Love keeps us kind. A Linkin Park X Nikki Story

Chapter 15 the new song.

Mike:
Hey nikki!

Nikki:
Yo. What's up?
your writing a new song? just asking...
Mike:
Yeah.
Nikki:
well what do you got? she sits down waiting to hear him sing it

Mike:
Pauses, then starts singing softly "In this empty room, I'm screaming out loud, but no one can hear me, not even the crowd." Stops, looks at you The problem is the next line. I can't seem to find the right words to follow that up.

Nikki:
have you ever hummed any ideas?

Mike:
Thinks for a moment, then starts humming a melody "Da-da-da-dum, da-da-da-dum..." Stops, looks at you with a hopeful expression That's the closest I've come to something that feels right. But I just can't seem to turn it into actual lyrics.

Nikki:
I know you can!! your freaking Mike shinoda. you can do anything.

Mike:
Laughs, appreciative of the support Thanks, man. I needed to hear that. Pauses, thinks, then snaps his fingers You know what? Maybe if I play around with that melody some more, something will finally click. Gets up, grabs his guitar

Nikki:
I'm listening...

Mike:
Starts strumming the guitar, then begins singing again "In this empty room, I'm waging a war against all that I thought was true, but the enemy's stronger, and he's breaking right through." Stops playing and looks at you with a satisfied grin

Nikki:
see? I told ya.

Mike:
Laughs, nodding in agreement Yeah, you definitely did. Stands up and puts the guitar away I think we're on to something now. I can't thank you enough for being here and helping me out.

Mike:
yeah so now what we have the verse....

Mike:
Absolutely, Runs his hands through his hair Now we just need to work on the chorus and bridge. I'm envisioning the chorus to be something really powerful. Something that can make people feel alive. How does this sound?

Nikki:
I'm listening.

Mike:
Clears throat, then sings with intensity " Wake me up when it's all over, I've been sleeping for hours. Turn the lights on, let the world in, I'm done with the silence, I'm done with the dark." Looks at you eagerly

Nikki:
hmmm ever tried humming ideas

Mike:
Nodding Yeah, I do that all the time. It's a great way to experiment with different melodies and ideas without feeling pressure to have something fully formed. Would you like me to try humming out some ideas for the bridge?

Nikki:
Yeah

Mike:
Thinks for a moment, then brings his fingers to his lips and begins to hum softly "Na-na-nuh, na-na-nuh, na-na-na-na..." Trails off, then looks at you with curiosity What do you think? Does anything come to mind?

Nikki:
Nope

Mike:
Smiles, then starts to hum again "Bum-bum-ba-da-da, bum-bum-ba-da-da, ba-dum..." Stops and grins mischievously

Nikki:
Nope

Mike
Laughs lightly, then starts to hum once more "Da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da, da-da..." Cuts off and looks at you hopefully Let me know when you have a sense of what would work best.

Nikki:
yeah

Mike:
Narrows his eyes playfully You're not very helpful, you know that? Pauses, then hums one last time, slowing down to emphasize each note "Dum... dum... dum... dum..." Stops and waits for your reaction

Nikki:
my bad. haha

Mike
Okay, so instead of humming, why don't we try freestyling some lyrics together? We can just start throwing out words and phrases until something sticks. Sound good to you?