Rise To Stardom - Chapter 196

Chapter 196: Hazy Night
Sifting through the radio stations, Margaret wasn’t surprised to see most of them having some heavy interference due to the rainy weather.

However, at some point, she finally settled on a popular radio channel called ‘Chill FM’ whose transmission was still solid as heck despite the heavy rain.

As of the moment though, they seemed to be on their ‘Night Drive Radio’ late night segment… one where they’d just play songs that was befitting of a night drive for late night workers.

In any case, Margaret casually listened to the tune of the song that was currently playing, not really paying it any mind even as it eventually came to an end.

The woman wasn’t a music enthusiast and even casual listening, wasn’t something she typically did.

Simply put, Margaret, wasn’t a music lover.

But for now, in the heavy rain, amidst the traffic congestion she herself was stuck in, anything would do to get her mind off her thoughts.

And so, when a haunting and soft mix of a violin and a guitar, melodiously played next, she simply listened nonchalantly as she had been doing thus far, her head leaning on the driver’s window.

🎻 ♪ 🎸 ♪

I’m drivin’ down the road,

Headlight’s are buzzin’ past,

And traffic’s… slowing me down

🎻 ♪ 🎸 ♪

Hearing the soft and emotive male vocals, Margaret, briefly flicked her eyes to the radio and back to her windshield.

For someone who wasn’t a music lover, the song felt very relatable to her.

The somber yet stripped back lyrics too, gave Margaret a sense of conversational intimacy with the male singer who sang the second half of the first verse;

🎻 ♪ 🎸 ♪

Raindrops beat my hood,

Just me and my thoughts,

Filling up this… cold void…

🎻 ♪ 🎸 ♪

The first verse, which had a lonely yet kindred melancholy to it, had the woman, actually angle her gaze towards the radio properly this time, Kyle’s voice steadily building up with the pre-chorus;

🎻 ♪ 🎸 ♪

There’s that question again,

Creeping up from the depths…

🎻 ♪ 🎸 ♪

And no sooner was the pre-chorus sung, one which basically mirrored Margaret’s current state of mind, Kyle’s impassioned vocals soared alongside the swelling instrumentation of electric guitars, bass, and drums to create a powerful and emotional release of the chorus;

~🎸 🎼 🎻 🥁 🎶 🎸~

It’s a hazy… night…

And I wonder if there’s more,

Am I, more than this, or is this, all it is?

Don’t have the answers, yet I…

~🎸 🎼 🎻 🥁 🎶 🎸~

At this moment, Margaret couldn’t deny that she did in fact, feel some sort of emotional intimacy with the song.

However, the car before her moved slightly forward, prompting her to also a step on her accelerator gently as Kyle’s raw vocals, which took center stage, sang the first half of the second verse;

🎻 ♪ 🥁 🎸 ♪

I’m peering through the glass,

Pointer’s blinking fast,

Second lane’s… moving on

🎻 ♪ 🥁 🎸 ♪

Smiling a bit as she glanced over to the other lane which was in fact moving on, Margaret quietly hummed along to the tune of the song as the last half of the second verse was sung somberly;

🎻 ♪ 🥁 🎸 ♪

The fog’s building up,

Heater’s gone bust,

Blaring horns… and the cold night’s air…

🎻 ♪ 🥁 🎸 ♪

Margaret laughed quietly this time, clearing her windshield fog with a fibre cloth while simultaneously reminding herself that she needed to fix her car’s heater again after it went bust last month.

Relaxing into her though, feeling slightly less stressed for some reason or the other, Margaret listened in genuine interest as the second pre-chorus was sang alongside the chorus;

🎻 ♪ 🥁 🎸 ♪

Should’ve been a noisy ride,

But my mind’s travelled far…

~🎸 🎼 🎻 🥁 🎶 🎸~

It’s a hazy… night…

And I wonder if there’s more,

Am I, more than this, or is this, all it is?

Don’t have the answers, still I…

~🎸 🎼 🎻 🥁 🎶 🎸~

Loving the every second of the song as it kept playing, the overworked high-school principal noted the subtle changes to the chorus.

That, added even more to the sort of vulnerable intimacy the song had as Margaret really felt that the musician in question, was really conversing with his music.

And then, with a noticeably heightened belt of his voice for an even more powerful and emotional release, Kyle’s beautifully melancholic vocals, sang the bridge as the instrumentals soared in sync;

~🎸 🎼 🎻 🥁 🎶 🎸~

Oh…!

