<h4>Chapter 83 - The Final Tracks</h4>
Sia set her bag down near the vocal booth, taking a quiet moment to look around the studio. There was a calm focus to her movements, like someone who''d done this a hundred times but still knew how to appreciate the moment.
Pepper handed her the printed lyrics, but Sia was already familiar with them. She nced at the page briefly and said, "Yeah, I''ve gone through it a few times. I actually really liked the first track—Titanium. That was one of the main reasons I said yes to this project."
Pepper nodded.
Sam leaned toward me and whispered, "She''s way more chill than I expected a famous singer to be."
"British charm," I whispered back.
I turned to Carly and Freddie. "You guys ready to hear thest two?"
Carly gave a thumbs-up, and Freddie was already lifting his camera.
I stood up and walked toward the booth. Sia was adjusting her headphones when I stepped in.
She gave me a quick nod but didn''t seem bothered at all that I had the Marshmello helmet on.
"Ready?" I asked.
"Always," she said with a slight smile.
The track began, and she started to sing to sing ''Titanium'' (David Guetta – feat Sia).
? You shout it out
But I can''t hear a word you say
I''m talking loud, not saying much
I''m criticized, but all your bullets ricochet
You shoot me down, but I get up?
?I''m bulletproof, nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down, but I won''t fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down, but I won''t fall
I am titanium?
?Cut me down
But it''s you who''d have further to fall
Ghost town, haunted love
Raise your voice, sticks and stones may break my bones
I''m talking loud, not saying much?
?I''m bulletproof nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down, but I won''t fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down, but I won''t fall
I am titanium
I am titanium
I am titanium?
When the final note echoed through the studio, I stepped out of the booth, and giving a small nod to Pepper.
"So?" I asked, ncing at the others.
Regina leaned forward, a thoughtful look on her face. "It''s getting harder and harder to pick a favorite of your songs..."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Seriously," Carly said. "They''re all so different but equally good."
"Yea," Sam added
I smiled beneath the helmet, then turned back toward the booth.
"Alright," I said, "let''s finish this."
I stepped back into the booth for the final track.
This time, it was "Friendzone" (Friends – Marshmello)
Sia adjusted her mic again, and I gave her a nod. The beat kicked in
? Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh?
? You say you love me, I say you crazy
We''re nothing more than friends
You''re not my lover, more like a brother
I''ve known you since we were like ten, yeah?
As the track yed on with its sassy back-and-forth energy
Freddie let out a soft "What a sad song..."
Everyone turned to look at him weirdly.
The song carried on, leading to its sharp, iconic final
? Want me to spell it out for you? F-R-I-E-N-D-S
F-R-I-E-N-D-S Mmm, ooh, ooh, ooh Ah-ah-ooh-ah-ooh ?
When I stepped out of the booth, Sam was alreadyughing hard.
"Hey," she said between giggles, "you should call it ''Freddiezone''."
"shut up, Sam" Freddie shot back
I gritted my teeth. ''Yeah, it kind of brings some resemnce.''
I said "Man, I didn''t sing it because... you know..."
Freddie raised his hands quickly. "That''s okay. It''s just not my favorite song out of the ones you sang..." he added jokingly.
Carly was sitting nearby, a small conflicted expression crossing her face.
---
Not long after, everyone started packing up and heading out. Carly, Sam, Freddie, Reginaand even Pepper said their goodbyes, leaving the studio one by one.
I stayed behind. The recording wasn''t over—not really. Sometimes it took hours, even days, to get everything perfect for the final release.
By the time we wrapped up the technical clean-up and yback sessions, the sun had dipped low outside.
Pepper came back just as everything was finalized. She listened quietly to the mastered version, nodding along. When it ended, she looked at me and gave a satisfied smile.
Sia stood near the door, her bag over her shoulder.
"I really enjoyed this," she said. "Let''s maybe work on something else in the future, yeah?"
I gave her a small wave, still wearing the helmet. "I''d like that."
She smiled again before heading out into the night.
Pepper turned to me after the door closed. "I''ve already lined up a few things—some radio stations and magazines for theunch. We''ll be releasing soon."
I nodded. "You don''t have to worry about making the release perfect. After all, I n on dropping two or three songs every month."
There were so many electronic tracks I remembered—no reason to hold them back.
Pepper raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I registered a bunch of the songs you gave me, and you had more than hundred before... With this much music under your name, you could release more than a dozen albums. Did you steal some unknown jukebox or something?"
"Nah, I''m just really that good," I said without blinking.
Pepper just stared at me and said nothing.
Then she cleared her throat. "Anyway, <i>My Big Fat Greek Wedding</i> is in advanced stages of production. <i>Brokeback Mountain</i> will take a bit longer to finish."
She gave me a quick nce. "Your friend Joey is doing a great job as the lead in <i>My Big Fat Greek Wedding</i>."
"That''s great!" I said.
I thought back to when I first told Joey about the role—how I told him to give everything he had at the auditions. Like with <i>Paranormal Activity</i>, I wouldn''t riskpromising a movie with the potential of <i>My Big Fat Greek Wedding</i> just to hand a part to a friend.
In the future, when I had more money and the studio could afford to take chances on sub-par actors, I wouldn''t mind as much. Neither would Pepper, probably. She didn''t care as long as it wasn''t a big-budget project.
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