Cadence

by J. M. Nevins

  She nodded. “Strings?”

  He chuckled. “Kinda nice working with a producer turned artist. You’re clearly picking up what I’m putting down.”

  She giggled. “Yep. The song needs to be filled in.”

  He nodded. “C’mon, let’s keep going. We’ll retrack your vocals later if we need to.”

  She hopped up to head into the vocal booth, elated to be stretching the bounds of her own creativity and feeling tremendously inspired. She understood very well now why A-Dub had won so many Grammys and lined his hallways with platinum records. He got it on a level that was beyond her and it thrilled her to no end. He was brilliant.

  After laying down an alternate version of the track, they started dropping in her own harmonies as backing vocals. They were rounding the bend of completion. Now came the part that made her nervous, honing in on her vocals.

  She stood in the booth, her headphones affixed, the mic hot and ready. She gave him a thumbs up as he started the track. She started singing and then lost her groove. She shook her head, feeling a bit frustrated. “Let’s go again.”

  He came on the mic. “Let go, Kit. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just feel it. Think about what’s behind the song. Why you wrote it. What you were feeling. Dive deeper. This is a safe zone to let it all out. Close your eyes. Get fully immersed.” He raised his finger in the air and spun it around indicating for her to go again. “Playback when you’re ready.”

  She closed her eyes and took his advice. All she could see, feel and hear was Sully. Their last argument. The words exchanged. The heartache. The gut bombs she felt when Sean told her about the groupies one of which she later found out was Sully’s girlfriend. All the times Sully let her down and all the times when she put her neck out for him or the band or both.

  The tears welled up for a moment as she paused. She let them flow down her cheeks, keeping her eyes closed to fully take it in. She breathed deeply and nodded, as her eyes fluttered open. She was there—back in that zone she had found when she originally wrote the song. She nodded again to A-Dub and closed her eyes again as he started the track.

  She entered the song slowly hearing the first few notes on the piano, as if she were entering a cold swimming pool. She let the song build, the emotion build, going deeper into the emotion and the expression, letting the flow and connection of the muse take her away.

  She surrendered fully and lost all concept of time and space. Minutes later, she had finished. She took a few seconds to let it sink in and then felt like she was returning to reality from some kind of dream world.

  A-Dub was on his feet, clapping and cheering from the control room. He leaned down and spoke into the mic. “We got it! You’re done, sweetie. We’re good. Come on out here.”

  She joined him in the control room and he high-fived her. She searched his eyes and quietly inquired. “It worked ok?”

  He laughed. “Ok? Ok is an understatement. I still have some work to do tonight. I have musicians due to come in any minute then some mixing and mastering to do, but wait until you hear this in its raw state. It’s pristine. Unbelievable.”

  He stared at her. “I dunno what you’ve been doing wasting your time as an exec or a producer. You were meant to be an artist, girl. Stop doubting your performance ability. You’ve got it in spades. Let’s take a listen, shall we? Be prepared to be blown away.”

  She nodded and sat back. The playback was surreal for Kit. Intellectually she knew that was her voice singing on the track, yet there was a profound change in the authenticity, rawness and power of her expression. It was unlike any recording or performance she had heard of herself before. It was on an entirely different level and she wondered if channeling all her emotions into her art had broken her through to the other side of full, boundless, authentic, creative expression.

  Their session complete, A-Dub stared at her unable to wipe the smile off of his face as she was getting ready to leave. “Damn, Kit. That’s a hot track. Please tell me there’s more comin’ from that place—wherever you went.”

  She laughed. “Actually I have a lot more. They just rolled out of me. I’m going through some big shifts in my life right now and Lew encouraged me to use it. It’s gushing out of me.”

  He folded his arms across his chest and surveyed her. He smiled. “You got another one in ya tonight? I know I may be asking a lot. I’m just thinking I’ve got a little time to kill until my assistant and the musicians show up to complete the song.”

  She grinned. “You gotta play keys on this one for me please. In my vision for the song, I’m seeing that it needs a good gospel sounding, soulful backing vocal too.”

