Chapter 727: Unexpected Guest

Dayo arrived home later than he had expected that afternoon. His visit to JD Records had taken longer than planned, and he was looking forward to spending the rest of the day with Luna and Jennifer. He had barely stepped into the living room when he noticed someone sitting beside Luna on the sofa. The visitor turned towards him, and he recognized her immediately.

He stopped for a moment before looking at Luna. "Who is our unexpected guest? I wasn’t expecting visitors today."

Luna laughed, looking between him and Nadia. "You’re asking me? I’m also surprised. She didn’t tell me she was coming. She only said she needed to see me, and when I asked what it was about, she refused to explain."

Nadia gave Luna a look. "I told you it was important."

"Yes, you did, but you didn’t tell me anything else," Luna replied. "I was beginning to wonder whether something had happened."

Dayo walked further into the room, greeting Nadia before taking a seat. "Well, now I’m curious. What brings you here? You don’t normally show up without telling Luna what you want."

Nadia laughed. "So both of you are going to question me now?"

"Of course," Dayo said. "You came into our house unexpectedly, and you’re sitting here looking like you have something to announce. What are we supposed to think?"

"You’re still a troublemaker," he added, looking at her.

Nadia immediately protested. "I’m not a troublemaker. I don’t know why you keep calling me that."

Dayo smiled. "You say that every time, but I haven’t seen enough evidence to change my mind."

Luna laughed, and Nadia turned towards her as if expecting some support. "You see what I’m talking about? I’ve been sitting here with her, and now he’s joined in."

"Don’t bring me into it," Luna replied. "I didn’t call you anything."

Dayo settled back into his seat, still smiling. "Anyway, what is it? You said you needed to see Luna, so I assume there’s something you wanted to discuss."

Nadia took a moment before answering. She had been thinking about how to explain her decision since she arrived, and although she had already spoken to Luna about parts of it, she wanted Dayo to understand the full reason. She had not come simply to have another conversation about music. She had made up her mind.

"I came because I’ve decided to accept your offer," she said.

Dayo looked at her with interest. "My offer?"

"The one you made about joining JD Records."

Luna turned towards Nadia, smiling. "Wait, so you’ve finally decided?"

"Yes," Nadia replied. "I’ve thought about it properly, and I don’t want to keep going back and forth. I’ve made my decision."

Dayo was pleased to hear that, but he wanted to understand what had brought her to it. The last time they had spoken about the opportunity, Nadia had seemed interested, although she had also made it clear that she needed time to consider what she wanted. He had not pressured her because he knew that joining a label was a serious decision, especially for someone who had already spent time trying to establish herself elsewhere.

"What made you decide now?" he asked. "Last time, you said you wanted to think about it."

Nadia adjusted her position on the sofa and began explaining. "I’ve been thinking about everything you told me when we last spoke. I also started working on the things you mentioned, especially the way I develop my melodies and approach my vocals. I’ve been trying to do things differently instead of staying with what I’m already comfortable with."

Dayo listened as she continued. Nadia explained that she had spent time revisiting some of her older recordings and comparing them with the newer ideas she had been working on. She had noticed that she sometimes settled for the first melody that sounded good enough, even when she could have developed it further. She had also been trying different vocal approaches instead of relying on the same delivery she had used for most of her previous songs.

"I’ve been experimenting more," she said. "Sometimes I try something and it doesn’t work, so I go back and change it. Other times, I find something that I wouldn’t normally have considered. I can tell I’m improving, but I also know I still have a lot to learn."

"That’s good," Dayo replied. "The important thing is that you’re giving yourself room to explore. You shouldn’t feel that you have to get everything right immediately."

Nadia agreed, then brought up another reason that had influenced her decision. She explained that she had tried to introduce the changes she was making to her former label, hoping they would understand what she wanted to achieve and give her room to develop her sound. She had spoken to them about experimenting with different musical directions and making adjustments to the kind of songs she had been recording.

"They didn’t agree with it," she continued. "I tried explaining that I wanted to explore something different, but they kept telling me to stay with the same sound. They wanted me to continue making the kind of music they already knew me for."

Luna had heard some of this before, but she allowed Nadia to explain it in her own words. Nadia said that the disagreement had become serious when she tried to make the label understand that she was not abandoning her identity as an artist. She simply wanted to develop her abilities and find other ways to express herself through music.

"I told them I wasn’t saying I wanted to change everything about my music," Nadia said. "I just wanted the freedom to try new things and see where they could take me. But they weren’t interested in hearing that because they already ad an album planned out. They kept insisting that I should follow the same direction because that’s what people already expected from me."

Dayo asked whether she had tried discussing it with them again after the first disagreement. Nadia confirmed that she had, but the conversations had not improved. Instead, they had eventually argued because she felt they were refusing to consider her point of view.

