Chapter 725: Album Listening Session

The final production checks had been completed, and Dayo was still in the studio with Wayne when they finished listening to the album for the last time. The twelve tracks were arranged in their final order, and everything sounded the way they had intended. Wayne had gone through the recordings several times over the previous days, but he still listened carefully whenever Dayo played the complete album. There was something different about hearing the songs together without having to stop and discuss a production detail or make another adjustment.

When the last track ended, Dayo saved the final version and turned away from the console. He had spent weeks working on the album, from the first recording session to the final adjustments, and he was satisfied with what they had produced. Wayne was still looking at the screen when Dayo spoke.

"I think it’s time we brought everyone in. I want them to hear it."

Wayne turned towards him, already understanding what he meant. "Everyone?"

"Yes. Valerie, Ulrich, Alice, Sharon, and Luna. I want them here for the first proper listening session."

Wayne leaned back in his chair and smiled. He had been waiting for this moment, especially because he knew how much work Dayo had put into the project. Although he had heard every song during production, he was interested in seeing how the others would react to the completed album. He also knew that Luna had deliberately stayed away from the recordings because she wanted to hear the finished version without knowing what to expect.

"You’re finally ready to let them hear it," Wayne said. "I’m actually curious about their reactions. You’ve surprised me several times during this project, and I don’t think I’ve completely adjusted to what you’ve done yet."

Dayo laughed, asking what Wayne expected him to do differently. The production head shook his head, explaining that he had worked with him for years and still found it difficult to predict what he would come up with whenever he started a new album. Dayo had a habit of approaching music from a direction Wayne had not considered, even when they were working with familiar sounds and arrangements.

"That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you," Wayne continued. "I’ve worked on your previous albums, and every time I think I know what you’re going to do next, you come up with something else. I don’t know how you keep doing it."

Dayo told him he was making the process sound more complicated than it was, but Wayne disagreed. He had no intention of pretending that the album had been ordinary simply because he was used to working with Dayo. Before they could continue the conversation, Wayne reminded him that the others still needed to be contacted.

Dayo picked up his phone and began making the arrangements. He spoke with Valerie first, telling her that Beautiful Things was complete and that he wanted her to come to the studio for a private listening session. She was pleased to hear that the album was ready and agreed to join them. He contacted Ulrich and Alice afterwards, then sent a message to Sharon, asking her to arrange her schedule so she could attend. Luna was the last person he contacted because he wanted to speak with her properly rather than simply send a message.

When she answered, he told her that the album was ready and that he had arranged for everyone to listen to it together. Luna was immediately interested, asking whether he meant that the final version was completely finished. Dayo assured her that it was, and she told him she would be there. She had been waiting for this moment since he first mentioned the listening session, and she was no longer interested in waiting another day.

By the time everyone began arriving, Wayne had already made sure the studio was ready. The main listening room had been arranged so that everyone could sit comfortably, and the completed album was loaded onto the system. There would be no recording during the session, no interruptions from engineers asking questions, and no need to stop between tracks unless there was an actual problem. Dayo wanted them to experience Beautiful Things from beginning to end.

Valerie arrived first, followed shortly by Ulrich and Alice. Sharon joined them after finishing a few things she had been handling for Dayo. Their conversation began with the album, as Valerie asked how the final production had gone and whether Dayo had been satisfied with the last adjustments.

"Everything is done," he told her. "We finished the final checks, and Wayne and I listened to the complete album again. There was nothing else I felt needed changing."

"That’s good," Valerie replied. "I know you’ve been working on it for quite some time. Wayne has been keeping us informed about the recording sessions, although he hasn’t told us much about the songs themselves."

Wayne, who was checking the playback system, joined the conversation. He told them that he had deliberately avoided saying too much because he wanted them to hear the album for themselves. There was little point in explaining the songs before they had listened to them, especially when the completed project was the part he wanted them to experience.

Ulrich looked at Wayne and asked whether he was still going to make his usual comments about Dayo surprising him. He had heard Wayne say similar things after previous recording sessions, and he was beginning to think the production head had made it a habit.

"Honestly, Wayne, you say this every time Dayo records an album," Ulrich remarked. "Whenever he releases something, you’re always telling us how different it is and how much he has improved. At this point, I think we’ve heard the speech before."

