by Alex Marcoux
It was four o’clock when the group of musicians decided to break for ten minutes. It had been an unproductive session. Sidney paced the small booth as Natalie sat on the couch. “I think I’m going to use this as my opportunity to split,” Sidney announced.
The two women continued talking, making plans to meet with Anastasia the following day. Sidney wanted to prepare Anastasia on how to handle sensitive questions from the press. Anastasia’s tour would start soon and so would the press exposure.
As they spoke, Sidney became aware that one of the musicians was working behind her in the recording room. A vaguely familiar chord was repeated over and over again on the piano. Although Sidney maintained eye contact with Natalie, she found the musician’s work to be distracting. Initially, she was unaware why, then as the musician started humming the tune her heart hastened. It’s the mystery singer. Sidney turned around and looked through the glass that separated the recording room from the booth. To her surprise, Anastasia was sitting alone in front of the piano, stroking the keys and humming the tune.
“Natalie, come with me,” Sidney directed, and the women entered the recording room.
Sidney silently approached the piano. Anastasia became aware of her presence and stopped playing. Casually, she took a drag from a cigarette, then rested it in an ashtray on the piano. “Is there a problem?” Anastasia asked Sidney.
Natalie just watched, oblivious to what was going on, then Sidney spoke and she understood. “You were in here at lunch today?” It was more a statement than a question.
“Yeah, what’s the problem?” Anastasia looked annoyed.
“That was you singing?”
“Yeah.”
“Who wrote the music and lyrics?”
“I did.”
Sidney smiled at Anastasia, then looked back at Natalie. She was beaming. It had been years since Natalie had seen her friend smile so naturally.
Then Sidney became serious. “Why haven’t you played the songs that you worked on during lunch for me?”
“I didn’t think you’d be interested in them.”
“Why would you think that?”
“I’ve played them for Steph and Jeffrey. Both thought they were too different from my music style.”
“They are different,” Sidney agreed. “Especially compared to your last album. But what I heard at lunchtime was good. Your new music is…,” Sidney was searching for the word, “unattached.”
Sidney continued, “Jeffrey may have been right not to pursue this music in the past, but I think we’d be fools not to look at the possibility. Besides, many artists change their styles as their careers mature. How many songs have you written with this style?” Sidney asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe a couple dozen.”
Sidney smiled, but it quickly vanished from her face. “Have they been copy protected?”
“No. But I did the registered mail deal to establish dates of origin on most of them.”
“Good.”
The group of musicians had returned from their break and started taking their places in the studio.
Sidney addressed the group. “We’re going to break for the day. Same time on Wednesday.” As the group started to disband, Sidney turned to Anastasia. “Not you. When everyone is gone, would you play something for Natalie?”
After the group departed, Anastasia picked up a guitar and sang the ballad about searching for a love. The song described a person’s quest for finding a love, knowing that they deserve it and are eager to return the love. Although it was a simple song, her performance was flawless but, more importantly, sincere.
At the end of her performance, both Natalie and Sidney stared at Anastasia, smiling.
Chapter 12
Excited about new possibilities, Sidney wanted to hear all of Anastasia’s work. She asked her to perform privately the following morning for Natalie, Nelson and herself. After the performance, her staff became equally excited and agreed they could not ignore this softer rock or adult contemporary music style.
Although obsessed with the new challenge ahead of her, Sidney proceeded cautiously. She spent hours listening to Anastasia’s new songs. She selected one, then directed Anastasia and the musicians to be prepared to record the song within one week.
Contemplating the next step, Sidney spent hours listening to Anastasia’s recording of “The Light.”
Have you ever wondered what the world would be like without evil? Without negative? Without darkness? Can you imagine what it would be like with just the light? Come with me on this trek of mine as I stroll through the boundaries of my mind. Visualize a world where abundance has satisfied hunger. Can you see the cure? No more cancer. No more AIDS. Our medical advances have finally caught up with reality.
Now, travel with me further.
Journey with me to my deepest imagination.
Where evil no longer exists and the light shows us the way.
Can you see the light?
Can you feel it?
There’s no evil or negative or hatred, here.
Now that you’ve seen it-help me return to reality. Because here is where we need to be.
We know our calling now.
Help me show that the light is the answer.
And the light is simply love.
Have you tried it?
It’s hard, I know.
To confront adversity with love and kindness seems unfitting.
But, have you tried it?
It’s infectious.
Try it in your world and your life will change.
Then you’ll know just how blessed you are.
Can you imagine if we can get everyone on board?
The answer is simple-manifest love.
It’s in our hands and up to you and me.
Stop making excuses and blaming others.
If everyone sends the light instead of darkness,
bliss would be reality.
Such a powerful message, Sidney thought. But how should we proceed?
Later that week, Sidney called a meeting with Natalie, Nelson and Anastasia to discuss their options on how to continue. To Sidney’s surprise, Stephanie showed up for the meeting, but Sidney was in such good spirits, nothing could bother her. The meeting was held in Sidney’s office. She went to her bar and pulled out five champagne glasses and a bottle of chilled champagne.