"They wanted me to keep doing things their way," she explained. "I understand that a label has its plans and that they have expectations for the artists they work with, but I also have to think about what I want for myself. If I keep doing the same thing because that’s what they’re comfortable with, how am I supposed to find out what else I can do?"

Luna agreed with her. She knew Nadia had been unhappy about the situation, especially because she had genuinely wanted to continue working with the label if they could find a way to understand each other. Leaving had not been an easy decision, but she had eventually accepted that staying there would only keep her in the same position.

"That’s why I decided to leave," Nadia continued. "I didn’t want to keep arguing with people who had already made up their minds about what my music should sound like. I want to learn more, improve and have the opportunity to work with people who are willing to understand what I’m trying to do."

She turned towards Dayo. "When you made that offer, I remembered the things you told me about my music. You pointed out some areas where I could improve, but you also made me understand that I didn’t have to keep limiting myself to one approach. I feel like I can learn a lot by working with people who are willing to let me explore those things."

Dayo appreciated her explanation. He had offered her a place at JD Records because he believed she had the ability to become a stronger artist, but he also understood that she needed an environment where she could develop without feeling pressured to repeat the same formula.

"I’m glad you’ve thought about it properly," he said. "And I want you to understand something. I made that offer because I believe in your ability. I don’t expect you to come here and become a completely different person overnight. You should be able to work on your music, learn from the people around you and discover what works best for you."

Nadia smiled. "That’s what I want."

"Then you’re welcome to JD Records," Dayo replied. "We’ll make sure everything is handled properly. Sharon will arrange the contract discussions with you, and you can go through the details before making anything official."

"Thank you, Dayo. I really appreciate it."

He shook his head slightly. "You should thank Luna. If she hadn’t introduced us, I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get to know you in the first place."

Nadia turned towards Luna. "So you’re the person I should be thanking?"

Luna laughed. "Don’t put everything on me. You still had to prove that you wanted the opportunity."

"Well, I suppose I owe you both a thank-you," Nadia said.

Dayo agreed that Luna deserved some credit, and the three of them continued talking for a while. The conversation moved away from the contract and returned to Nadia’s music, with Dayo asking about some of the ideas she had been developing. She told him about the changes she had been making and how she had started approaching her writing sessions differently. He encouraged her to continue working on those ideas, reminding her that joining the label would give her access to people who could help her develop further.

Before long, Luna asked whether Nadia had told anyone else about her decision. Nadia explained that she had only spoken to a few people and wanted to settle the matter with Dayo before discussing it more widely. She did not want to announce anything before the contract arrangements had been completed.

"That’s sensible," Dayo said. "Let’s get everything sorted first. Once the details are clear, we can decide how to handle the announcement."

Nadia agreed and thanked him again before getting ready to leave. Luna accompanied her towards the entrance, while Dayo remained in the living room for a moment. He was pleased that Nadia had decided to take the opportunity, especially because her reasons showed that she understood what she wanted from the next stage of her career.

After Nadia left, Luna returned to the living room and found Dayo looking through a few messages on his phone. She sat beside him and asked what he thought about her decision.

"I think she’s making the right choice for herself," he replied. "She knows what she wants to work on, and she needs an environment where she can develop those ideas."

Luna agreed. She had seen Nadia struggle with the direction of her music for some time, and she was glad that the singer had finally decided to make a change rather than remain somewhere she felt restricted. They spoke briefly about how the opportunity might help her, then turned their attention back to the rest of the afternoon.

The following morning, Dayo arrived at JD Records and went straight to his office. Sharon had already begun organising his schedule for the day, and she was reviewing a few pending arrangements when he entered. He greeted her before taking his seat and asked whether she had a moment to handle two things for him.

"Of course," Sharon replied, closing the document she had been reading.

"I spoke with Nadia yesterday. She’s decided to accept the offer to join the label. I want you to contact her and arrange a meeting so we can discuss the contract and the other details."

Sharon made a note. "I’ll get in touch with her. Do you want the meeting here at the office?"

"Yes, arrange it here. Find a suitable time and confirm it with her."

"Alright. Anything else?"

"I also want a management meeting at eleven this morning. Contact Valerie, Ulrich, Alice and Wayne, and make sure the relevant people are available. I want us to review the performance of Beautiful Things and discuss our next plans."

Sharon added the meeting to her schedule and confirmed that she would send the invitations. Dayo thanked her before turning to the documents on his desk. He had several things to review before the meeting, and he wanted to go through them without rushing.

At eleven, the management team began gathering in the conference room. Valerie arrived first, followed by Ulrich and Alice. Wayne came in shortly afterwards, carrying a folder containing some production reports. The other relevant members of the team joined them, and once everyone was seated, Dayo opened the meeting.

"Thanks for coming," he began. "I want us to look at what we’ve achieved with Beautiful Things since its release and discuss where we go from here. The album has been out for more than six months now, so we’ve had enough time to understand its performance across the different markets. I want us to review the figures properly before we start discussing the next project."