  “Let me make that deciding factor,” he interjected and chuckled.

  She giggled. “Yep, sorry. Producer hat being removed right now. Let’s leave it raw, ok? I’m kinda tired, but I wanna lay this down for fun. Give “All of Me” to Lew when you finish with it. I don’t know if we’ll get this other one finished tonight.”

  He nodded. “Ok. Teach it to me or gimme your scribbles. And let me see how I can help you out. If you run out of steam we can always pick up later in the week when you return or whenever.”

  She offered a conspiring smile. “Or I may end up getting a second wind. Let’s see. C’mon.” She motioned him into the studio.

  They sat back shortly after, listening to the playback. He nodded. “Your vocals are insane, Kit. Why did you ever question your performance ability? I can’t believe you’ve been hiding this under a rock. Shit, you can have a decent career with these kinds of songs and your looks. You’re the whole package—a pop star waiting to be unleashed.”

  She grinned. “Really? You think so?”

  He chuckled. “Oh, I know so. Ok, let’s keep this one raw. I’m gonna give it to Lew anyway, just ‘cuz I gave my word. Do you wanna hear my last run of “All of Me,” before I send it?

  She nodded. “Yes, please. I’d like to hear it in its best state before you send it off. Will you get it all done tonight?”

  He glanced at his wristwatch. “It’s eight right now? It may be a late night. Want me to call you?”

  She leaned back in the chair. “I’ll hang out until I get tired. I love this studio and it’s kind of fun to be in here for another reason this time. If I get too tired, I’ll go snooze in the house and you can call me when you’re finished.”

  He nodded. “Deal.”

  A-Dub’s assistant and his sound engineer showed up with two huge carafes filled with black coffee trailed by rock musicians and classically trained musicians toting their instruments. Kit sat on the sofa in the control room watching the process in amazement.

  It was a different perspective for her. She was always the one sitting behind the boards and it was fun to take a back seat and see how he was shaping her song and making it richer by the moment.

  At one point, she headed into the lounge and dozed off one of the sofas. After a time, she felt someone nudging her. She slowly opened her eyes to see A-Dub hovering over her grinning.

  He chuckled. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty. We have a final mix. Wanna hear it?”

  She grinned and sat up sleepy eyed. “Of course I do.”

  He held out his hand to her, helping her off the sofa and leading her back to the control room, over to one of the chairs behind the sound boards. She noticed that only his assistant remained and was cleaning up. All the musicians were gone and his sound engineer was headed out to take a walk around the backyard and get some fresh air.

  She glanced over at him. “What time is it?”

  He chuckled. “Half past two. You dozed off around midnight. You’re certainly a sound sleeper.”

  She snickered. “Guess so. Ok, lay it on me.”

  He smiled and rubbed his hands together. Prepare for your mind to be blown.”

  As the song started, she wasn’t fazed, she didn’t notice anything much different than what they started with, however beyond those first few notes, everything had changed. The song was rife with rich textures an
d layers she could have never imagined on her own. Her mouth dropped open, stunned and speechless. He had turned her quick song into a complete masterpiece. When the song ended, she took a moment before turning to him.

  She shook her head in disbelief and met his eyes. “Now I know why you’ve won so many Grammy’s. Fuck, that’s brilliant! Thank you!” She squealed and hugged him tightly.

  He laughed as he pulled back and nodded. “It’s been my pleasure. Lew is gonna go nuts over this thing. He told me you were talented. I had no idea what I was walking into, but then again I should know better than to ever doubt Lew. Are you ok with me sending him the mastered version of “All of Me,” and a raw version of “For the First Time? I think “For the First Time,” would be a great B side for the single. We can work on it later if you want. I’ll make it clear to him that’s not ready for release.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine. I have no idea why he wanted this song so badly or what he’s going to do with it, but thank you for pulling this together so quickly.”

  He chuckled. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my career—when Lew says jump, it’s always in your best interest to ask “how high,” and follow through. I don’t know if I’d be where I am today without his support.”