Why do these questions keep pilin’ on…

Maybe I’m just overthinking things,

It’s been a hectic day,

Tiring,

Humdrum,

Stressful,

And I…

~🎸 🎼 🎻 🥁 🎶 🎸~

Once again, Margaret noted that the singer, never really decided what he was going to do.

His decisions were constantly left unanswered with each chorus and even the bridge too, showcased that he did in fact, feel a bit lost on what to do.

That said, just as Margaret sensed that the song was about to end, with the final chorus, she immediately sang along;

~🎸 🎼 🎻 🥁 🎶 🎸~

It’s a hazy… night…

And I wonder if there’s more,

Am I, more than this, or is this, all it is?

Don’t have the answers, but I…

~🎸 🎼 🎻 🥁 🎶 🎸~

This time though, Margaret noticed that singer’s impassioned and powerful vocals had a hint of strength in them as he sang the the outro–– the answer, to his decisions;

~🎸 🎼 🎻 🥁 🎶 🎸~

I’ll hold on…!

I’ll hold on…!

~🎸 🎼 🎻 🥁 🎶 🎸~

And at that moment, Margaret, felt a sense of strength well up in her heart, her eyes already tearing up.

She hadn’t realized just how strongly she herself had been resonating with the beautiful song.

Hearing the singer say he’d hold on, even with everything seemingly feeling adrift, gave her the same strength to also, keep holding on.

Ten years of her life now and she’d been giving her all to Maple High, even though everything didn’t work out as she wanted all the time.

Yet, despite the loss of her dear husband during those years whom was her strongest wall, due to just how passionate she was about her job, Margaret had still been successful thus far with her endeavors for Maple High.

In a way, she felt like the song on the radio, did a beautiful job of offering her some much needed support.

Support she never knew she needed.

And so, as a way to preserve the sentiments and solicitude of the song the moment it ended, Margaret instantly reduced the volume of her radio to zero to prevent any other song from tainting it.

And then, relaxing into her seat once again, the lady savored the tune of the song and the lyrics in her head.

For the first time in an extremely long time, Margaret, had fallen in love with a song.

And sure enough, she didn’t who the singer of said song was, just yet…

But, it was the digital age.

She’d definitely find out who he was with a quick eagle search.

But for now, she just wanted to bask in and savor the compassionate support it offered her.

*

___________________________

{Hazy Night} – (97%)

Loneliness. A search for purpose. The desire to keep going on against all odds. Providing support to those needing of it. This poignant power ballad, brought to life by Kyle Kestis, captures these themes perfectly, making it an endearingly sentimental song to listen to.

___________________________

*

That very next day, having arrived at her school, the mild gazes of shock on various student’s faces were palpable as they walked past their principal whom was humming the tune of the second most popular on GrooveBox’s ‘Buzzing 100’!

‘When did Principal Margaret become a fan of Kyle Kestis’?!’ was the question circulating through their minds.

‘Millennials love the song too?!’ was another that a few more students inwardly asked themselves in mild surprise.

Their questions aside though, just like Margaret had fallen in love with [Hazy Night], so many other late night drivers and millennials around the world, similarly did, the ladies especially.

Three other songs in his album asides the top four were also becoming so many people’s favorite and global hits worldwide.

[On The Verge], an upbeat and celebratory electronic-pop anthem about embracing life’s milestones and new beginnings, became a song a bunch of college graduates had decided they would be using on their convocation in the coming days.

[Daybreak], a bittersweet yet heartfelt pop ballad that reflected themes of love, separation, and cherishing fleeting moments with someone special, was a song most people whom had been in failed relationships in the past, strongly resonated with.

[Cages or Wings], a musical-themed pop-ballad that captured Kyle’s internal struggle with his fears, ambitions, and the pursuit of his artistic dreams while living authentically, even in the face of uncertainty, became a song a lot of his fans, absolutely came to adore.

And with all these successful songs, came another ridiculous spike in Kyle’s already immense fame.

Each of his songs, in just over a day, had exceeded 50M streams, with the top four already crossing over a 100M.

And at the unbelievably rapid rate it was skyrocketing, music analysts, enthusiasts and fans alike, made a pretty accurate speculation.

By the end of the month, Kyle would have his top four songs hit a billion streams.

Those were absolutely ridiculous numbers for an independent artist like him.

Yet, it was inevitably, bound to happen.

That alone, was going to be a genuinely massive achievement for Kyle!

As a result, the music industry, couldn’t deny it anymore.

The numbers were in.

It was now official.

Kyle Kestis, was officially, a mainstream musician!