Alice opened the performance report on the main screen. The first section showed the album’s early streaming results, followed by the later campaign figures and the adjustments made after the platform audit. Dayo asked the team to pay attention to the different reporting periods so they would not confuse the first-week results with the fourteen-day campaign total.

Mara’s report showed that Beautiful Things had opened with approximately 340 million streams on its first day. The first-week total had reached 12.81 billion global streams, with the song holding number one in 131 countries by the close of that reporting window. The fourteen-day campaign had later reached a reported 20.77 billion streams before the audit removed 94 million invalid streams, leaving a verified total of 20.676 billion.

Ulrich looked through the figures while Alice explained the differences between the reports. The adjustments had not affected the global composite number-one position, and the verified result remained one of the strongest performances the label had recorded. Dayo listened as the team reviewed the platform distribution, the campaign’s international reach and the way the song had continued to perform after its opening week.

Wayne was particularly interested in the streaming pattern after the first few days. He pointed out that the opening numbers had been extraordinary, but the later movement was also worth examining because it showed how the audience had continued to engage with the music. Alice agreed, explaining that the campaign had reached listeners through different channels, including the O2 performance, radio, online access and the continued interest in the song itself.

Valerie asked whether the team had identified any areas they could improve in the next campaign. Alice explained that there were opportunities to strengthen the coordination between regional teams and introduce certain promotional activities earlier. Ulrich added that some international partnerships could have been arranged sooner, especially in territories where the company had needed additional time to complete distribution and promotional agreements.

Dayo allowed them to finish before speaking. He was pleased with the work the team had done, and he did not want anyone to misunderstand his next point as criticism of their efforts.

"Beautiful Things has performed extremely well," he said. "We’ve seen what the team can achieve, and I appreciate the work everyone has put into it. But I don’t want us to become satisfied with these results and assume we’ve reached the limit of what we can do."

He looked around the table before continuing. "I believe we can do better with the next project. We should be thinking about how to improve on what we’ve achieved, not simply how to repeat it. I want us to look at the things that worked, the areas where we can improve and the opportunities we haven’t fully explored."

Valerie agreed that the company should begin preparing early. She explained that JD Records had the resources and international relationships to support another major release, but the team needed to make sure the different departments were involved from the beginning. She did not want the marketing, distribution and production teams working separately until the final stages of a project.

Alice said she would review the campaign data more closely and identify the territories where the company could build a stronger connection with listeners. She also wanted the promotional team to consider different ways of introducing the next project without relying entirely on the methods that had worked for Beautiful Things. The album had benefited from several unexpected moments, but she believed the company could still prepare a more organised campaign.

Ulrich focused on the business side. He suggested that the label begin reviewing its international agreements early so that distribution arrangements and partnerships would be ready before the next release. He also wanted the company to examine which relationships had delivered the strongest results during the previous campaign and where new arrangements might be useful.

Wayne spoke about the music itself. He wanted the production team to have enough time to experiment with the sound and arrangements rather than work under unnecessary pressure. He explained that a project needed room to develop, especially when Dayo was exploring a different direction. The production team could prepare for the next project, but they would need to understand the creative direction before making detailed plans.

Dayo listened carefully, asking questions where he needed clarification and allowing the others to build on their suggestions. He did not want the meeting to become a discussion in which everyone simply agreed with him. Each department had its own responsibilities, and he expected the people leading those departments to contribute their experience.

By the time the discussion began winding down, the team had agreed to start reviewing the campaign results in greater detail and prepare their recommendations for the next project. Alice would work with the marketing department, Ulrich would review the relevant partnerships and distribution arrangements, and Wayne would begin considering the production requirements once the creative direction was clearer. Valerie would coordinate the wider preparations and keep the departments aligned.

Dayo thanked everyone for their contributions and reminded them that he wanted the next project to receive the same level of attention as Beautiful Things, with the improvements they had discussed built into the process from the beginning. The meeting ended with the team understanding what needed to happen next.

When Dayo returned to his office, Sharon was waiting with an update on Nadia’s arrangements. She told him she had contacted her and that they were working on a suitable time for the contract meeting. Dayo asked her to keep him informed once Nadia confirmed, then returned to the documents on his desk.

There was still work ahead for JD Records, but the day’s discussions had given the company a clear direction. Beautiful Things had set a high standard, and the team was already considering how to improve on it. At the same time, Nadia was preparing to begin a new Chapter of her career with the label, having made the decision to leave behind an environment that no longer supported the direction she wanted to take.

The reason for Day wanting them to go through this motion even though is wasn’t what got the album to that height was there was a chance of the system disappearing even if he didn’t say it out loud but it took that into consideration that he might not always have Global Spotlight Card to post engagement so its best they improve in that aspect to.