Showbiz became busier and more exciting at this time of the year. Everyone was preparing for the awards season. First up was the biggest and the most recognized music awards in the country, Harmony Music Awards.
When the nominations were finally announced, everyone was surprised and amazed by someone whose name appeared several times in the lists.
Iris Long was nominated for a grand total of nine different categories. She turned out to be the most nominated artist for the music awards this year. She actually exceeded Jin Chonglin who had eight nominations, making him the second most nominated this year.
In fact, the two of them were direct competitors. They were nominated in four of the same award categories. These four were considered to be the most important and most sought-after in the music awards—namely, Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Music Video.
It was no wonder that their respective fans were going crazy.
The Black Stars almost couldn't contain themselves in their delight and excitement. Although they weren't surprised that their Boss Iris was nominated for the music awards, they didn't expect her to receive so many nominations. They felt so proud of her.
Similarly, Jin Chonglin's army of fans were happy for their Prince Lin Lin's nominations. They didn't mind that someone got more nominations than him. To them, eight nominations were already awesome. Even though Jin Chonglin was a familiar face at the music awards every year, they still supported him every single time that he was nominated throughout the years.
In addition to the music awards' official categories in which the winners would be decided by a voting council, there were also special awards. These were called the people's choice awards because the winners were decided by fan votes.
Iris Long was included in the Most Popular Female Artist ranking, while Jin Chonglin was in the Most Popular Male Artist.
Unlike the regular categories in which the nominees were carefully selected, the people's choice awards were free-for-all. Anyone could nominate (a.k.a. add) just about any names they liked to the nominee list. The organizers only monitored the list to remove anyone who was ineligible—meaning, those who weren't musicians.
As for the Most Popular Female Artist ranking, Iris Long was going up and down the second and the third positions. Her opponents were more popular and more established singers than her. They also had bigger fan clubs, formed throughout the years of their careers. Compared to them, the Black Stars were only formed very recently.
Despite this, the Black Stars refused to give up. They voted with all their might, using different devices. They asked their families, friends, coworkers and even strangers on the streets to vote for their Boss Iris. With their efforts, Iris stabilized her position in second place.
However, the Black Stars were still unsatisfied. They wanted their boss to win this award. Fortunately, the Pandemonium fans also gave their full support to Iris. As a result, Iris' name began to close the gap with the popular singer-actress at the number 1 position.
The competition in the Most Popular Female Artist ranking was extremely fierce. On the other hand, the Most Popular Male Artist ranking was without any suspense. Barring any miracles from happening, the award would most likely go to Jin Chonglin again this year.
From the fans to the artists themselves, everyone was busy working hard for the upcoming music awards.
Who would be the winners? Who would be the losers?
These questions could only be answered during the award ceremony itself.
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It was drizzling on the day of the music awards. The sky was grey, the sun barely shining through the thick clouds. Nevertheless, countless fans still braved the wet and slightly cold weather just for a glimpse of their favourite celebrities on the red carpet.
Other celebrities also arrived, from models, actors and actresses to directors and producers, and other TV and movie personalities. Some of the most popular social media influencers also received invitations to walk the red carpet. A few socialites also attended. Some came by themselves, while others came as partners of the invited celebrities.
"Kyaaaah! Prince Lin Lin, we love you! Please win all eight awards that you're nominated for!"
The screams from Jin Chonglin's army of fans when he finally arrived on the red carpet was deafening. The other celebrities and guests still posing on the red carpet all turned their heads to his direction.
Jin Chonglin arrived in a gorgeous tailored pinkish-grey suit. There were only a few men in the world who could pull off such a bold choice of unusual colour for a suit and still look hot and manly. Jin Chonglin certainly rocked it, overshadowing the other men on the red carpet.
His army of fans were going crazy calling his name and screaming for him. He posed for the photos before taking the time to interact with his fans in person.
"Good luck, Prince Lin Lin. We hope that you win tonight! We'll support you all the way!"
"Thank you, everyone. I love you all," he told them in a loud voice before throwing a wink and a flying kiss at them.
Many fainted in overexcitement as a result of his words and actions.
Before he returned to posing for the cameras on the red carpet, his eyes caught a distinct group among the crowd behind the barricades. They all wore black suits, looking like triad members instead of fans. There was an organized and disciplined air among them which other fan clubs lacked.
Suddenly, their polite expressions transformed into excited ones. Then they began screaming at the top of their lungs.
"Boss Iris!"