  Kit grinned. “Me too. I get it completely.”

  He stretched. “Cool. Gimme about an hour and I’ll have it done. We’ll lock up and I’ll leave a master tape for you on top of the boards out here. I’ll messenger a copy over to Lew now, so you don’t have to worry about it. We’ve got a messenger on call. I know you still gotta pack.”

  She grinned. “Oops, in all the excitement I forgot about that. I definitely do. Thanks again.”

  He nodded and faced the boards, ready to get to work. “You got it. I’ll be in touch. We’ll figure out a good time to work on your next track.”

  As Kit left the studio and trudged across the lawn toward her mansion, she took in the still of the wee hours of the night, still in awe over what had transpired.

  * * *

  Lew entered the room and tore open the sealed envelope the messenger had delivered thirty minutes prior, noticing five master copies just as he had requested. He glanced at the clock on the wall and observed it was a quarter past four. He took the tape and placed it into the player inside studio A, one of Diamond’s most exclusive studios in the building with the best sound and acoustics.

  Jonathan entered the studio shaking his head in complete disapproval. “Dad, it’s the middle of the night. You should not be doing this. Mom’s gonna kill you. Remember what the doctor said.”

  Lew waved his hand in the air, dismissing the comment, his reading glasses perched on his nose. “Don’t tell your mother. She doesn’t know I left. I snuck out… quietly.”

  Jonathan rolled his eyes. “Please don’t tell me you drove here. You’re not supposed to be driving.”

  Lew chuckled. “That’s what hired drivers are for, son, and I’ve got one on call for me twenty-four seven.” He took a seat behind the boards. “Sit your ass down. Let’s listen to this.”

  Jonathan surveyed him. “I still don’t understand where you’re going with this. Kit is an exec and a producer, not an artist.”

  Lew smiled wide. “Not yet. Let’s listen to what she put together with A-Dub. I’m curious. Humor me.”

  Jonathan let out an annoyed sigh. “Ok. Hit play. Let’s hear this.”

  They sat back listening intently with the volume cranked up as loud as possible. Jonathan watched his father, as the first few notes started. Lew’s eyes were closed and he was taking in every second. As the song started to open up, his eyes sprung open and he and Jonathan exchanged a look of awe and wonder.

  Lew smacked his hands together and chuckled, making sure to stay present with the song, absolutely delighted. He loudly exclaimed, “I knew it! Yes!” over the music.

  When the song ended, Jonathan was about to speak and Lew held up his hand. “No, no. No talking. We need to listen to this again, without my interruption. One more time, then we talk. He smiled and raised his eyebrows as his brown eyes twinkled. “And plan.”

  * * *

  Alexa’s violet eyes widened as a large smile spread across her face listening to the songs Kit had recorded the night before in her studio with legendary producer, A-Dub. When they were finished she finally spoke. “Kitty! Wow! These are amazing.”

  She giggled, beaming with genuine joy for the first time in what seemed like years. “It was so much fun, Lex. I felt so alive. It was like all the life force of the Universe was flowing through me. It was electric and ecstatic and beyond words. I had forgotten the feeling. It reminded me of how it was… when I was in college, remember?”

  Alexa nodded, unable to wipe the smile off her face. “I remember. Kitty, maybe you were meant for this all along. We’ve been in this business a while now. People get dropped from their labels all the time. You didn’t have a mentor back then to tell you to keep going, plus Darren’s iron fist didn’t help matters. Maybe this is your shot now?”

  Alexa giggled. “I gotta say, I love seeing you this happy. And channeling your emotions through music? Best idea ever. Lew is a genius. I’m so glad you met with him yesterday. What has he said about the songs?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno if he’s even heard them yet. A-Dub was going to messenger them over. Jonathan let me take this jet, so Lew has got to have the phone number. We’ll be in here for the next four hours, so maybe I’ll hear from him.”

  As she finished her sentence the phone rang. Alexa laughed. “Speak of the devil I presume?”

