20 million people

Hugo sat on the reclining chair in the beauty salon, constantly yawning. Troy Cole, the makeup artist standing beside him, smiled and said, "What did you do last night? You just slept for half an hour."

Hugo opened his eyes, still looking sleepy. "If you wake up at 7 in the morning, jog for half an hour, and then drive for an hour from Malibu to the city, then you can understand my state."

"Oh, Malibu! Did you buy a house there? You didn't invite me to the housewarming party." Troy smiled warmly, with a familiar tone in his voice.

In fact, Hugo and Troy hadn't known each other for long. Since November, when Hugo started promoting "Scent of a Woman", he had been coming to the beauty salon where Troy worked to take care of himself. Due to the intense promotional schedule over the past two months, with events like screenings, radio programs, and ribbon-cutting ceremonies, Hugo had to be fully prepared and arrive at the venues himself. As a result, Hugo and Troy had frequent encounters, and they had become quite familiar with each other.

Today, Hugo had come to the beauty salon early in the morning to prepare for the Golden Globe Awards ceremony held at the Hilton Hotel in the evening. Since there would be many celebrities attending the ceremony today, Hugo had made an appointment well in advance and arrived at the beauty salon on time to start his preparations.

Upon hearing Troy's teasing, Hugo couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm not that wealthy yet. Buy a house in Malibu? That's a distant dream. The villa I'm currently living in is listed for five million dollars. I heard it's considered relatively low-end in Malibu."

"Since you knew you had work today, you should have ended your vacation yesterday," Troy said with a smile.

Hugo yawned again. "Yes, I thought it would be just a 40-minute drive, but the Santa Monica Boulevard was jammed this morning. I almost arrived late. It's really frustrating."

As they were talking, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice came from the television screen in front of them. Hugo looked up and saw that it was "The Oprah Winfrey Show". "Didn't they already air this two days ago?" They had watched it while they were at the villa.

"It was four days ago," Troy corrected Hugo, making him laugh. During the vacation, Hugo didn't have an accurate sense of time. "This episode was very successful. It has been replayed three times in the past four days," Troy's words surprised Hugo. He was in Malibu, feeling completely isolated from the world. Joseph had mentioned this, but Hugo didn't expect it to be so successful. "That's just what I've seen. I don't know how many more times it has been replayed outside of that."

Troy noticed Hugo's curious expression and smiled. He asked his assistant to turn up the volume a bit and then said, "Do you not know the ratings of the first broadcast of "The Oprah Winfrey Show"? The whole of Los Angeles was buzzing about it. Well, actually, I should say the whole of America was in a frenzy, but you know, I only saw the scene in Los Angeles. But the ratings and the newspapers tell me, buddy, you've become the hottest topic now."

Hugo's drowsiness disappeared instantly. "Ratings? Joseph mentioned it to me... um..." Hugo felt his memory was a bit fuzzy. When Joseph told him that day, he was so excited that his usually calm demeanor was on the verge of screaming. Hugo couldn't remember the specific numbers, but he remembered being extremely happy with Joseph. However, he forgot the details. "15 million viewers?"

"Oh my God, you're so laid-back." Troy rolled his eyes, clearly dissatisfied with Hugo's attitude. Then he widened his eyes excitedly and said, "23 million viewers! This is the highest-rated episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in the past year."

Memories in Hugo's mind became clearer. No wonder Joseph was so excited that day. His usual calmness couldn't contain it. The average viewership of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" had always been around 12 million. And the episode Hugo appeared on had achieved nearly twice that result, which was indeed astonishing. What's more, it meant that 23 million people across the entire United States watched Hugo's interview. Troy's earlier statement that "the whole of America was in a frenzy" was confirmed. It should be noted that the current population of the United States was only about 250 million!

"You should really read the newspapers and magazines," Troy suggested.

Hugo remembered that Joseph had also suggested the same, but he was on vacation in Malibu, and they didn't subscribe to any newspapers or magazines. Plus, they had been holed up at home for those days, so they were almost cut off from the outside world. It wasn't like the 21st century now, where even without leaving the house, a computer could connect to the world. Therefore, Hugo's information was lagging behind.

"So, do you have any newspapers here?" Hugo was fully awake now, searching around for any medium that could provide information.

