Rhythm and Ray: A DJ’s Journey

[Chapter 86: The Progress Is Too Fast]

[According to the latest reliable intel, Ryan Rivers appeared on the set of TayTay's new music video, playing the male lead.]

[The song was a love song, certainly written for him.]

[RTRTRTRTRTRT]

As some rumors leaked out, the discussion groups related to Taylor were full of news about the two's relationship. Some people have begun to make some collage photos of the two on the Internet, which was very characteristic of the times. Some posts were attached with the prefix RT, meaning the content of the post is related to the discussion of their relationship. 

Thanks to the enormous Taylor Swift fanbase, Ryan's MySpace follower count recently broke 500,000. However, since Trey was not around and Olsen's work had been taken over by others, no one sent a message to congratulate him.

As Ryan refreshed the forum, new posts appeared.

[RT: Explosive news, go check TMZ!!]

TMZ was the go-to source for celebrity gossip, often the first to break major stories.

"Knock, knock, knock." Just then, someone was at the door.

"Ryan, it's time for you to perform," Daddario said as she pushed the door open.

With the door swung wide, the loud sounds from outside rushed into the room, where Ryan awaited backstage in a nightclub's green room. Ignoring any new TMZ updates, he closed his alien laptop and got ready to hit the stage.

...

In the dimly lit room, vibrant laser lights flickered rapidly. The dance floor was lively with cheering party-goers, while a few stylish go-go dancers grooved rhythmically in front of the DJ booth.

Ryan felt at home in the nightclub setting, even finding the performance slightly mundane. Nightclubs increasingly felt the same -- a cramped DJ booth, a not-too-large dance floor, most space reserved for bottle service tables, which were the main source of revenue. The more upscale clubs boasted more attractive dancers, but even they weren't all that impressive, flitting between tables serving drinks.

Despite Ryan's performance price skyrocketing to tens of thousands of dollars, it was more due to his rising star status and his song's position on the charts than anything else; the electronic music was just an added bonus.

By keeping up with European DJs and chatting with Tiesto, Ryan realized a new kind of nightclub experience was emerging in Europe. These venues were larger, accommodating thousands on the dance floor, where drinks took a back seat. Instead of bottle service sections, revenue stemmed primarily from ticket sales. Hot spots like London's Fabric and Ibiza's Space and Amnesia became leaders in this trend.

If the DJ that night was top-tier like Tiesto or Armin van Buuren, ticket prices would soar, turning DJs into the stars of the show, while nightclubs simply became stages for their performances.

The rise of electronic music signified DJs were the rock stars of the era, prompting clubs to evolve.

...

After a performance lasting over an hour, Ryan returned to the room, where he found the latest "hot news." It was a surveillance footage clip stamped with the TMZ logo, showing Ryan and a tightly wrapped girl being escorted into a house by a sharply dressed realtor.

Although the girl was wrapped tightly, one could easily infer details from her height and figure, with the cascading golden waves of her hair confirming suspicions.

Great, now the whole country knew Ryan and Taylor were in Florida "looking for a love nest."

Was this leaked by the realtor, or did a passerby catch on? Ryan couldn't be certain how the news got out, but one thing was clear -- celebrity gossip could infiltrate anything, even down to the minutiae of your trash, sparing no detail in their investigations.

The bigger the stars, the higher the stakes for gossip columnists.

As a teen idol, Ryan's personal life was under even greater scrutiny, sending tabloids into a frenzy.

Checking out a few Taylor Swift-related Reddit threads, he found the pages completely out of control. Every post centered around the couple's home-buying venture.

[Is this moving way too fast? Taylor isn't pregnant, right?]

[TAY might actually be pregnant, proof right here!] one post included a blurry screenshot from a leak video, suggesting Taylor's belly appeared rounded.

[They've secretly set a wedding date!]

[Guess the sex of their baby -- boy or girl?]

Ryan knew whether Taylor was pregnant or not. Even if she were, it wouldn't be noticeable so soon. He wondered how much pressure was on Taylor right now.

...

As he picked up his phone, Taylor called.

"I'm pregnant!"

"Then let's have it!"

"I'm really pregnant."

"I know, have it!"

"Not joking around here; everyone keeps calling me about it -- Selena Gomez even asked! These people are way too nosy!" Taylor complained, her voice tinged with stress.

"Scott just said that the release date of the first single will be significantly advanced, at the end of this month, and asked me to issue a clarification statement just before the new single is released, and specifically mention the new song at the end of the statement."

With only a few days left until the end of the month, the pressure was on.

It's only a few days away from the end of the month.

...

Entering summer, the weather heated up, and so did the nightlife. This only improved the performance scene, keeping Ryan busier than ever.

"Ryan! Check out the Billboard charts!" Taylor called him today.

"Open up the laptop." Ryan told Daddario nearby.

"Daddario is there with you? Where are you two?" Taylor suddenly seemed suspicious on the phone.

"We're backstage waiting."

Sure enough, after Taylor's new song Love Story dropped, it garnered attention with their romance buzzing around it, and it debuted at number eleven. It marked one of Taylor's best achievements yet.

At that time, Harlem Shake had also entered the top ten, reaching number nine, but Ryan paid no attention to it. This demonstrated just how popular the song was.

Wake Me Up had also been climbing steadily, now sitting at number nineteen.

Currently, the number one song on the Billboard was Lollipop by Lil Wayne, with Leona Lewis's Bleeding Love in second. Since Ryan began following the charts, Bleeding Love had consistently been in the top three; it was clear Leona was a front-runner this year.

The songs in places three to five were Viva La Vida by Coldplay, Take A Bow by Rihanna, and I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry.

Ryan had heard Coldplay's track and thought it was one of their best works, clearly earning its success.

Rihanna had become a staple in the upper charts with her new hit thriving as well. And Katy Perry… Ryan knew less about her.

"EMI's new female singer, who can't attract attention by singing such 'controversial topics'?" Taylor fiercely remarked.

"And look at her behind-the-scenes songwriters and producers. With that superstar lineup, even a dog could win a Billboard number one!"

Ryan glanced at the songwriters' names, noting three: Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Cathy Dennis.

Lukasz, known as Dr. Luke, was a prominent producer behind hits for Pink and Avril Lavigne, later making headlines due to a high-profile sexual assault case.

Max Martin was the architect of Britney's hits, a hit-making machine, a titan in pop music.

Cathy Dennis, while less known, had also made her mark; her song Can't Get You Out of My Head was a major success for Kylie Minogue.

The heart of the idea for I Kissed A Girl certainly stemmed from this talented songwriter.

It seemed chart-topping would only grow more challenging... Ryan felt the top five was pretty set for now, likely remaining untouched unless he got a fresh hit.

"By the way, I've been so busy promoting; I didn't get a chance to ask you," Taylor added.

"I didn't cheat!" Ryan retorted, glancing at Daddario.

"Good! Also, Abigail is leaving for Kansas this week."

"So soon?"

"Yeah, she probably thought it would be rather awkward for us three..." Taylor tried to explain.

Was this a farewell gift? Ryan thought, as he wrapped up his performances -- he'd finally have some free time.

*****

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