  She giggled. “That was quick.” She reached over and grabbed the receiver. “Hello.” She then frowned. “Oh hey, Spence. What’s up? And why are you calling me on the Diamond jet?”

  Spencer chuckled. “Are you sitting down? If you’re not sitting, take a seat and buckle up. You’re never going to believe this.”

  She exchanged a look with Alexa and rolled her eyes. “Oh God, what has Sully done now?”

  “Kit, this isn’t related to Sully, this is related to you. I got a phone call from Lew…” She sat back in her seat, feeling more relaxed now, until she heard the next name. Spencer continued. “… and Jonathan.”

  She frowned. “Huh? You had a conference call with them?”

  “Yep. Just concluded it. They called me at home and woke me up. They wanted to work a development deal for a new artist. Single with distribution.”

  She took a moment to evaluate what Spencer had just said. “One single with distribution? That doesn’t make any sense. Who…”

  He interjected. “The artist is Kit-Kat… you. They gave you a development deal. What the fuck is going on here? Do you have something you want to share with me? Like a demo of this so called single maybe?”

  He let out a frustrated sigh. “I took the deal on your behalf because… your song got airplay on KIIS FM twenty minutes ago and now it’s the most requested song on the station. Lew slipped it to Rick Dees personally this morning. Your song went live during the morning rush hour. Z100 is next. Lew messengered your tape over to the station. It will drop during rush hour tonight. Official release date is pending. I’ll know more later. Is Alexa there? We gotta get you a publicist like yesterday and I’d prefer her suggestion rather than going with our normal connections. I’m going to assign a manager for you eventually. I’ll act as your interim for now.”

  She stared straight ahead, the color draining from her face, speechless, as the receiver dropped from her hand and onto her lap.

  CHAPTER 12

  Seeing Kit’s reaction, Alexa jumped up and seized the receiver. “Spence?”

  After being briefed on the latest developments, Alexa sprang into action. She struggled to reach her tote bag that contained a notepad and pen. Kit noticed and handed it to her.

  She started jotting notes, continuing to ask questions, while Kit leaned forward, eavesdropping. Alexa did her best to capture everything on her notepad as quickly as
possible. She looked at Kit and asked her next question. “I get the crossover thing, but her genre is pop, correct?”

  Spencer answered without skipping a beat. “Who knows? Ask Kit. I have a feeling that’s what Lew was angling for. His positioning for pop would be on point with those radio stations and the producer he assigned to her. He was taking the rock genre from her history and using that as a crossover tool to get her into pop. I think he’s positioning her as a hybrid. It’s pretty genius.”

  “Who was the producer she worked with again?”

  “A-Dub” Spencer and Kit chanted in unison. Kit sat back guzzling a small bottle of sparkling water and stared out the window trying desperately to make heads or tails of what was happening. She had no idea what any of this meant for her future.

  Spencer continued. “Lew is the executive producer on the song. He shares credit with A-Dub. We don’t have a release date yet of when it’ll be available for sale. Lex, have you heard the song?”

  “Um-hmm. Like I told you, it’s brilliant!” She smiled at Kit and gave her a thumbs up.

  He sighed. “Did you listen to the lyrics? We’ve got a potentially explosive situation on our hands. Are you not seeing the obvious tie in here? If Sully hears this song before she meets with him…”

  Alexa frowned. “Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen. Do any radio stations in Philly have the song?”

  “No. But we can’t prevent the song being picked up once Z100 airs it later tonight. It can reach Philly as soon as this evening. And it if lands as successfully as it did in L.A., it’ll be blowing up the east coast. You can get Z100 in Philly and Jersey, Lex. The signal is strong enough.”

  She closed her eyes and silently cursed. “We’ll get it figured out, Spence. Please get your assistant, Annie, on the phone so I can move her into action. I’ll call Lila. We’ll divide and conquer.”

  “Will do. Talk to you soon, Lex. Take care of Kit for me, ok? She’s dealing with a lot right now and I’m certain Lew broadsided her with this. I don’t know why or how or what the deal is, but he’s clearly demonstrating a point to her.”