Chapter 497: Semi-finals

Chapter 497: Chapter 497: Semi-finals

Inside the Disney Broadcasting Hall at this moment, the lights were dazzling and the atmosphere was scorching. Hundreds of live audience members filled every seat, and applause and cheers rose and fell in succession.

The twelve contestants who remained after multiple rounds of rigorous screening had long shed the green and ignorant demeanor of their initial stage appearances. Everyone brought a mature stage mindset and solid vocal foundations, ready to go. This was their final hurdle in charging towards the annual grand finals.

According to the brand-new semi-final format finalized by the production team, this round completely broke down team barriers. There was no longer mentor team protection, nor intra-team quota tilting. The twelve contestants drew lots randomly to determine the performance order, performing brand-new tracks solo one by one.

The final score was comprehensively calculated based on three components: professional music reviewer scoring, weighted comprehensive commentary from the four mentors, and live audience popularity voting, with the entire process being open and transparent.

The bottom eight contestants in the rankings were regretfully eliminated, while the trainees ranked in the top four of comprehensive scores successfully advanced to this season’s annual grand finals, competing for the ultimate annual champion throne.

The four mentors sat upright in their mentor seats, their expressions much more solemn and serious than before.

The four music industry heavyweights, Steve Winwood, Kanye West, Bonnie Raitt, and Britney, were no longer playfully joking or interacting casually at this moment. Everyone was highly focused and attentively examining every trainee’s stage performance.

They knew clearly that the contestants who had made it to the top twelve no longer had an absolute gap between strong and weak. What was being competed was not just singing skills and techniques, but also stage infectiousness, track adaptability, impromptu mindset, and personal style charm. Every minor mistake could directly ruin their spot in the grand finals.

Irene sat in the front VIP audience seating, her posture relaxed yet her gaze focused.

Today, she was simply appreciating this musical feast in the capacity of an audience member.

Looking at the youthful yet incomparably firm faces on the stage, there were no true losers in tonight’s showdown. Being able to break through thousands of applicants and squeeze into the top twelve, these young people had long proved their talent and strength, but sometimes singers relied on more than just vocal skills.

With the drawing of lots concluded, the top twelve showdown officially kicked off.

The several contestants appearing in the first round each had their own styles. Some excelled at lyrical slow songs, touching hearts with delicate vocal techniques; some specialized in fast pop songs, igniting the atmosphere with dynamic rhythms; some deeply cultivated country music styles, highlighting recognizability with unique vocal timbres.

The twelve stage performances varied in style and each had its own highlights, taking turns presenting high-quality singing. The entire process could be called immortals fighting, with every trainee exhausting their abilities and bringing out their peak state.

As the ace trainee of Steve Winwood’s team, Bruno Mars instantly detonated the entire venue the moment he took the stage.

At this moment, Mars was still green and did not look like a superstar yet, but his music already possessed stage control far surpassing singers of his age.

He chose to sing a retro pop song with a brisk rhythm and extremely strong groove. The moment he opened his mouth, he stabilized the rhythm of the entire venue.

His falsetto transitions were silky and natural, his stage presence was relaxed and agile, and his infectiousness was maxed out. With every gesture, he carried a natural stage aura, and every beat and bodily movement was just right, effortlessly handling the venue’s atmosphere.

The entire song was performed completely, fluently, and with full tension. The audience followed along to groove and sway, without a single mistake, and the ending was clean and crisp.

After the song was sung, applause roared endlessly throughout the venue.

Mentor Steve Winwood was full of gratification and did not stingily give super high praise, bluntly stating that this was the most complete and spiritual stage he had seen this season, combining technique, aesthetics, and audience affinity, naturally belonging to the big stage.

The live audience’s popularity voting instantly opened up a generational gap advantage. Bruno Mars’s score led all the way, locking in a top four seat in advance.

Following closely behind on stage was Katy Perry.

Belonging to Bonnie Raitt’s team, she perfectly continued her consistent bright and explosive music style.

Her voice was crystal clear and extremely penetrating; her song selection combined pop appeal with attitude; her vocal technique was relaxed and grand with full emotions; her high notes were stable without cracking, her low notes were gentle and healing, and switching between strong and soft was handled with complete ease.

Bonnie Raitt favored this trainee greatly, full of praise during the critique, bluntly stating that Katie’s voice timbre was a born pop-hit timbre, adaptable to all public aesthetics, with extremely strong plasticity, capable of mastering diverse music styles in the future and possessing unlimited development possibilities.

Under the dual blessings of professional reviewer scoring and audience voting, Katy Perry’s score firmly stayed in the forefront, steadily securing the second grand finals spot.

Christopher Ocean from Kanye West’s team still continued his signature lazy R&B style.

After experiencing the baptism of resurrection and multiple rounds of precipitation, his stage mindset became increasingly mature. His vocal technique was delicate and gentle with superb sense of atmosphere, carrying a unique relaxed texture of his own.

His singing did not have extreme and explosive high notes, but won through full emotions, delicate details, and a unique timbre. His lazy vocal technique had extremely high recognizability, and his lazy yet affectionate music style firmly grabbed the preferences of a large number of audience members.

Kanye West watched extremely attentively the whole way, bluntly stating during his critique that Christopher’s unique style was one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable among this season’s contestants, being a top genius in niche music styles and possessing an exclusive audience base.

Although his public popularity was slightly inferior to Bruno Mars and Katy Perry, relying on extremely high professional reviewer scores, he steadily held down a spot in the top three and successfully advanced to the final four.

The most stunning stage of the entire venue was none other than Stefani Germanotta’s solo performance.

She abandoned safe pop tracks and boldly chose an original segment with extremely high adaptation difficulty, combining retro splendor and rock tension. The musical style was grand and magnificent with rich layers.

The instant she opened her throat, her highly recognizable unique voice swept the entire venue. Ethereal high pitch and wild explosive power were perfectly fused, high and low notes switched freely, pitch bends were exquisitely designed, and the arrangement ideas were ahead of their time, perfectly replicating the majestic aura similar to Queen’s lead singer.

The entire stage combined artistry and watchability, breaking everyone present’s inherent cognition of rookie singers. The ultimate stage tension, advanced musical aesthetics, and unique personal style shocked the entire audience and mentors alike.

Britney was full of pride throughout the entire process, her eyes filled with certainty and appreciation. During her critique, she bluntly stated that Stefani’s talent had long surpassed the scope of ordinary rookies, making her a born musical artist who would surely subvert the pop music scene in the future.

Furthermore, all the professional reviewers gave near-full high scores, unanimously recognizing this as the stage with the highest artistic height in this season’s semi-finals.

Relying on a generational gap in comprehensive scores, Stefani steadily squeezed into the top four, becoming the most dazzling contestant of the entire venue.

The stages of the remaining eight contestants were likewise splendid enough. Everyone gave it their all without leaving any regrets, showcasing their best state.

Some had solid vocal skills but lacked personal style; some had excellent stage atmosphere but insufficient stability; some had outstanding popularity but slight flaws in details.

Under the high-pressure arena of an all-star matchup where immortals fought, minor gaps ultimately widened the ranking gaps, and eight contestants regretfully stopped at the semi-finals.