Losing My Mind

Chapter 2

'Thank you for having me.' She escorted her to the elevator with a smile. As Ryleigh was quite the introvert, she shoved her hands in her pockets and let her eyes wander around, trying to figure out where she was heading.

On the 3rd floor down the corridor, Ryleigh was led to an open-view glassed office, where a man sat on a chair with a grey beard, fading tattoos, and a band t-shirt, sat around classical guitars and a stack of vinyl records. Next to him was another person with a notepad and pen already writing notes.

'Ryleigh, have a seat.' He says as she looks out at the city of LA. His calming presence helped her relax, and she took the chair opposite him. 'My name is Joe, and I am the producer for the show. I'm going to ask you some questions and tell you what happens while you're on set with us.' She returned a small smile. 'So, we liked the demo you sent through and need to know some background about it and yourself.'

She paused with her mouth slightly open, completely lost for words. The strangers in the room all felt like they were some important people to Ryleigh.

'Thanks....' she finally spoke, '...I am a graphic designer from the UK, 28 years old...The demo I sent, I wrote that song ten years ago.'

Joe cocked his head to look at her. 'Have you written anything else?'

She shook her head and spoke quietly. 'I've not done it in a long time.'

Joe pouted as he was thinking and leaned forward. 'There are people here who have been trying to get their name heard for years.....What makes you think you would be able to pick this up all again by doing this?'

Ryleigh can see her chances are slipping away.

'I can write something else if you prefer? I'll show it to you before you start filming, and you can decide then?'

He looks over at the other workers who are taking notes. In silence, it seemed they had a plan.

'So, what's your reason for being here?'

'Because I want to do something better with my life. I love music, and I always thought if I had a chance - it's my way of escaping from everything...'

It began to feel surreal because Ryleigh wanted this badly. The slight panic in her voice should have convinced them that the fire in her belly didn't want to go out.

'...Give me a chance to prove it.'

Joe could see she was serious about doing this, and he recalls her demo track becoming an earworm for a while.

'Alright. Send me a new song...' She nodded '...Right, let's talk about what will happen.'

Joe talks over the terms of the show in-depth, explaining that she must first perform in front of the judges and other contestants. After that, one of the judges will coach her through the competition.

Afterwards, the contestants will be shown the house, where they will stay and continue being filmed. They believe it will allow viewers to get to know them better.

Each week, they'll have a task to compose a song in the studio with the band, create a music video with a production team, and market their track online with a social mentor. Every move she makes will be televised worldwide.

'Does that all make sense?'

Ryleigh grinned as he handed her paperwork to sign.

'I look forward to hearing your new song.'

She swallowed hard when she realised the pressure she had set herself to get it done.

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