“I wanted everyone here to discuss an idea I have to test Anastasia’s new work,” Sidney said. She poured the champagne and handed around the glasses. “I’ve listened to the tape, over and over, and it’s good.”
“But?” Anastasia asked.
“No buts. The question is-where do we go from here?” Smiling, she raised her glass. “To our next step.”
The group sang out, “To our next step,” and sipped their champagne.
“I’ve heard the tape,” Stephanie announced, “and it’s good, but don’t you think you’re taking too big a risk releasing such different music? I mean, after all, she’s gonna lose her followers.”
“It’s a risk,” Sidney agreed, “that’s why we need to act cautiously.”
“What do you have in mind?” Nelson asked.
“We have two options. We can go the traditional route or completely unconventional. If we take the traditional path and the market doesn’t approve of her new style, we’ll lose a whole year. But if we get creative….”
Sidney smiled and held up the recording of “The Light.” “When I first heard Anastasia sing this song, I hadn’t a clue who she was, and that created mystery, and mystery is exciting. If we release her music in any salable format, we automatically lose the mystery. But…what if we didn’t run to market? What if we released “The Light” to radio stations anonymously? Why not nurture the mystery before we go to market? Why not exploit that excitement?”
Stephanie was losing patience. “I’m sorry, what the hell are you talking about?”
Nelson was starting to understand. “You mean release the song to the radio s
tations, anonymously, and hope they play it. You cultivate a mystery around the identity of the singer. If the song doesn’t take, you don’t lose a whole year, nor risk losing her existing market.”
“Exactly.” Sidney was excited. “First, you blitz the radio stations with the single from a mystery vocalist, but you tell them not to play it until…let’s say 8:00 A.M., on a certain day. Her song will be played simultaneously on the majority of the rock, pop, adult contemporary and even R&B stations. Remember? Whitney Houston used a similar technique in the late 80s when Arista introduced one of her songs.
“Right up front, you tell the radio stations about a mystery vocalist contest. We tell the radio stations to play the song and suggest to their listeners to send in a postcard guessing the name of the vocalist, to qualify to win an outrageous prize. We also tell the radio stations they’ll get a kickback if the postcards identify their favorite radio station, or perhaps their favorite deejay. So the radio stations will have incentive to play the song.”
“Sounds like payola, though,” Nelson cautioned.
“Not if the payments are disclosed. I’m not suggesting we do anything unethical. But you’re right to be concerned; we’d run it by our lawyer for our own protection.
“The contest postcards come to us, which will help us gauge the song’s acceptance,” Sidney continued.
“Or at least the listeners’ interest in the contest,” Natalie laughed.
“We can also use R&R’s top singles chart. Their top 40 songs are based upon airplay, not sales.”
“But if you have no sales, where do you make money?” Stephanie asked.
“That’s the initial drawback, you don’t,” Sidney answered. “Not until her new music is released, anyway. But one of the advantages is, if the song is a dud-we bury it and walk away, and nobody finds out who sang it. But it’s not a flop; I’ll stake my reputation on it. Everything about it is right: it’s haunting; it challenges us; and her music style is unique. I think this unconventional introduction could be an effective way of introducing her new style,” Sidney smiled.
“Okay, and if there’s interest in it?” Anastasia asked.
“You capitalize on it. We don’t release your identity until your album is ready to hit the shelves. And we’ll unveil you at a live performance at some major event, like the Grammys or MTV Music Awards.” Sidney continued smiling as she walked around her office brainstorming.
Anastasia seemed to be getting excited now. “Okay, but can we do this? Are we capable of pulling off something like this?”
“If we can get Global Records behind us, we can,” Sidney answered. Then her attention returned to the bottle of champagne and she topped off everybody’s glass.
Sidney easily convinced David Jacobs that the mystery idea was a good option. David loved the music and was eager to work out the details to execute her plan. Global was finally committed to Anastasia again.
The mystery vocalist plan was executed without a flaw. Radio stations were quick to support Global Records’ efforts, and by the end of summer, postcards started arriving. “The Light” quickly climbed R&R’s Contemporary Hit Radio chart. Everything suggested that the song was going to be a hit. MPI and Global Records moved forward with the plan to produce Anastasia’s new music style.
Anastasia worked endlessly to get the album ready for market. She was also busy making appearances on talk shows. Although Sidney screened most of the questions prior to Anastasia’s appearances, she knew there would be times when compromising questions would surface. With Sidney’s help, Anastasia became prepared to handle tough questions about her own sexuality and issues involving the Gazette’s story. Sidney had carefully constructed responses to these sensitive questions that would not reveal their secret nor compromise Anastasia’s integrity. Anastasia’s responses were polished, demonstrating thought and a mature side that her fans had not seen before.
Anastasia’s tour that summer was choppy. In previous years she toured with her crew by bus. But this year her bookings were scattered, so she flew in and out of New York frequently. She worked this to her advantage by frequenting the recording studio between concerts, continuing her work on the new album.
At the end of Sidney and Anastasia’s six-month trial period, “The Light” had been number one on the R&R chart for five weeks. The mystery vocalist was the talk of the radio stations. Both women agreed to extend their contract an additional year.
