Welcome To Hollywood

The Lab

So we follow Mike into the studio. He sits at the chair and plays back thiis really pop-y song that I start vibing to.

"I like this." I say smiling.

"Good. I was thinking you could use it." Mike says.

"For what?" I ask him.

"That song you made, oath."

"How'd you hear that?" I ask him.

"I have cameras in my house." Usher says.

"Mmm." I say.

"Try it out." He tells me. 

So he plays it back and it has the same guitar kind of beat that I played at the beginning so I knew exactly when to start. I start rapping and then singing and everyone's either bobbing or dancing by the time the chorus comes up.

"That was perfect!" I tell Mike smiling.

"It was." 

"Should we record it?" I ask. Usher laughs at how eager I am.

"If you want I guess."

"Yesss!" I run into the room and put the headphones on.

"Alright, just the first verse right now. Go up to the beside you and make sure you pronounce every word clear though." Mike tells me.

I nod.

"But still have fun with it." He adds.

"Ok." I wait till I hear the music and Mike nods to me at my cue.

"Yo! My best friend, best friend till the very end

Cause best friends, best friends don't have to pretend.

You need a hand? And I'm right there right beside you."

I step away from the mic and I hear the music stop. Mike nods biting his lower lip.

"Yeeeah." He says and I laugh.

"You ready for the next part of the verse."

"Yeah." I tell him.

"Alright." He says it kind of like Quagmire and it makes me smile.

I hear the music and then I hear my voice with the music and it just catches me off guard, cause it sounds different. Like really clear.

"What happened to you?" Mike asks. I snap out of it when I realize I missed my part.

"My fault. I heard my voice... and it distracted me." Him and everyone else laughs.

"Ok, I'm gonna play it back for you again."  I nod.

I hear the music, then my voice, and then I start.

"You in the dark? I'll be the bright lights to guide you.

Member the time time times sneakin' out the house

All of the time time times that you had your doubts

And don't forget all the trouble we got into.

We got something you can't undo do." 

"It sounds real good so far." Justin says.

"It does?" I ask him grinning.

"It really does." Usher says.

"You good?" Mike asks.

"Yeah. Let's do the bridge." I tell him.

"Oh, look at who's running things now." I laugh at the way Mike says it.

So on my cue I start.

"Laughing so damn hard

Crashed your dad's new car

All the scars we share

I promise I swear."

"Try to cut your words off. Don't let them flow on this part. Like lau-ghing-so-damn-hard. Crashed-your-dad's-new-car-all-the-scars-we-share. Like that. But you can still add your own thing to it." Mike says.

"Oh. Alright, alright. I get you."

I try it again.

"Yeeah! Like that." I laugh.

So then next we do the chorus.

"Wherever you go just always remember

That you got a home for now and forever,

And if you get low just call me whenever.

This is my oath to yo-ou! 

Wherever you go just always remember

You're never alone we're birds of a feather

And we'll never change no matter the weather.

This is my oath to yo-ou!"

"Mm mm mm! It's getting good." Mike says.

"I know!" I say.

"Do you wanna do the second verse tonight?" Usher asks.

"I'm already here." I say smiling.

Mike claps his hands together.

"Ok. Verse two coming at you." He tells me.

So I wait again and then start rapping.

"I know I drive you crazy

Hmmm sometimes.

I know I call I call you lazy

And that's most times.

But you complete me and that's no lie

You are my tuxedo, and I'm your bow tie.

We in the car sing sing singin' our song.

Walk in the building, tear it down like we king kong.

And in my eyes you can do do no wrong.

You got a best friend sing sing along."

Everyone was really vibing on that verse, so I'm guessing I did good. Mike plays back the bridge and I just do the "I promise I swear" over. I listen to the chorus and then the breakdown comes on. I first record the "oohh's' and "woah's" and then we go back and I finish the rest.

"I'll never let you go....

This is my oath to you...

Just thought that you should know...

That this is my oath to you-ou-ou." 

Mike adds the echo to the you, and then we record the yeah! After that I record over the last chorus and then voice over specific words throughout the song. I kept coming in and out of the booth throughout to get a vibe from everyone what the next part should kind of be like.

"Stella, come out. You gotta hear this." Justin says after we finish recording.

I put the head phones back and walk out into the lab.

"This is the whole  thing, you ready?" Mike asks.

"Let's hear it." Mike presses play.

Singing it is a whole nother thing than listening to it. It sounds nothing like what I've ever done because it just sounds really professional. I see what Jake was talking about now.

"This is crazy." I say smiling.

"What's crazy is that we finished that in like two hours."

"That's good?" I ask Usher.

"That's insane." Mike says.

"Oh."  I say.

"How about we take a break, order some chinese, and talk more about your songs." Usher says.

"I have a lot." I say smiling.

"That's  good." He tells me...