Chapter 191: Guiding Britney’s Creation

Chapter 191: Chapter 191: Guiding Britney’s Creation

Britney’s eyes lit up, and she immediately put down the sheet music. "Really? Do you have any specific ideas?"

"I don’t know music theory. I can only hum the general rhythm. Listen to this."

Irene cleared her throat, closed her eyes to recall the core melody of "She," and hummed softly, "da-da-da~ da-da~ da-da-da~"

Her humming wasn’t precise, but she captured that light, slightly dreamy electronic feel. "It’s this feeling, like the breeze at the seaside. It has both the liveliness of a young girl and a touch of mature laziness. It should be very catchy."

Britney immediately began to fumble on the electronic keyboard. Relying on the tune Irene hummed, she quickly played an approximate melody, her eyes brightening further. "This rhythm is so catchy. It’s softer than pure funk and has more flavor than the girl-pop style from before."

She played it twice, adjusted a few notes, and asked, "Is this smoother?"

"Yes. That’s the feeling," Irene clapped with a smile. "As for the lyrics, I think we can write about a girl’s multifaceted nature. She can be gentle or brave, quiet or passionate. Just like the image you want to project now."

She paused, remembering how she felt listening to this song in her past life. "For example, ’She is like the stars of a summer night, and like the breeze of the early morning.’ What do you think of this feeling?"

Britney picked up a pen and jotted down quickly on the draft paper. "I like this direction."

She lowered her head to ponder. "We can add some island imagery, like ’The waves kiss the hem of her skirt, starlight lights up her eyes.’ After all, we are here now, and the inspiration fits well."

The two exchanged ideas back and forth. Irene provided keywords from memory, while Britney connected them with more delicate strokes. Soon, they sketched out the rough draft of the lyrics for "She." It possessed both the softness of a girl and an underlying sense of independence, of "not being defined," fitting perfectly with the transitional needs of her transformation.

"There’s one more, with a brighter rhythm and a bit of electronic dance music feel." Irene hummed the chorus of "God Is a Girl" again. "da-da-da~ da-da-da~ God is a girl~"

Her humming wasn’t fluent, and she occasionally stumbled, stopping to recall. "It’s this kind of tone. A bit firm, yet a bit dreamy. It emphasizes a girl’s strength. She’s not weak, she’s capable of shining."

Britney hummed along, her fingers dancing rapidly on the keys, and she quickly completed the melody. "This has more power than the last one. The lyrics can be written around ’a girl’s radiance,’ for example, ’She hides the stars and the sea, and carries the wind and rain while coming home,’ which echoes ’She.’ One soft and beautiful, one firm and resolute."

Irene nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Combining these two songs will not only be acceptable to fans but will also slowly convey your new positioning without being too abrupt."

The two songs Irene chose were from the German electronic dance-pop group Groove Coverage. The songs had iconic, precise drum arrangements and slow melodic progressions, characterized by raspy, grainy vocals, which matched Britney’s current voice perfectly, making it effortless for Britney to perform.

Britney accepted them well and soon threw herself into the formal arrangement. Thinking of the third song, Irene sighed. "The atmosphere in the United States right now is very heavy. Besides these lighthearted songs that can bring everyone some brief comfort, I think we also need a song that can inspire everyone to pull themselves together. What do you think?"

Britney stopped her movements and couldn’t help but nod. "What you said makes a lot of sense, but such a song is too difficult. Can just the two of us create it? And those music producers on the market, once they make such a work, they would surely prioritize giving it to singers like Beyoncé. How could they possibly give it to me?" As Britney spoke, her voice became quieter and quieter, and the mood she had just gained from acquiring two masterpieces suddenly became low again.

Irene patted Britney’s shoulder and said, "We can try it. Anyway, there are only the two of us right now. Even if the creation fails, only the two of us will know, so it won’t be embarrassing. I have a melody here, listen to it."

She pretended to be recalling and thinking, then slowly hummed, intentionally emphasizing the chorus: "I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire~" Although she didn’t remember the full lyrics, she hummed out the momentum of breaking through shackles and growing toward the sun.

"It’s this feeling, like cheering oneself on in the darkness, telling everyone that even if you encounter the greatest difficulties, you can stand up and roar like a lion."

Britney’s fingers stopped on the keys, her eyes gradually becoming serious. "This is completely different from the first two."

"Yes, because what everyone needs right now isn’t just light entertainment, but also comfort and strength," Irene looked at her.

"After 9/11, everyone feels bad inside, filled with fear and confusion. If you can stand up and sing a song like this, telling everyone ’We can make it through, we are strong,’ it will surely resonate with everyone. This will elevate your status in everyone’s hearts more than any transition song."

Britney was silent for a moment, then suddenly nodded heavily. "I think you’re right. I want to sing a song like this." She tried to play the tune Irene hummed on the keys, and the impassioned melody instantly filled the room. The previous sense of laziness disappeared, replaced by an inspiring power.

"As for the lyrics, we can write around ’courage’ and ’rebirth,’" Irene said. "For example, ’When the storm sweeps in, when fear shrouds the heart, I do not retreat, I do not waver,’ and then the chorus shouts out that power, ’I want to scream, roar like a lion, break through the darkness, and welcome the light.’"

"That’s so touching," Britney picked up a pen and wrote rapidly. "I can add a bit of my own experience, like ’Once bound by labels, once afraid of the fog on the road ahead, now I dare to step out, dare to tell my heart’s voice.’ This fits the current atmosphere and echoes my transition."

The song was titled "Roar," a future 2013 work by Katy Perry. Irene chose a song from 12 years in the future because even if placed in the present of 2001, it wouldn’t be at all out of place.

The various powers conveyed by the song and its catchy, stirring melody allowed it to reach the number one spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 after being on the charts for three weeks, and later it even topped the music charts in over a dozen countries including the UK, Europe, Australia, Canada, Austria, New Zealand, Ireland, Israel, and South Korea.

Although Britney’s singing style was not quite the same as Katy Perry’s, the final effect remained to be seen. After all, they were only doing simple arrangements now. When Britney returned to Los Angeles, these songs would still need to be handed over to professional music producers for completion. Irene really couldn’t wait.