyone is ready."

Dayo saved the final changes and closed the project. "I want to start with the first track. We’ll see how the vocals sit, then decide whether anything needs adjusting before we move on."

"That works. I’ll prepare everything tonight."

Wayne gathered his things, but before leaving, he reminded Dayo that he was expected at the studio early the next morning. Dayo assured him he would be there, and they left the room shortly afterwards.

That evening, Dayo returned home and spent time with Luna and Jennifer. The recording sessions came up briefly during dinner, and Jennifer became interested when she heard her father talking about singing at work. She made a happy sound and reached towards him, so he leaned closer and played along.

"Do you want Daddy to sing?" he asked.

Jennifer answered with an excited little noise and clapped her hands.

"Maybe I’ll sing for you when I come home."

Luna smiled at the exchange, but she didn’t ask him to play any of the new songs. She had already made it clear that she wanted to wait for the finished album, and Dayo intended to keep that promise.

The next morning, he arrived at JD Records with enough time to settle in before the session began. Wayne was already at the studio, checking the equipment with the production team. The files had been loaded, the recording booth was prepared, and the first track was ready on the system.

"You’re early," Wayne said when Dayo entered.

"I told you I’d be here."

"I know. I just wanted to make sure."

Dayo placed his bag beside the desk and looked over the setup. Wayne showed him the session arrangement, explaining what had been prepared and checking whether he wanted anything changed before they started. They went through the settings together, making a few small adjustments before Dayo stepped closer to the recording booth.

For a moment, he looked at the lyrics on the screen. He had written every word himself, worked through the melodies and spent weeks arranging the music. Now he was about to give the songs their final form.

Wayne stood behind the production desk, ready to begin. "Whenever you’re ready."

Dayo adjusted the headphones and checked the microphone position. "Let’s start."

Wayne returned to his controls and loaded the first track. The opening notes came through the headphones, and Dayo waited for his cue before beginning to sing.

The recording had finally started.