Alice laughed quietly, while Valerie looked towards Wayne to see how he would respond. Wayne stopped what he was doing and turned to face them, looking almost helpless at the suggestion that he was simply repeating himself. He had expected them to tease him, but he was serious about what he had been saying.

"I’m serious about it," Wayne replied. "I mean, every time he comes in to record an album, he has improved and evolved. You all remember the hype around his last album and everything that happened after its release. I can tell you that with Beautiful Things, he has surpassed that level by more than five times. I’m not exaggerating, and I’m not saying it because he’s my friend. I’ve been involved in the production, and I know what we’ve been working on."

Ulrich looked at him for a moment before glancing towards Dayo, who was listening to the conversation with a small smile. Valerie laughed and said that Wayne was not the only person who had noticed the unusual way Dayo approached his work. The executives had already given him a nickname because they had struggled to find another way to describe his abilities.

"We know," Valerie said. "That’s why we gave him the nickname Alien in the first place."

Alice agreed, reminding Wayne that he had been one of the people who supported the name. Wayne accepted that he had, although he still wanted them to understand that his comments about Beautiful Things were not simply another version of the same praise he had given after previous projects. This time, he believed the album had taken Dayo’s music somewhere they had not heard before.

Dayo shook his head at their conversation and told them they would have to listen before deciding whether Wayne was exaggerating. He did not want to spend the entire afternoon discussing how good the album might be when the music was already waiting for them. Wayne agreed, and the conversation settled as Luna arrived.

She came into the room and greeted everyone before going over to Dayo. He welcomed her and asked whether Jennifer was doing good. Luna told him she had, then looked towards the console where the album was ready to play. She had deliberately avoided listening to the unfinished recordings, even when Dayo had offered to let her hear parts of them. Now that the final version was ready, she wanted to hear everything exactly as he had created it.

Valerie greeted her warmly, and Alice asked whether she was excited about finally hearing the album. Luna admitted that she was curious, although she did not know what to expect. She had heard Dayo talk about the work, but he had never explained the songs in detail. The only thing she knew was that the project was personal to him, and that he had spent a great deal of time putting it together.

Wayne told her that she was in for a different experience from the one he had during the recording sessions. He had already heard the songs as they were being made, but even he had found the completed version different. Luna asked whether he was saying that the album had changed significantly during production, and Wayne explained that the final arrangements and sequencing had made the entire project feel more connected.

"You’re making me even more curious," Luna said, taking her seat beside Dayo.

"That’s why I haven’t told you anything," Dayo replied. "I wanted you to hear it without having someone explain what to expect."

Once everyone was settled, Dayo stood near the console and looked around the room. He did not have a long speech prepared, and he saw no reason to give one. He simply told them that he had spent a lot of time working on Beautiful Things and that the songs came from experiences that meant a great deal to him. He wanted them to listen from the beginning to the end without stopping to discuss individual tracks.

"I’d like everyone to give it their attention," he said. "There are twelve songs, and I want you to hear them in the order we’ve arranged. We can talk about everything afterwards."

Wayne added that they should allow the album to play without interruptions. He had been part of the production from the first recording session, but he was interested in hearing the reactions of people who had not followed the process as closely as he had. Valerie agreed, and the others settled into their seats.

Dayo returned to the console and selected the album. For a brief moment, he looked at the title displayed on the screen before starting the playback. The opening of Beautiful Things filled the room, and the conversation stopped.

The first song began with the arrangement Dayo had spent so much time developing. His voice came through the speakers, followed by the instrumental that carried the song forward. Wayne listened with the familiarity of someone who had heard the recording many times, but he still paid attention to the final mix. Valerie and Alice remained quiet, taking in the song as it developed, while Ulrich followed the changes in the arrangement.

Luna listened without looking away from the speakers for much of the first track. She had heard Dayo sing countless times, both in private and through his released music, but this was different from listening to a song on the radio or watching him perform. She was hearing an entire project that he had kept away from her, and she could already sense that the emotions behind the music were not ordinary.

The second track followed without anyone speaking. Its opening was softer, but the emotion in Dayo’s delivery became more noticeable as the song progressed. Valerie looked towards Alice briefly, and Alice returned her attention to the speakers. Neither of them needed to say anything. The song carried a feeling that was difficult to ignore, and the way Dayo sang it made the words feel personal even to people who did not know the exact events behind them.

