Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion

The next day, before Link had even reached the company, Anna called to say that someone named Bruno Mars was looking for him.

Upon his arrival at the company, he met the legendary Mars Brother in the office.

Latino, coffee-colored skin, an explosion of curly hair, shorter in person than in his music videos, about 165 centimeters tall, with two dimples on his face.

Rather than the flirty and playful guy from "Uptown Funk," the Bruno Mars before him seemed somewhat naive, like a little potato.

"Good morning, Mr. Baker!"

Mars stood up to greet him as soon as he entered.

Link greeted him back, "Just call me Link. Have you seen the sheet music for 'Lighters'?"

"Yes, I have seen it. It's amazing!" Mars complimented.

Link smiled lightly, took a look at him, "I hear you're primarily in charge of songwriting and music production at Atlantic Records, with two years of experience in that field. I'd like to hire you as the producer for this song. Would you accept the job?"

Mars was taken aback and with a distinctive South American accent, he said, "Mr. Baker, you haven't heard the music I've made, yet you dare entrust me with producing the song?"

Once Anna had put down the coffee, Link laughed and said, "Although I don't know you personally, I know Eminem. He's a very proud man, even stubborn and unruly. The fact that you've gotten his recommendation means there's no need to doubt your abilities."

Mars hesitated for a moment, then pulled a silver Apple music player out of his pocket.

"Mr. Baker, I'd be happy to take the job, but first, I'd like you to listen to some of my music."

"Sure!"

Link switched on the music player and spent half an hour listening to over ten of Mars' songs, one of which was "Nothin' On You," that sounded very familiar, like a hit song.

"Bruno, are these all your creations?"

Link closed the player and looked up to ask him.

"Yes, these are the songs I wrote while at Atlantic Records. I also wrote six songs for other artists, which have been released, including Miss Brandy Norwood's 'Long Distance,'" Mars explained with a shrug.

Brandy Norwood was a well-known R&B singer who released her fifth studio album "Human" last year, ranking 15th on the Billboard 200 chart.

Link had heard that song too, "These songs are all excellent, especially 'Nothin' On You', which I like the most. Are these tracks for your next album?" Link asked.

Mars scratched his head, saying, "Not exactly, the company doesn't have any plans for me to release an album right now. They think I'm more suited to songwriting and producing."

Link nodded, sensing what he meant. Mars was thinking of changing companies, and coincidentally, Link was planning to poach some talent.

This was mutual attraction.

He made a call and had Mr. Graham come over, introduced Mars to him, and hired Mars as the producer for his single, offering him a short-term contract.

After Mars left, Link thought for a moment and made a call to Miss Ivanka, asking for her assistance in recruiting talent.

Link Music had a cooperative relationship with Atlantic Records. With Ivanka's skills, it would not be difficult to recruit an insignificant producer.

"No problem, leave the recruitment to me. How is the recording of 'Keep On Movin'' going?" Ivanka asked.

"Keep On Movin'" was the title of his second album, also known as "Keep On Movin'", consisting of 16 songs with ten composed by Link and six gathered from other sources.

The album included tracks like "Give me reason", "Believer", "Trouble I'm In", "Keep On Movin'", "This Is Me", "Rainbow", and others, featuring pop and rock styles.

He initially planned to include the two rap songs "Lighters" and "I'm the One" in this album.

Graham and David Kahn, a few of the producers, thought they weren't a good fit, arguing that too many different genres in one album would make it seem cluttered.

Graham suggested releasing the two rap songs separately, so their success or failure wouldn't affect the overall performance of the second album.

Link thought their advice made sense and decided to remove the two rap songs, planning to have Mars take charge of producing them.

"The primary recording of the album is finished, and Graham and his team are working on post-production sound. It should be mostly done before May."

"Good, that's very efficient."

Ivanka praised, in the tone of a female CEO.

Link smiled lightly, "Of course, I've been working overtime in the studio every day, sometimes leaving only in the middle of the night. I've put so much time and effort into this album, remember to give me a bonus at year-end."

"No problem!"

Ivanka followed up with another question, "Have you seen any recent news about me?"

