Next up was contacting magazines and newspapers for interviews. The newspaper interviews were easy; Universal's publicity team had already prepared the scripts, so he just had to follow them.
However, magazines, in addition to interviews, also required cover shoots. He had to change clothes constantly and strike poses according to the photographer's demands, which was quite exhausting. Nevertheless, the photographers for several magazines all praised his image. One of them, possibly a gay man, looked at him with shining eyes, but thankfully didn't do anything out of line, so Linton endured it.
Bella was highly efficient. With Mira's help, she quickly rented an office in a building near Universal. The office was on the 4th floor, spanning over 250 square meters, and the price was reasonable. She also submitted a fan club establishment plan and budget. Linton was very satisfied after reviewing it and immediately approved, telling her to proceed boldly and implement it as soon as possible.
Considering the high overlap between this fan meeting and the establishment and operation of the fan club, Mira and Bella were included in this promotional tour. At the very least, this opportunity could be used to scout and select fan club leaders in each city.
On June 11th, in Manchester, at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, Linton performed “Believer,” igniting the passion of the festival. ABC Television broadcasted the festival live, and the effect was outstanding. At the music festival, he also met many peers, such as Mariah Carey and the Backstreet Boys, but didn't form any special friendships.
On the evening of June 12th, at the United Center in Chicago.
Linton arrived early, and an NBC television reporter, trailing a microphone cable, stood in front of him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are now at the Chicago Stadium. Today is a significant day for the Chicago Bulls. Game 5 of the NBA Finals is about to begin. The Bulls have already secured 3 victories and need just one more to win the NBA Championship!...”
The home DJ was loudly cheering, hyping up the fans in the arena.
“Today, we have a special guest here, the Genius singer Linton. He is also a Bulls fan and has come specifically to cheer for the Bulls. Now, let's have our on-site reporter interview him.”
“Hey! Hello, Linton, it's great to see you at the NBA Finals!” The on-site reporter handed the microphone to Linton.
Linton had already put on a smile. “Yeah, today's a big day. I love Jordan, I couldn't not come.”
“Haha, indeed. What do you think about the game?”
“The Houston Rockets' hard power isn't as good as ours. I think today is the day we win the annual championship.”
“Are you that optimistic?”
“Of course, we are the Bulls, we have Jordan, we are definitely champions this year, we are winning today, no one can stop us.” Linton perfectly displayed the fanaticism of a loyal fan.
“Do you have anything you want to say to the Rockets?”
“I think they have no chance. This will be their last game this year.” Linton said with a smile.
“Alright, thank you for the interview, Linton, to the host…”
The reporter greeted Linton and then went to find the next interview subject.
“Linton, can you sign this for me?” A fan walked over with a pen and paper.
“Of course.” Linton smiled and signed his name on the paper, also adding a message.
Once someone started, other fans came over for autographs one after another. Linton accepted everyone, and a line formed on the spot. Security quickly arrived and stopped this activity unrelated to the NBA game.
Both teams' players began to warm up, and Linton could finally sit down.
“Linton seems a bit nervous…” At the end of the first quarter, the on-site DJ turned the camera to Linton, who was intently watching the game, and casually mentioned it. By this point in the game, they weren't in the mood to talk much about off-court matters.
Linton was indeed a bit nervous. He had boasted during the interview, and if the Bulls really lost and had to play an away game in Houston, the media would surely make him eat his words.
At the end of the second quarter, during halftime, “Now, let's welcome the Genius singer Linton to perform ‘Believer’ for everyone,” the home DJ shouted loudly.
As the high-energy accompaniment began, Linton's soaring voice filled the arena.
First things first
I'm gonna say all the words inside my head
I'm fired up and tired of the way that things have been, oh-ooh
The way that things have been, oh-ooh
...
The entire stadium of fans was ignited, standing up and swaying to the rhythm.
After the exhilarating performance, he returned to his seat. Duke, the head of publicity sitting next to him, shouted and hugged him: “Linton, look, the entire audience was conquered by your singing. Today's effect was truly perfect.”
The game then continued, with both teams closely matched and the game intensely competitive.
The Rockets maintained an advantage throughout the fourth quarter. In the final crucial moments, Pippen's three-pointer tied the score, and then Jordan delivered an assist and made a free throw at the last second.
The stadium erupted in cheers, becoming an ocean of jubilation. Linton's eardrums felt like they were about to burst.
The Bulls successfully reversed the game at the last moment, winning 108 to 106.
Jordan scored 30 points and made 10 assists throughout the game, playing perfectly. At this moment, he was the king of the Bulls, the god of Chicago.
Fans rushed onto the court. Linton, being the closest, naturally wasn't left behind. He sprinted a few steps to Jordan's side, who was already surrounded by his excited teammates, celebrating his first NBA championship with tears in his eyes.
“Oh…”
Linton saw the players' dirty sweat up close, hesitated for a moment, but still opened his arms, jumped, and plunged in.
He knew that at this historic moment, countless viewers outside the arena were watching the NBC television broadcast, and he needed to fully capitalize on this exposure.
Soon, he was squeezed in among the fans behind him. More and more people came, pressing tighter and tighter.
Fortunately, the stadium's security personnel quickly arrived, separated the crowd, and successfully escorted the Bulls players back to the locker room.
The effect of this NBA Finals halftime performance was incredibly good. Even before the performance ended, Linton felt his popularity rapidly increasing, and his Cultivation Technique began to operate automatically at a faster pace.
This growth rate only slowly stopped in the evening, making Linton almost disbelieve it and realizing the influence of such globally watched top-tier sports competitions.
A seed was also planted in his mind: after his media group takes shape in the future, perhaps he could acquire a few top teams, as the boost to popularity is simply too significant.
This game was not only broadcast live across the United States but also in many countries overseas. Of course, the song was also very fitting, and Linton's live performance was explosive, thoroughly igniting the passion of the audience. The live footage was also transmitted across the United States and the world with the game broadcast, which is why his popularity grew so quickly. It's estimated that the song “Believer” will completely break out today.
As Linton's Cultivation improved, the initial problem of insufficient singing ability was long since completely resolved. Now, he can compete with any top singer in both high and low notes.
Next, at the LB game venues during halftime, Linton delivered perfect performances, further boosting his popularity.
Linton felt that he would Break through to the 5th layer of Qi Refining by early July at the latest. The speed of his Cultivation was much faster than he had anticipated. It could only be said that Daniel's promotional strategy was truly amazing. Of course, song sales were also rapidly increasing. After Duke compiled information from various places, he happily told Linton,
“This week, sales of ‘Believer’ will break records, and it will definitely reclaim the Billboard top spot.”
Oh, on the latest Billboard chart announced on June 9th, Mariah Carey’s “I Don’t Wanna Cry” remained at number one, “Numb” stayed at second, and “Baby” at third. One can only say she truly lives up to her reputation as the Queen.