By the end of the year, Anastasia had written and recorded her first soda pop jingle for Quench Soda. She also made her first commercial appearance for the soda manufacturer.
Anastasia’s efforts were relentless; she never objected to what Sidney asked of her and never complained. She was determined to live up to Sidney’s expectations. Early into Anastasia’s representation, Sidney told Anastasia, “I’m not a typical personal manager. Most managers are friends with their artists. I’ll never be your friend, Anastasia. Never cross me; work hard for me; and I’ll be your best ally.” And she was.
Global Records hosted a lavish Christmas party each year. In the past, Anastasia attended the party with Stephanie, but this year a man escorted her. While Sidney was dancing with her partner, Scott, she smiled and thought I’m happy to see Anastasia is playing the game well.
As the song ended, Sidney directed Scott to the side of the dance floor, near David Jacobs and his wife. She greeted both of them, then asked if she could talk with David for a minute. Scott naturally acquainted himself with Mrs. Jacobs, giving Sidney the opportunity to speak with David.
“David, I know what I want for Christmas,” Sidney hinted.
“How much is this going to cost me?”
“I would say a few favors.”
“What do you want?”
“The Super Bowl.”
“Is that all? I think I can arrange that. How many tickets?”
“No, David. I want Anastasia to perform at half-time.”
“Look, I know that Anastasia’s working really hard to turn things around, but I just don’t think the timing is right. We’ll see next year.”
“You’re right, they probably wouldn’t book her. But they might book the mystery vocalist.”
David stared at Sidney. “Wouldn’t that be good business?” He appeared deep in thought, then shook his head. “I think that’s beyond me, Sidney. I don’t think I could pull it off. I’m sure they already have someone under contract to do the show.” . “You told me once that Global is a subsidiary of WABS. Did you know that WABS is airing the game? I bet you they would be willing to book the mystery vocalist if they knew Global had the recording contract with the artist, and an album ready to be released two days after the Super Bowl.”
“You have an interesting way of getting your point across. Assuming I got it, you’re sure the album will be ready for release?”
“Consider it done. Do we have a deal?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Just remember, when you talk with WABS, leave my name out of it,” Sidney reminded him.
Both David and Sidney returned to their partners, but their thoughts were with the challenge at hand.
It was New Year’s Eve when David finally called Sidney at her office. “Merry Christmas. You got it.”
“I got what?” She smiled.
“The Super Bowl,” he answered proudly.
“Did they ask who the mystery vocalist was?”
“Sure, but don’t worry, I didn’t tell them. We’ve been successful keeping our secret so far. I don’t see any reason to set us up for a leak now.”
“Thank you. By the way, Christmas was last week.”
“What do I know? I’m Jewish,” he laughed. “How close are we to wrapping up?”
“Let’s plan on getting together on Monday; we can’t afford to fall on our faces now.”
Sidney picked up the phone to call Anastasia, then hesitated.
This news is too good to share over the phone. She glanced at her watch. Two o’clock on New Year
’s Eve. I’ll surprise her with the news personally. Before leaving her office, she called Scott to let him know her plans, and told him she would meet up with him at the shore later.
Sidney had been to Anastasia’s home a couple of times. Although she was going out of her way a little, she decided it would be worth it. At the security gate, a voice asked, “Who’s there?”
Sidney looked into the video camera and replied, “Sidney Marcum to see Anastasia.” The gate opened and Sidney drove up to the stately house.
She was not out of her car when the front door opened and Anastasia walked outside. She was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, and was barefoot. “Is something wrong?” Anastasia asked.
Sidney walked casually to the grand entrance, handing her a bottle of wine. “Happy New Year. May I come in for a minute?”
“Sure.”
Stephanie soon joined the two in the foyer. “What are you doing here?”
“Can’t I come just to wish the two of you a Happy New Year?”
“That would be uncharacteristic of you,” Anastasia answered.
Sidney smiled. “You’re right, it would. I got some news and I wanted to share it with you.”
“Well, what is it?” Stephanie asked impatiently.
“We have a plan and date for your unveiling. I thought you might want to know.”
“Damn right we want to know,” Stephanie said. Stephanie had been getting on Anastasia’s case for the last month. She kept saying to Anastasia, “This mystery stuff may be fun, but when it comes down to it-you haven’t sold any records.”
“When and where?” Anastasia asked.
“Super Bowl Sunday, half-time, on the fifty-yard line.”
Both Anastasia and Stephanie shrieked with excitement. They danced around the foyer like two children, completing their dance with an embrace. Then Anastasia turned to Sidney and hugged her affectionately. “Thank you,” she whispered in Sidney’s ear.
Sidney left the two of them to celebrate, and headed toward the shore to ring in the New Year with Scott.
Chapter 13
The weeks that followed went by too quickly. Everyone was involved with last-minute details for the release of The Light. Sidney spent most of her time involved in the production of the Super Bowl half-time show. She was happy to see the generous budget Global set up for the show along with the liberal advertising allowance to publicize it.