The Publicity Stunt

SBK's marketing of "Thrift Shop" had been somewhat halfhearted. After an intense promotional campaign sent sales soaring in its first week, they hadn't capitalized on the momentum to push it up the charts, focusing instead on sales. As Cooper had said, the Billboard singles chart wasn't based on sales alone. With the promotional push abruptly interrupted, "Thrift Shop" was still steadily approaching two million copies sold, but its ranking had begun to plummet.

Daniel's telling Little Lowry to figure out how to get himself in the news might also have been a way to save on promotional costs.

It was only natural. SBK was just the distributor, and Little Lowry wasn't one of their signed artists. In stark contrast, SBK's own darlings, the Wilson Sisters and Phillips, had been sitting at number four for months with their single "Hold On," and were receiving plenty of promotional support.

"You're a genius, APLUS, but both of your songs are a little niche."

Daniel offered some advice. "Remember this word from now on: 'LOVE'! Rock, country, hip-hop, adult contemporary... The genre and style don't matter to me. What matters is what the mainstream market likes right now! What do people like? Huh? What do they like? I love you, you love me; I love you, so why don't you love me... It's that simple!"

"Like her 'Vision of Love'?" Song Ya nudged toward Mariah Carey's photo.

"Exactly. Her single has already climbed to number thirty-one. Mottola will make good use of the buzz from her hitting those high notes at yesterday's NBA Finals. It'll shoot even higher." Whenever Daniel talked about Mottola and Mariah Carey, his tone grew markedly impatient. The pressure was clearly getting to him.

They talked a little more about Mira. Daniel still stood by his opinion. "Mira has a good image, but her vocal range and technique have limited potential. And she can't devote herself exclusively to her music career..."

"Madonna and Whitney Houston both work in film and music..."

Song Ya's remark drew a scoff from Daniel.

Without managers buzzing around like flies, without Robert or even Lisa, and with SBK handling things cautiously, Song Ya had enjoyed a pleasant stretch in New York. After recording the single, he'd accompanied Mira as she shot its cover and music video. The two of them were as inseparable as they'd been in Chicago, completely wrapped up in each other.

But the day to part ways had come.

The next day, Mira and the band left New York to begin their promotional tour. Al went along as her assistant. The music industry was too chaotic; she needed someone she trusted to keep an eye on her. With Al's stubborn nature, he should be able to do the job well.

Eric, meanwhile, made a different choice. During this trip to New York, he'd only been able to assist SBK's sound engineer. He also resented Song Ya's strict ban on chasing women in New York. Going on tour with a female singer like Mira was far less appealing than hitting nightclubs across the country with Old Joe and Little Lowry. He regretted his decision.

They parted on good terms. Song Ya handed him a small wad of cash, ending their collaboration, and returned to Chicago alone.

Over the next month, news about Little Lowry reached Song Ya from time to time. Little Lowry and the daughter of a Detroit music-industry legend were milking the last bit of value from their relationship. They staged a dramatic breakup, arguing in front of the paparazzi and each feeding the media a list of the other's faults—petty flaws that hardly counted as real failings. When the buzz died down, they suddenly issued an official breakup statement, then said in interviews that they still admired each other and regretted how things had turned out, and that they'd remain friends...

Their antics saved Little Lowry's spot on the Billboard charts and gave the music legend's daughter's new album a big promotional boost.

Song Ya couldn't be bothered with any of that nonsense. He began preparing for the next school year and, with Hayden showing him around, visited private schools across the city. It was a two-way choice: he picked a school, and the good schools also needed to interview students and even their parents.

With his resume, almost no school would turn him away. He was a fifteen-year-old BMI member with two released songs, the first already a platinum record with over a million copies sold. He had excellent grades and was an active participant in civil-rights events. With credentials like those, many schools even tried to attract him by offering reduced tuition.

The problem was Emily. Given her elementary school grades, it would be hard for her to pass the admissions interview at the middle school Song Ya wanted her to attend. But for private schools, there was no problem money couldn't solve. It would be easy enough to take care of.

Song Ya finally chose a private middle school in northwest Chicago. Its racial makeup was a good fit for him. The West Side wasn't exactly safe either, but the school was closer to the North Side, where the neighborhood was quite nice. It would do.

Then he got busy moving.

It was another two-way choice. The white landlord of a house he liked best told him a few days later that the neighborhood residents had voted to reject his family's move there. The landlord gave no reason, but looking at the residents' skin color, Song Ya could guess why. No one would say the reason for the rejection out loud, in the name of political correctness.

In the end, he picked an apartment in a high-rise near the school. Like Little Lowry's building, it had controlled access and a doorman. The neighborhood and amenities were even better than at Little Lowry's place, and the apartment was much larger.

But Connie turned down Song Ya's offer to pay for her community college tuition. She also didn't plan to move with everyone else.

"You're all moving out, so I might as well start a family in this house."

She brought home the boyfriend she'd kept so well hidden. His name was Tyrone, and he was a burly but rather taciturn plumber. "We'll be happy together. And I'm pregnant," she said.

"You bitch..." Aunt Susie gritted her teeth, ready to unleash her fury.

"Are you really a plumber?" Tony asked Tyrone, having hurried back for the family meeting.

"Yes." Nervously, Tyrone rubbed the baseball cap in his hands. "Look, my work van's right outside."

Everyone went outside to inspect Tyrone's box truck. It even had a tacky plumbing-service ad painted on it.

"Plumber's a decent job..." Tony said, glancing at Aunt Susie.

Aunt Susie pursed her lips, which counted as an admission. Plumbers in the USA made very good money for blue-collar workers. In the eyes of people living in the South Side's poor neighborhoods, it was definitely a good job. Song Ya had even seen plenty of videos starring plumbers at Silencer's house.

"Fine. I'm done interfering. Do whatever you want, you bitch..."

Aunt Susie finally gave in. "Yeah!" Connie cried happily and threw her arms around Tyrone.

At the end of July, Mira came to Chicago too, moving into Song Ya's room. She was there to perform at the Chicago Music Festival in early August.

Because of the song's subject matter, many promotional channels were blocked, and SBK wasn't putting much effort into promoting it either. As a result, "To de Klerk" had very modest sales, with only around a hundred thousand copies sold in a month.

But at last, things took a turn.

Reunited after a long separation, the two were in the middle of an intense embrace when Daniel himself called. He shouted excitedly into the phone, "It worked! The South African government has protested!"

Daniel had devised a rather shameless promotional strategy for this song criticizing South Africa's white president. The key was to do whatever it took to get the South Africans' attention. After a month, they'd finally noticed the song. Once he had their unofficial protest, the publicity stunt had succeeded, and Daniel's promotional machine could kick into high gear.

"The world's most unforgettable white woman speaks up for Black South Africans!"

"Why has Milla Jovovich's new single drawn a protest from the South African government?"

"Protesting apartheid, Milla declares she won't back down under pressure."

"Milla's new single was written and composed by a fifteen-year-old Black prodigy! The breakout hit 'Thrift Shop' was his work too."

"Standing with Mandela! American white girl defies South Africa's current government."

One PR story after another hit the press in a short space of time, perfectly scratching the itch of American society. Discussion of Mira and her new song surged. "To de Klerk" shot straight to number seventeen on the Billboard chart, and both its sales and chart position were on the rise.

Daniel and Song Ya had scored another success together.

Song Ya's second song of inspiration would be another platinum record.