Link thought for a moment and chuckled, "The New York Post reported that you have been dating young Kunas, speculating that your two wealthy families are preparing for a union. Is that true?"

"What do you think?"

Eva asked indifferently.

Link shook his head, it was hard to guess. According to the original trajectory, they should have been engaged by now, but it was difficult to determine whether they were still dating.

"It must be fake, right? You said you didn't want to get married for the time being. By the way, at the party in Atlantic City last time, Kunas was also there. If you were thinking of marriage, you wouldn't involve him."

"No! It's true!"

Eva snorted coldly and decisively hung up the phone.

Link smiled, sending Eva a text message saying that the company was in its start-up phase, hoping she would focus on work instead of thinking about romance all day, as that wasn't good.

Eva replied that the company planned to launch his global tour after the release of his second specialty album, and since he was physically fit, his first global tour wouldn't be fewer than a hundred shows. She told him to be well-prepared.

Link's scalp tingled at the thought. He remembered his past advice to himself: never provoke this woman for no reason.

How had he suddenly forgotten such a deadly matter?

——

"Mr. Graham, is this Link Music's recording studio? It looks amazing."

At the recording booth of Link Music, Mars admired the studio's decor.

"Yes, it has just been renovated."

Graham replied noncommittally, assessing the young man beside him while they walked.

According to the information, Mars was only twenty-four, hadn't attended college or a music school, and had no signature works. He had only worked at Atlantic Records for a little over two years.

Graham didn't think the other party was up to the task of being a music producer.

But since he was invited by Link and the contract was signed, even if he wasn't suitable, they could still give him a trial.

"Bruno, this is Studio 3. During the production of 'Lighters,' you can use all the equipment here. You can find your own assistants or ask me to arrange them. All expenses will be covered by the company. If you have any other needs, feel free to seek me out," Graham said, pointing to Studio 1 next door.

"Okay!"

Mars expressed his gratitude to Graham. Seeing the plethora of equipment in Studio 3, he excitedly touched and looked around.

All of the equipment was new, mostly brand names, and even the unassuming piano in the corner was a custom Steinway worth over half a million US dollars.

He couldn't help but marvel at how wealthy Link Music was, more luxurious than the studios at Atlantic Records where he worked.

Atlantic Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group with a large business, had many signed artists and numerous music producers. To use a studio, one often had to apply weeks in advance.

Famous musicians could quickly secure a studio, but lesser-known ones like himself sometimes couldn't get one for an entire month.

Thinking of Atlantic Records, Mars coveted the environment at Link Music even more.

It would be great to work here.

Mars thought to himself secretly.

He started as a child star; at the age of 5, thanks to his talent for imitating Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and The Beatles, he gained media attention and even acted in a movie "Honeymoon in Vegas".

After high school, he went alone to Los Angeles in search of opportunities and signed with Motown Records in '04. Because he was short and not very handsome, he was pigeonholed as a behind-the-scenes songwriter and hadn't produced any notable songs.

In '06, after being unilaterally terminated by Motown, he wrote two songs and was hired by Atlantic Records, still performing behind-the-scenes duties including composing music, writing lyrics, and assisting production, among others.

But his dream was to be a singer.

During his time at Atlantic Records, he met many famous singers, including Philip Lawrence, B.O.B, and Eminem, and his talent gradually became recognized, but the company still had no plans to debut him as a singer.

This left him somewhat disheartened.

Until the other day, Eminem called saying Link was preparing a rap song and needed help.

He recommended himself to Link, who agreed to let him give it a try.

When Mars heard the news, he was thrilled.

Link was one of the most famous pop singers at the moment, with his debut album selling over two million copies in North America and nearly five million worldwide. Working with him and becoming the producer for his new single was without a doubt a huge opportunity.

After getting the music score for "Lighters," he rushed over to prepare, lest someone else snatch it away.

The song was well-developed in terms of lyrics and melody, and not difficult to produce. Now, the only thing to consider was how to make the song the best it could be to satisfy Link and gain his appreciation, hopefully becoming his long-term partner.