Britney was a little regretful:
"I have a magazine shoot and interviews tomorrow during the day, and my schedule is packed. But maybe I can finish a little earlier..." She looked at Rachel, her eyes sparkling,
"Rachel, if I can finish early, how about we go to the recording studio together?"
Rachel nodded in agreement.
This suggestion surprised Landon a little, but he had no reason to refuse.
After dinner, Britney reluctantly left.
Tracy needed to help Landon contact the recording team, so as soon as dinner was over, she shut herself in the study.
In the end, only Landon and Rachel remained in the living room.
Rachel snuggled beside him, a happy smile on her face for him, but a sense of loss about the impending separation in her eyes.
"You're leaving again soon," she whispered.
Landon held her tighter, resting his chin on the crown of her head, which still carried the fresh scent of shampoo.
"Yes. But once I get to Princeton, we can talk on the phone often."
"Mhm." Rachel nodded in his arms, not saying anything more.
But that was the nature of the entertainment industry—always separated more often than together.
She had already started learning to cherish every moment they spent together instead of fruitlessly worrying about separation.
As the night deepened, the villa gradually quieted down.
Landon lay on the large bed in the master bedroom, with the sleeping Tracy and Rachel on either side of him.
He kept his eyes open, staring at the blurred outline of the ceiling in the darkness.
Tomorrow would be a challenging day.
Tracy's attention to Landon's first work, *Like I Love You*, far exceeded the scope of merely "recording a demo tape."
In her opinion, a poorly produced audition tape would only bury the song's potential.
Therefore, she utilized her connections in the music industry to arrange for Landon to record a "Professional Demo."
This required the involvement of professional musicians, sound engineers, and even producers to create a refined version close to finished quality.
What Landon didn't know was that, to ensure quality and assess his true musical potential, Tracy used her connections to reach out to the core figure of the rising legendary production duo, The Neptunes, who was currently in Los Angeles—Pharrell Williams.
Tracy hoped to use the ear of this genius producer to gauge Landon's abilities.
So, when Tracy brought Landon to a professional recording studio in West Hollywood on Friday morning, Landon was truly stunned when he saw the neat equipment, the bass player, drummer, and keyboard player already in position, and Pharrell Williams wearing his signature hat.
This was completely different from his expectation of just finding a studio to record a simple backing track.
"Relax, Landon." Pharrell looked Landon up and down, his gaze sharp,
"Tracy showed me your score and lyrics. Not bad. Now, let me hear you sing it."
Since he was already there, Landon took a deep breath, suppressing his initial surprise.
He walked into the recording booth, adjusted his monitoring headphones, and stood before the microphone.
The music started—the basic instrumental track he had refined.
Landon closed his eyes, concentrating on the song itself, recalling the slightly lazy vocal style Justin had used when performing the song in the other timeline, and began to sing, incorporating his own vocal characteristics.
After one run-through, Pharrell in the control room rubbed his chin, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Wow," he said into the microphone, "Landon, your tone is great, naturally magnetic, and your range is wider than I thought. The technique still needs polishing—for example, the breath support in the chorus could be stronger, and some of the vocal runs aren't smooth enough.
But you have a very accurate feel for the song. Overall, it's very good."
This assessment was a relief for both Landon and Tracy.
Gaining the initial approval of Pharrell, known for his discerning taste and trendsetting ability, was the first step toward success.
Next, Pharrell began discussing arrangement details with Landon.
Relying on his memory of the original arrangement, Landon offered ideas regarding rhythmic patterns, synthesizer tone choices, and section transitions.
To his surprise, these ideas coincided perfectly with the concepts forming in Pharrell's mind, and some details even struck Pharrell as exceptionally brilliant.
"Hey, man!" Pharrell's demeanor clearly warmed up. He gestured to Landon through the glass,
"Your ideas... they hit the spot! You know what's popular now, but you don't just imitate. The framework of your song and your concepts make me feel like we're on the same frequency."
If Pharrell knew that many of the ideas he felt so connected to actually originated from the original arrangement he and his partner Chad Hugo would personally craft for Justin two years later, he would probably curse Landon as a "damn, time-traveling cultural thief."
But at this moment, he only felt like he had met a musical soulmate with advanced aesthetics and astonishing intuition, and his admiration was evident.
He even called his partner, Chad Hugo, right then and there. "Chad, you need to come over and listen to this. I think I've found someone interesting."
With the two core members of The Neptunes working together, the recording process for the *Like I Love You* Professional Demo Tape greatly accelerated.
Landon not only provided vocals but also offered many suggestions during the arrangement discussions, demonstrating a clear understanding of how he needed to perform the song, all of which significantly boosted work efficiency.
The recording of the Professional Demo Tape was completed in what was originally a tight two-day schedule.
Of course, getting people of The Neptunes' caliber to participate came at an extremely high price.
Even though Pharrell gave them a "friendship price" out of respect for Tracy and appreciation for Landon, the production cost still amounted to twenty thousand US dollars over two days.
When Landon heard that number, his heart couldn't help but ache slightly.
Tracy patted the back of his hand, her gaze firm: "This is a necessary investment. The doors a demo tape produced by a top producer can open are far beyond what saving this small amount of money could achieve."
When the final mixed demo tape played through the studio monitors, even Landon himself was somewhat stunned.
The refined funk rhythm backbone, trendy electronic sound effects, and layered instrumentation, combined with his own noticeably improved vocals after coaching, made the entire song radiate a mature brilliance and popular appeal far exceeding his expectations.
After listening, Tracy wore a satisfied smile, the look of someone with everything under control.
Having the personal endorsement and production work of The Neptunes duo greatly boosted her confidence in the song and Landon's musical path.
Pharrell even proactively offered to help recommend the demo tape to his agent, Steve Stoute.
Steve is the President of Def Jam Recordings. Def Jam Recordings is the core label of IDJ, which is part of Universal Music North America.
"I think Steve should hear this," Pharrell said. "Landon, you have a quality that makes people remember you."