Troy searched around and had his assistant bring over all the visible newspapers and magazines. "Here, these are the newspapers and magazines from the past week. Look for yourself."

Hugo ignored Troy's busyness and started flipping through the magazines in his hands. He quickly found relevant comments in Rolling Stone magazine.

Rolling Stone, originally a music magazine, had now developed into the highest-selling and most authoritative professional music magazine in the United States. It had also ventured into fields such as variety shows and movies, becoming a comprehensive magazine. However, its authority in the field of music content still topped the United States.

""Sunburn", as a purely acoustic guitar piece, presents a completely fresh style, blending elements of folk and pop. It uses the most basic guitar strings to showcase the essence of music, refreshing the ears.

The creator didn't use fancy fingerings or intricate arrangements. They simply restored the pure sound quality of the acoustic guitar, using this clear and slightly fragile string sound for interpretation. When the acoustic guitar vibrates, it's like a wandering troubadour on the streets, singing the story of an unknown sad person, and then floating with the wind, singing everywhere, deeply imprinted in everyone's hearts.

The creator was able to present the inner feelings of loss and turmoil from the depths of their heart through the simplest composition, showcasing rarely-seen finesse. What's even more commendable is that the lyrics of this song, seemingly ordinary, carry a subtle charm, like the scent of mint leaves lingering in the air, perfectly complementing the melody and creating a masterpiece.

It's hard to imagine that such a masterpiece was created by Hugo Lancaster, a brilliant actor whose previous musical achievement was composing the ending theme for his starring film "A Few Good Men". However, this time, Lancaster created this song in just seven steps during the recording of the show, showcasing his incredible musical talent that left people astonished and giving rise to a standing ovation."

After finishing reading, Hugo was somewhat surprised. Although he really liked the song "Sunburn", he never expected that Rolling Stone magazine would give such a high praise. It was a pleasant surprise. Prior to this, Hugo's song compositions were merely for his own enjoyment, even when performed in his Death or Glory, they only reached a limited audience. Hugo's abilities never received authoritative recognition. But this time, Hugo showcased his creative talent in front of 23 million people, and the authoritative Rolling Stone magazine, which held weight in the United States and even globally, gave such high approval. This made Hugo so excited that he didn't know how to express his joy.

The following newspapers had incorrect dates, so he couldn't find any relevant information. But Hugo's slightly trembling hands betrayed his inner excitement. Finally, he found another professional music magazine called Spin.

Spin was a professional music magazine that rivaled Rolling Stone in authority within the industry. It was founded in 1985, initially focusing on reporting non-mainstream music and giving enough attention to the emerging hip-hop music at that time.

The magazine's selection has always been bold and innovative, in stark contrast to the relatively conservative Rolling Stone. This is evident in the extensive coverage of underground rock bands, where many unknown rock bands even grace the cover of Spin, showcasing their boldness.

In terms of music genres, hardcore, country, reggae, experimental music, and underground music all occupy a considerable proportion in Spin. Not surprising that it played a decisive role in the rise of hip-hop music. Therefore, Spin held a significant authority in the underground music world, even more so than Rolling Stone.

Hugo opened Spin and read the review inside: "To interpret folk music in a pop way is a bold attempt. Moreover, not only does it not repel, but it also brings an exceptional likability. This is enough to demonstrate Hugo Lancaster's talent. Lancaster uses the most concise composition to present the emotions deep within his heart in a subtle manner, profoundly and heavily breaking through the listeners' psychological defenses. "Sunburn", just like its name suggests, really stays on the surface of every listener's skin.

Compared to Lancaster's creative talent, his singing and interpretation abilities have caught of your's truly's attention even more. An excellent composition can be performed in countless ways and never go out of style. But only the most accurate approach can maximize the charm of this composition, and undoubtedly, Lancaster is on the right path.

In Lancaster's effortless singing, the delicacy of pitch bends, the lingering of final notes, and the rhythm of breath changes are all filled with stunning techniques. When listening to it for the first time, it seems like being hit hard without even realizing why. Apart from sensing the surging emotions and regrets, there is no other thought. But after repeated listening, one can feel Lancaster's seemingly plain but emotionally rich voice, like the combination of cream and strawberries, maximizing the charm of the song.

No one can deny that Lancaster has amazed us."

Looking at the review from Spin, Hugo finally started to feel a sense of reality: his musical talent had been recognized.