"MusicFest Tonight" was broadcast live on television and on video streaming websites online. Netizens also live commented as each of the performances were going on.
This Friday's episode was proving to be one of the most popular and most discussed. It was also on its way into obtaining the highest TV rating against other programs broadcast in the same time slot.
Part of the reason why this episode garnered this much attention was because of Iris Long's comeback performance. Both JJ's record label and Bright Summit did an excellent job in heavily promoting her upcoming comeback album.
The biggest reason, however, was Jin Chonglin. An A-list artist like him was akin to a god descending upon the mortal realm to display his might and magnificence, while at the same time showering everyone with blessings. His massive army of fans alone would already guarantee an excellent viewership rating for any show he guested in.
Factor in the rumours about the two of them circulating energetically online, even people who were not their fans felt interested and watched this Friday's episode hoping to witness some sort of confirmation about their relationship.
In short, "MusicFest Tonight" had these bored rumourmongers to thank for in obtaining such an impressive viewership rating.
Finally, the long awaited moment had come. Iris Long was about to perform. People glued their eyes to their screens, be it on TV or computer.
Live comments popped every second all throughout her entire performance and also during her short interview. The discussions blew up online.
"Holy sh*t! Wow! This is f*cking amazing!"
"Iris looks so beautiful tonight."
"I finally found my new goddess. Ah, goddess Iris! Please marry this NEET! I offer my life to you…and share my precious instant cup noodles with you forever and ever."
"Damn! She can really play the piano. I thought that she was only faking it on her music video previews, but she's actually playing the piano for real and even singing at the same time on live TV."
"I'm a pianist myself. I can confidently say that she's at expert level. Maybe even higher. I have to see her perform other more difficult pieces to be certain. Great technique. No hesitation at all. And she rarely looks at her hands during her performance. The symphony orchestra isn't drowning her at all which is great. Iris Long has my respect as a fellow pianist."
"I now have a new favourite song: 'Black Star'!"
"Me too! I cried listening to the song."
"I now hereby solemnly swear that the song 'Black Star' by Iris Long is now my personal anthem."
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"My favourite part is this: 'No matter how far a black star falls | It's still a star that can glow again'. It's a heartbreaking but very hopeful song. I feel uplifted after listening to it. Now it's stuck in my head."
"I can't wait until 'Rebirth' is released next week!"
"Me too! I never looked forward to any song or album by Iris Long before. This is the first time."
"Don't even compare her old music to 'Black Star'. Although her old songs are catchy and extremely popular during that time, I cringe whenever I hear them now."
"Ahaha! That's so true. I remember a few weeks ago, I was driving to work while stuck in traffic and the radio happened to play one of Iris' old songs. I almost bashed my head against the steering wheel. It was so annoying! I immediately changed to another radio station."
"Iris just said in the interview that she really composed all the songs in her album. If this is true, then she's really amazing."
"Poster above, don't be naïve. A lot of singers say that. They contribute one word or one note and they're already claiming that they composed the whole song. Ptui! I'll believe that Iris Long can play the piano since I've seen it with my own eyes in her live performance tonight, but composing songs? And all the songs in her upcoming album at that? Hah! I'll eat my slippers if she's really telling the truth."
"But thanks to singers like her, people like my boyfriend can earn a living. My boyfriend is a ghost composer. The pay is not too bad, especially if the song becomes a hit or is sung by a popular singer."
"What?! Iris Long used a ghost composer? Hmph. How dare she claim to compose all the songs herself? How shameless!"