Rise To Stardom - Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Cozy
ENTERTAINMENT NATION

[Strange Canvas] – A Sleeper Hit by Kyle Kestis That’s Cooked Up A Storm In The Music Industry!

–

No promotions. No PR. No awareness.

Honestly, no one has any idea as to what was running through Kyle Kestis’s mind when he decided to drop a stealth release.

And yet;

A song that debuted at No. 95 on the charts just last week, found itself dethroning all the previous songs that came before it with such phenomenal numbers, it’s hard to fathom if some sort of spell wasn’t cast on the general public.

And maybe there was a sort of spell casted on us all because, unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve definitely heard of this song.

A whimsically relatable song, one that touches upon the troubles that come with sleeplessness, has become a global smash that’s continued to strike a chord with fans worldwide.

From taking the number one spot on the popular GrooveList’s ‘Buzzing 100’ charts, to doing the same on several other charts worldwide, like the ‘Beat Boulevard 100’ and ‘Harmony Hotlist’, Kyle Kestis might as well have made his mark in the music industry despite being such a youngster.

The song, which has now reached a combined stream count of over 150M (50M+ solely from GrooveBox) and counting across all music streaming platforms, seemingly has no intentions of slowing down anytime soon!

But even through all these, with his fame as a musician now reaching new heights every second of the day, we are yet to see any major statement from the man himself.

Starting from humble beginnings during his time on the popular singing reality contest; Rising Voices, Kyle, ended up getting eliminated later on in the show.

And yet, when you factor all of his achievements till now, he’s pretty much surpassed all of his fellow winning contestants!

Having topped the charts just a few months back with his hit single [No Clue], Kyle went radio silent.

The only other information about him popping up during that time period, was him being in a movie, a movie whose trailer was released just a few days back to very positive reception.

Known to be a pretty private person, evidenced by his scanty social media presence, the young man has become a talking point for so many Record Labels and Agencies looking to recruit him.

However, when taken into consideration that these same string of events happened after his elimination on the show, with him rejecting every single offer that came his way, it’s easy to understand that maybe, just maybe, Kyle Kestis does this for the passion and not for the fame.

And in spades did it pay off because what [Strange Canvas] has achieved within such a short period of time, is nothing short of phenomenally sensational!

Many Record Labels may have thought he wouldn’t get far without any major backing or resources but now, those words have been proven wrong!

Kyle Kestis, whether he intentionally or unintentionally planned it, has made a resounding statement with his diaristic style of music.

One that’s akin to a declaration that goes:

‘I’m not just a one-time wonder guy.’

‘No.’

‘Far, far from that; I’m here to stay.’

–

This article, written by ‘Entertainment Nation’, a very popular Hollywood entertainment blog, had racked up a view count of over 1.5M reads.

Considering so many people had now taken interest to the man named Kyle Kestis, hoping to glean any more information about him that they possibly could, this article came right in clutch.

As for Kyle’s fan group, most of them were currently rejoicing.

One, because Kyle was becoming more and more famous, and two, their boy had announced just a few seconds ago that he would be releasing the music video for [Strange Canvas] in a few days!

* * *

“So, you have about five different interviews over the course of the week. Two from some smaller Hollywood publications, two from a medium-sized one…”

“And, last but not the least, one from StarSpotter Magazine, a very big and major publication. That one’s tomorrow.”

“Also, GrooveFest 10, GrooveList’s 10th anniversary event, will be coming up and you, along with a bunch of other musicians, have been invited to perform at the various events around the US.” Oliver placed Kyle’s schedule for the week on the table, only to realize Kyle wasn’t even listening.

“Still floored by its overwhelming success?” Oliver grinned a bit as he watched a dazed Kyle staring at the music charts.

“I don’t even know what to say… Number one in the US, UK, Australia, Finland, Belgium, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands… the list goes on and on…” Kyle massaged his temples, a bewildered expression painting his face.

“Well, you were curious to know how far you could go on your own.” Oliver sipped a bit of his coffee and said;

“Turns out, you can go very, very far. That’s a testament to just how good your music is.” Oliver concluded.

Raising his head up, this time to stare at his agent from across the room, Kyle spoke;

“But… but Oliver, this… this is a song about sleeplessness. It has literally no profoundness to it. It’s a great song, I know. It’s relatable, I understand. But becoming this popular, that I can’t fathom.”

Sighing as he completed his sentence, Kyle simply leaned back onto the pillows of his bead to stare at the sleek, white ceiling.

