CHAPTER 117: ALBUM RELEASE

The week passed quickly after the Harmony Lane interview.

The episode had gone viral — not massive, but enough to stir new conversations online. Clips of how calmly Dayo answered tough questions impressed fans, since it was well-known that new artists almost always slipped under pressure. But it was different with Dayo.

People praised his maturity, and soon, The Other Side started trending on music blogs and social media.

Alice noticed the traction and got an idea. "We can build on this," she said during their morning meeting at JD Records. "If we go grassroots, it’ll create stronger engagement — real connection."

"Most artists don’t go down that route," Dayo said, leaning back. "Some are lazy, and many feel too proud to."

Alice nodded, smiling. She shared her plan — doing it the old-school way, with a mix of modern strategy.

Dayo agreed immediately. That was exactly what he wanted — to reach people directly. No flashy campaigns, just music. Some called him old school, and he didn’t deny it. After all, mentally, he was nearing his fifties.

He wanted something that would stand out — something unique.

So, for the next few days before the release of the album, he worked like a machine.

He hosted livestreams every evening — chatting with fans, answering questions, and even previewing short snippets of songs. From there, he joined collaborations with popular streamers and content creators. They played snippets of his songs, joked with him, and helped spread the excitement.

At one point, he even streamed a video game session — and though he wasn’t great at it (or so he made people believe), still as far as it created buzz he was good.

The internet couldn’t get enough of him. He tried everything possible to increase awareness for the album.

All of this reminded him of his grind back during the Global Competition Wildcard days — sleepless nights, endless streams, and pure determination.

This time, though, the energy was doubled. And the results showed in his followers.

TikTok: 16.2 M → 28.4 M followers

Instagram: 11.7 M → 20.1 M followers

Twitter / X: 6.2 M → 10.4 M followers

This brought a smile to his face all his hardwork from the Global Competition was showing.

The week went on.

By Thursday night, social media was on fire.

#TheOtherSide trended across multiple platforms, and fan theories about the album’s theme filled the comment sections.

People even started betting on whether the album would flop or blow up. Real money was put down. It was chaotic, but it kept everyone talking — another idea that came from Alice.

JD Records’ headquarters felt more alive than ever. Staff stayed late, final checks were made, and everyone waited for Friday midnight.

***

Friday finally arrived.

The entire JD Records HQ glowed under warm dim lights. Large screens displayed the album’s artwork — Dayo standing beneath a sky split in two colors, symbolizing life and loss. The hall was full — producers, marketing teams, sound engineers, even janitors. Everyone who had touched the project was there.

Alice stood beside Dayo at the center of the hall. Valery and Urich handled the setup near the main console, checking the live dashboard that would track streaming numbers. Sharon handed Dayo a bottle of water, smiling nervously.

"Everything’s ready," Valery said. "Once we hit play, the whole thing goes live worldwide."

Dayo nodded, taking a slow breath. His pulse was racing, but in a good way.

He’d done everything possible — and now, it was time for the finishing touch.

Quietly, he opened his system panel and selected two cards he’d been saving.

Global Spotlight Card → doubles exposure and reach for the next release (7 days)

Regional Expansion Card → expands fan reach from regional to national level, adding 25% media traction and chart presence

He activated both one after the other first the regional Expansion card then the Global Spotlight Card . A faint blue glow flashed across his interface before fading away.

This was where his real confidence came from. He knew the album wouldn’t fail.

The first card — the Global Spotlight — was one he had earned early on after completing a system mission. He’d been saving it for this exact moment, curious to see how much power it really held.

It was like a lifeline. Whatever exposure he was meant to get would double. If he was meant to reach 500,000 people, it would become a million.

That alone was reason enough to grind as hard as he did.

The second card was newer — a reward from his recognition as a Regional Artist. It boosted his media traction by 25%, permanently, and when combined with the Spotlight bonus, it reached 50% — though temporary.

All of this brought him peace.

Alice looked at him. "Ready?"

"Let’s do it," he said quietly.

A large digital countdown appeared on the screen.

10... 9... 8...

The room fell silent. Cameras pointed toward the big display.

3... 2... 1.

The album went live.

Cheers erupted immediately. The analytics board on the screen began to tick upward — hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of streams in minutes.

Dayo grinned. He looked around at the people who had spent months with him. "Bills on me tonight," he said. "We’re all going out to eat!"

The room exploded in laughter and cheers. Everyone had been working nonstop for weeks, some since the very first recording session.

Dayo didn’t mind spending. Money wasn’t an issue anymore. He was a millionaire now — and if anyone wondered how, it was thanks to Lois’ album, H.E.R.

It had gone gold and was just shy of platinum.

She could’ve easily passed the milestone if she had done interviews or if MM Records had pushed it properly — but they didn’t.

So the album never reached its full potential.

---

One-month totals (Lois — H.E.R. album, JD Records promotion):

Spotify: 131,200,000 streams in total stream

Apple Music: 50,300,000 streams

YouTube (tracks + visuals): 117,000,000 views

iTunes / Apple Store purchases: 170,000 purchases

Physical copies (vinyls & CDs): 250,000 units sold

Total first-month equivalent units: ≈ 720,000 units

Chart positions (approx., one month after release):

Billboard 200: around #85

Billboard Global 200: around #50

Top Song (H.E.R — Lois ft JD): ≈ 88,500,000 total streams after one month

---

The total amount made from the Album without task was about $3,262,610 and it could have been more if Lois was still under him.

He felt pained a bit but he shrugged it now was his moment and he would make sure to own it.