Biased [Bang Chan + Reader]

1. Nice To Finally Meet You

I knew I wasn't the artist recording the song, but she had a particular quality of demo she wanted sent to her. I couldn't just do it from my home studio and send it to her anymore. I'd ghost-written enough songs under her name that she paid for me to have regularly scheduled studio time from now on with her people to get everything tracked in and arranged before it got to her. That way her team, which I had been recently officially hired onto, handled the creative directing and she just got to perform the songs, which was working out well for her and for us too. Not to mention the price on the NDA had been very worth my while.

"Let's run that chorus again." The disembodied voice of Eric, the engineer with me for this session, spoke to me through the monitors.

I nodded at the engineer, frustrated that my tone wasn't reaching the level I wanted for this demo track. Taking a deep breath, I shook all my nervous energy out my shoulders and arms. The lyrics for this track were raw and close to home, one that I had co-written with one of my best friends and fellow songwriter, and I was determined to convey the confusion and hurt in the story we were both wanting to tell.

The one measure count-in sounded off in my ears before I punched in the lines for what felt like the hundredth time: I see your body's set on leaving, but your eyes scream they want to stay.

The track paused and Eric's line opened. He went to speak, but another man's voice spoke up from somewhere else in the room. "Have her try a light fry on 'I see' to push the emotion and to throw away the g on 'leaving.' It's too articulate."

I don't know that voice. They sound experienced. "Who's that?" I asked into the hanging mic, knowing that I was too short to try to peer over the music stand holding my lyric journal in front of me and through the viewing window into the soundbooth.

"Chris, a producer friend who stopped by to see me. If he sticks around, you'll meet him when you come out." Eric spoke into the monitor.

"Oh... okay." I replied. "Well, I'm game. Let's try it."

"Okay, let's go," Eric answered and we went through the process again. That time, it went smoothly and the tone I was looking for landed like I had wanted. "That was good. Chris said so too."

"Tell him I said thanks for the direction. I owe him a drink or something." I smiled and bounced happily on the balls of my feet. "Okay, moving on to that third verse octave jump? I need to punch in the sub-vocals and I have a melody tweak I want to make. How much time do we have left?"

"A little less than fifteen minutes. So, let's go with the change you want to make first."

"Alrighty. Play it back first, please?" I asked and waited quietly. Once he found the section and played it through the studio and my ears first, he gave me a moment to vocally run over my thoughts aloud. Once I was ready to go, he punched my vocals in, including that octave jump, which I was absolutely proud of reaching without cracking. Once satisfied, I asked to move on to the sub-vocals. We were finished before our time was up.

"Come on out and let's listen to the playback in here." Eric instructed, and I nodded.

I gathered up my items and tidied up the vocal booth before I exited it and entered the soundbooth where Eric was. But, he wasn't alone. I had forgotten that his friend Chris was there with him. I stepped in through the door and nearly froze at the sight of Bang Chan of Stray Kids and 3Racha, who was staring back at me wide-eyed and with his mouth slightly agape in an awed smile. There was an excitement on his face that confused me.

He stood up and extended his hand with a polite, shallow bow to me. "Hi, I'm Chris. It's nice to finally meet you. I didn't realize you were the one who was doing her demo tracks. I've heard a few and have been wondering who you were, asking when I could be introduced."

I realized a little too late that I had taken his hand to shake but hadn't let go of it. The warmth of it lingered against my skin. I didn't want to show him that the simple interaction had affected me–I wanted to play it cool–so I took that hand and grasped the strap of my backpack that was slung over my shoulder.

"Hello." I smiled and responded with the same bow back to him. "It's nice to meet you too. I know who you are, and I really respect your work and what you've done in this industry."

Then, something registered and clicked in my brain. "Wait, you wanted to meet me??"