Rise To Stardom - Chapter 197

Chapter 197: Mainstream
On GrooveBox’s ‘Buzzing 100’ charts, something unbelievable was occurring.

A ridiculously unbelievable sight that hadn’t been seen in years on the platform from even some of the highest rated musicians of the generation, was currently happening.

—

1. [Back to The Start] – 209,985,006 Streams ↑

2. [Hazy Night] – 155,137,548 Streams ↑

3. [Light A Fire] – 149,999,999 Streams ↑

4. [Electrified] – 149,999,985 Streams ↓

…

…

6. [Cages or Wings] – 90,105,628 Streams ↑

…

8. [On The Verge] – 72,298,103 Streams ↑

…

10. [Daybreak] – 61,127,842 Streams ↓

—

All of Kyle’s newly released songs from the album was practically dominating the top charts!

In fact, [Light A Fire] and [Electrified] had practically been duking it out with each other for the third spot on the charts all day long, with fans of either song, even competing on TweetTalk while sharing the metrics whenever one overtook the other!

[Hazy Night] on the other hand, to most people’s surprise, despite only having a lyric video, was firmly in second place.

However, for Kyle’s team, they had more or less been expecting that.

Considering not just America but a good portion of the rest of the world, practically moved about on wheels, promoting a song like that on many popular late night radio segments, earned it far more listeners than the internet would’ve liked to admit.

Although the audio media might not be as popular as it used to be, it was not to be underestimated one bit, especially since late night drivers, typically loved a good song that’d get them relaxed on the drive home.

If need be, they’d locate said song on a music streaming platform and essentially, listen to it on repeat, just for the hell of it.

That said, the undethroned king, [Back to The Start], firmly sat in first place, far outstripping the rest of its peers like the Lead Single it was.

And just as it did, more and more rave reviews of the entire album itself, both from top music critics, lesser known ones and even entertainment journalists, continuously and torrentially kept dropping left and right on various music critic websites.

–

Pitchforked – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

An absolute masterpiece that delivers a sonic experience that feels both fresh and timeless! The multiple blend of pop genres makes Kaleidoscopes an absolute banger of an album! Seriously, every track hits hard in its own way! From anthemic choruses to intimate ballads, every blessed track showcases Kyle Kestis’s versatility, heart and growth as a musician. This album deserves to be on repeat!

–

Groove Guru – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Kyle Kestis just raised the bar for debut albums! Yes, we said it. Bite us! From his mesmerizing voice, to his diaristic yet poetic lyrics, and finally, the tunes of the songs themselves–– everything, and we mean everything, is absolutely flawless! Need we talk about the music videos?! Kaleidoscopes isn’t just music—it’s an experience!

–

Decibel Diva – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

You know those moments when you listen to an album and you think; ‘Where have you been all my life?!’. Yeah, Kaleidoscopes is one of such rare albums! Every blessed note, every blessed lyric, every blessed moment of listening to it, feels so strongly imbued with Kyle’s passion for music, you’ll practically be resonating with every track! Kyle fucking deserved those Grammies!

–

Barely Listening (Not!) – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Kaleidoscopes deserves to be celebrated, and so does its brilliant creator! This album has everything: powerful vocals, introspective lyrics, and lush instrumentals! A debut that will be truly hard to top, this just drives home the irrefutable fact that Kyle Kestis is more than capable of conquering both Hollywood and the music charts!

–

Vinyl Verdict – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Authenticity! Artistry! Kyle Kestis basically solidified just why he’s constantly been one of the hottest topics in the music scene for a while now. A force to be reckoned with, Kaleidoscopes is absolutely masterful and feels like a carefully painted picture of tracks—vivid, layered, and unforgettable! A stunningly magnificent debut!

–

Rhythm & Rants! – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Layered, emotive, and full of passion, this is the album of the year! From the very first note to the last, Kaleidoscopes is an album full of soul and depth! Kyle’s Hollywood-worthy acting be damned, I can’t help but wonder how much farther he’d have gone if he wasn’t juggling his music career alongside his acting career! Still, K.K is now officially a music powerhouse! Next year’s Grammies better be ready!

–

At the same time as all these reviews kept dropping, TweetTalk itself was already bubbling, with #Kaleidoscopes being the number one trending topic on the social media platform.

Specifically, on a post made by GrooveBox themselves, was a screenshotted picture of Kyle’s songs dominating the charts with the caption; KYLE KESTIS IS OFICIALLY HERE TO STAY!

The post which had garnered over 100M views, 527K likes, 350K retweets and over 5K comments in under 48 hours, was still surging at the moment, with more and more denizens pouring in as they interacted with the top comments while also adding their own thoughts;

–

Princess Peach: @GrooveBox; Here to stay?! Here to stay?!!! Please, Kyle’s just flexing at this point! If not for industry standards, our cinnamon roll would’ve been mainstream a long, long time ago! Literally every song on the album is friggin’ gold!