Wayne glanced at Dayo during one section. He remembered the recording session and the amount of attention Dayo had given to that particular part. There had been several takes before they settled on the final version, and Wayne now understood why Dayo had insisted on getting it right. The finished recording carried the feeling he had wanted, and hearing it again brought back some of the conversations they had shared while working on it.

As the album continued, the room grew quieter if it was possible even when the room was already pin-drop silent. Some tracks held the listeners through their lyrics, while others did so through the way the music and Dayo’s voice worked together. The production did not distract from the songs, and the transitions made it easy to follow the album as one continuous body of work. Even the people who had heard portions of the recordings before were now experiencing them differently.

Luna found herself recognising some of the feelings behind the songs. She remembered the uncertainty they had faced, the fear that had followed them during the most difficult period of their lives and the time when she had believed she needed to step away from Dayo. She also remembered what it had taken for them to begin rebuilding their relationship. The songs did not give her a list of events or explain every detail, but she could hear the emotions that had come from those experiences.

At one point, she looked towards Dayo. He was seated beside her, listening to the music with the same attention he had given it during the final checks. He did not look towards her to see how she was reacting, and she was glad he had allowed her to experience the album without asking her to explain what she felt. Her attention returned to the speakers as another song began.

Valerie had become increasingly quiet as the album progressed. She knew Dayo as the founder of JD Records and as the musician whose work had helped take the label to the top of the industry. She had seen his confidence in the studio and had watched him make decisions that other people might have struggled to understand. However, listening to Beautiful Things gave her a different understanding of the man behind the music.

Alice was having a similar experience. Her work involved understanding audiences and recognising the ways music connected with listeners, but this album made her focus less on its possible reception and more on what Dayo had put into it. She could already imagine how people might respond to the songs, even without knowing the private experiences behind them. The emotions were clear enough for listeners to connect with them through their own lives.

Ulrich remained attentive throughout the session. He had heard Wayne talk about the album’s quality, and he had expected something impressive, but he was beginning to understand why Wayne had been so insistent. The music was different from what he had anticipated. There was a level of honesty in the songs that made it difficult to treat them as another commercial project from one of the world’s most successful artists.

Sharon, who had worked closely with Dayo throughout the recording period, was also absorbed in the music. She had seen how much time he spent away from his regular responsibilities to complete the album, and she knew that he had been particular about keeping the recordings private. Hearing the finished work gave her a better sense of why he had protected the project until it was ready.

The songs continued, and the reactions around the room changed with them. There were moments when Luna looked down at her hands, especially when a particular lyric brought back a memory she had not expected to think about. At other times, she watched Dayo as he listened, trying to understand how he had managed to put so much of what they had experienced into music without making the songs sound like explanations of their private lives.

By the time the later tracks began, the atmosphere had changed. The sadness that had been present in some of the earlier songs was still there, but the album did not remain in that place. Other tracks carried a different feeling, and Luna began to recognise the parts that spoke to the life they had worked to rebuild. She thought about their home, Jennifer and the ordinary moments they now shared, things that had once seemed difficult to imagine during the worst period of their lives.

Towards the end, she found herself smiling. It was not because she had forgotten the difficult parts of their past, but because the album had brought her through those feelings and left room for the happiness they had found again. She listened to the final track with a different expression from the one she had worn during the earlier songs, and when it ended, she remained seated as the last sound faded from the speakers.

Dayo did not immediately reach for the console. The album had finished, but nobody in the room seemed ready to speak. Wayne sat quietly, looking towards the speakers, while Valerie and Alice remained in their seats. Ulrich had stopped looking at the track list on the screen, and Sharon was still taking in what she had heard.

Luna looked towards Dayo again. There was a small smile on her face, and he noticed it without asking what she was thinking. She had finally heard Beautiful Things from beginning to end, and he knew that the songs had reached her in a way that no explanation from him could have achieved.

For several moments, the room remained quiet. Everyone had heard the same twelve songs, but each person had experienced them from a different place. Wayne had heard the work of a musician he had spent years producing, Valerie and the other executives had heard a side of their founder that they rarely encountered in the office, and Luna had heard the emotions behind experiences they had lived through together.

The final version of Beautiful Things had been played, and the people Dayo had invited had now heard the album for themselves. Nobody rushed to fill the silence, because they were still taking in what they had just experienced.