“It’s, beyond me really, so… of course I’m still floored by its success.” he finally responded to the very first question his agent had asked him.

“Honestly, I think you’d be the first artist I’ve ever managed that’s seriously befuddled by his own success. Most were just overjoyed by their success and wanted to celebrate it.” Oliver downed a few more contents of his mug.

“Clearly, you are an oddity Kyle…” the suave man added with a light smile.

“But that’s a good thing… being able to reflect on your success. It ensures that you’ll stay grounded and down-to-earth.” Oliver continued;

“Still, you should just accept that there’s more to that song than just its lyrics or what it means…”

“What I personally think, is that it’s a great song that’s fundamentally different from what people are used to… In a good way.” the agent kept speaking, Kyle paying rapt attention to his every word.

“Someone else might interpret it differently, but, I feel like at the end of the day, the underlying passion you put into it, simply resonated with everyone. I think beneath how great the song actually is, people can feel that.”

“You’re very passionate, Kyle. A bit too much at times even…”

“But that’s what makes you special. That’s, what’s made all of your songs special.” Oliver concluded with a genuine smile, finally downing all of the remaining contents of the coffee mug.

Introspecting on his agent’s words, internalizing on it, Kyle gradually felt all of his befuddlement slowly fading away, realization and acceptance coming into the fray.

Maybe Oliver was right.

Maybe, that’s the one thing he never really felt people would notice.

Although he said something similar on the talk show when Emma Harper had questioned him about which he liked more, singing or acting; he had never truly seen it in action for himself.

After hearing it from Oliver’s mouth though, today was truly the very first time, that the reality for it had sunk in.

Maybe more than the music itself, people loved the intense passion he imbued into each and every one of his songs, without they themselves, actually also realizing that, that was the case.

Grateful for helping him see what had maybe been right there all along, Kyle smiled and said to his agent;

“Thank you for that. Oliver. Really, thank you for saying that.”

“Don’t mention it Kyle.” Oliver casually waved it off with a small smile, although deep down, he was really glad for the words of appreciation.

Not used to his previous talents appreciating him for even the smallest things, Kyle’s appreciative nature was something Oliver had secretly and genuinely come to look forward to during their interactions.

It was such a breath of fresh air for him and if Oliver was being honest, Kyle may have spoilt him without realizing it.

This was because the man was sure, that if for any reason he and Kyle had to go their separate ways, his next talent better be as respectful and appreciative as the young man unless, things definitely wouldn’t gel well between them.

Suddenly hearing a rap of knocks on the door though, along with a light murmur, Kyle casually got off his bed and went to open the door, only to be assaulted by a big hug from Christina!

“Hi Christina. How’ve you been?” he asked the blonde haired lady with a warm smile.

Disentangling from the hug, a happy smile on her face, the lady simply nodded, quickly retrieving and unfurling a neatly folded piece of paper that read;

– Congratulations on topping the charts globally Kyle! You are, simply, spectacular!

Blushing very strongly at the unexpected gesture from the lady, a sight Christina herself was witnessing on Kyle’s face for the first time since she had known him, Kyle had a bashful smile grace his lips as he responded;

“Thank you Christina. I really, really appreciate it.”

A bit stunned by the sight, Christina was about to sign in response when Maria’s voice rang through the end of the corridor.

“Great! You got the door open Christie. Let’s get the crew to come survey the room for the music video.”

No sooner had she said this, she instantly began to make a phone call to the crew downstairs.

“Wanna come in?” Kyle on the other hand, politely gestured to the lady, one to which she gently nodded in response.

The sight of a bashful Kyle had really stunned her and she was still trying to recover from it.

Walking into the room though, the cozy scent welcoming her into the apartment, Christina quickly gave her greetings when she saw Oliver sitting on one of the couches present in the living room.

Kyle whom was already in the kitchen at this point, peeked his head out from the door and said;

“Would you like to eat anything? I figured, you probably just got off shift this morning so, I had a few ingredients prepared. What’d you say to that?”

Hearing that, Christina vigorously nodded in affirmation.

First off, she really had just gotten off her shift this morning and was quite hungry.

Secondly, this was a chance to eat Kyle’s cooking!

Laughing a bit as he watched her bobble her head up and down, Kyle washed his hands at the sink and then began to retrieve a few ingredients from the fridge.

Surveying the neat apartment though, her eyes scanning the large living room, Christina thought to herself with a small smile;

‘Peppermint. It smells just like him…’