WeDoABitOfTrolling: Can you imagine @Princess Peach?! The audacity?!! In any case, Kyle’s the first independent mainstream musician in years so hurra! Hurra!! Hurra!!! The music industry needs more independent mainstream artists I tell you.

Papa Gorilla: I just have to say that [Back to The Start] has to be one of the most heartfelt song I’ve heard in years. Had me and my wife gently waltzing about the house today. Also, I don’t listen to today’s mainstream music that much but, just this once, I’ll make an exception and listen to more of Kyle’s songs.

Music-Hook Hunter: [Electrified] and [Light a Fire] have been clashing for the past 32 hours with no winner in sight! It’s so weirdly intriguing and exciting to watch fans of the same musician, continuously keep duking it out to get two of his individual songs to one up the other.

Earworm Examiner: @Music-Hook Hunter; [Light A Fire]’s definitely coming out on top!

Technical Janet: @Earworm Examiner; Nuh-uh! [Electrified]’s definitely taking that 3rd spot on the charts!

Peter_Writes_Fantasy: Honestly, at the rate Kyle keeps smashing our expectations, I shudder in excitement for the future.

WaifuWithARocketLauncher: In his Grammie speech, Kyle said he had so much more to give. He, wasn’t playing around! And yes, I’m so happy today that I’ve stashed my rocket launcher away.

Wendy The Witch: @WaifuWithARocketLauncher; Thank heavens! Also, Kaleidoscopes is absolute chef’s kiss! My favorite’s [Hazy Night]!

Ella Musk: Hmmm… I should really get around to finally meeting this Kyle guy. Maybe we can explore Space and Planet Mars together… as long as he’s willing to be my boyfriend.

Kyle’s Girlfriend: @Ella Musk; Screw off, you multi-billion-dollar slut! Kyle’s mine!

ShrekLovesFiona: [On The Verge] reminds me so much of graduation day! Man, Kyle’s such an artistic genius it pains me that my vocabulary fails to encompass just how amazed I am by his achievements. I’d so much love to give him an even stronger and more fitting compliment.

Alice_In_Wonderland 88: I’m one of those very few that still loves buying physical albums and Kyle’s has to be my favorite till date! I love every song of the album to pieces! Also, I’m gonna be framing the artwork of the vinyl casing and hang it on my bedroom wall.

Trix or Treat: @Alice_In_Wonderland 88; Make that two!

Owl Nation: I swear down, [Cages or Wings] and [Daybreak]… those songs are the most underrated songs in his album… and that’s really saying something considering how much streams they’ve gotten.

BensonHeartsMegan: 73-year-old grandfather here. And wow… I never would’ve thought we met such a talented and popular musician until my granddaughter showed us the music video of the song because we loved it so much the very first time we heard it. We wish him many more success in the future!

–

Smiling proudly and joyously as he scrolled through the comments, Oliver soon tucked his phone aside, staring at the scene before him alongside Owen, Gwen, Jennie, Stuart, Miguel and Camille.

Right now, situated at the bustling backstage, was Kyle and his session musicians alongside Carl, Steven, Ryan, Joe, Jasmine, Tyler, and a group of back-up dancers, warming up for the showcase.

Yes, a showcase!

Over the course of the past few months, DiscoTune’s Execs, having listened to all the songs on the album before it released, had vehemently implored and practically begged of Oliver to please, allow them host a music showcase, one that they themselves would sponsor.

At first, the agent had put their offer on hold because he knew Kyle could get an acting gig at any time after he was done releasing the album and he obviously, didn’t want to overwork his talent whom was already overdoing it anyway.

However, due to the Hollywood’s Writers’ & Actors’ Guild strike, one that essentially meant that Kyle had a lot of free time for the next seven months, the agent had then run the idea through his talent, one Kyle had been more than willing to greenlight.

That was why, no sooner had they discussed the formalities with the distribution company the day immediately after the Grammies, Kyle had contacted almost every major individual who featured on the album to ask if they were willing, or hopefully, had time to perform alongside him at the showcase.

Their responses, fortunately, were extremely favorable, hence why they were currently on ground.

DiscoTune too, were obviously ecstatic about this positive response because the amount of exposure it would give their distribution company, couldn’t even be quantified when compared to the amount they’d spend on planning and making the showcase.

Quite literally, if the showcase was successful enough, they could practically go from a mid-sized distribution company to big distribution company in mere months!

In fact, because they were the ones distributing Kyle’s album, they had seen a massive rise in their stocks on the stock market due to the immense success of Kaleidoscopes!

But for now, just as the massive auditorium they had rented was practically buzzing and sparking with excitement from reporters, journalists, paparazzi and fans alike, Kyle took a deep breath and then, parted open the curtains of the foyer as Caleb, Maeve and Paul followed him to perform [Back to The Start], the Lead Single of the album, live.