Rewind With A Superstar System-Chapter 113: Album Hype
<🎧 Song Recommendation: Right Now (Na Na Na) by Akon>
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"You can’t just drop ten tracks after months of silence," Emily explained to Von one time on their work table.
It was late September, a week after the official Instagram announcement had sent the internet into a frenzy. Emily had printed out spreadsheets and laid them across the table.
"Masquerade is still doing incredible numbers, yes. But the algorithm is a beast. The release date is October 25th. If we make them wait a full month with zero new music, the hype might start to stagnate. We need to feed them an appetizer. A promotional lead single to keep their attention hooked."
Von looked over the tracklist on his phone. He knew exactly how the industry worked. Releasing a single early was standard procedure to build momentum.
"Which one?" Von asked.
"Not one of the features," Emily said immediately. "We need something catchy, radio-friendly, but distinctly you."
Von didn’t have to think hard. "You’re Gonna Come Home."
"Exactly what I was thinking," Emily grinned. It was the only song the fans had an idea of what it sounded like, so it made perfect sense for it to be the one.
On Friday, October 4th, at exactly midnight, You’re Gonna Come Home hit Musicify, Mango Music, and InkTube.
There was no music video, just the official audio playing over a static image. But the lack of a visual didn’t slow it down for a single second.
The official track was a masterclass in production, a vastly polished version of the emotional acoustic cut he had sung back during the Project: Star auditions. Patch had taken Von’s core melody and injected it with an undeniable heartbeat.
Taking inspiration from modern, folk-infused pop, the backing beats were built around bright, rhythmic acoustic guitar strumming and a steady, foot-stomping drum kick that made the entire track feel alive.
It felt like rolling the windows down on the highway and leaving your hometown in the rearview mirror. It was the absolute perfect driving song.
And the internet devoured it.
Within the first weekend, You’re Gonna Come Home racked up a solid 1.4 million streams across all platforms. By the end of the tracking week, the sheer volume of streaming and MTunes digital purchases pushed it to officially debut at No. 84 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also snagged a massive No. 3 spot on the Musicify New Releases chart.
Technically, the debut completely outclassed Masquerade, which hadn’t even touched the Billboard charts in its first week.
But Von and Emily knew that didn’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things. Masquerade was a sleeper hit that eventually climbed to No. 3 through sheer cultural force; You’re Gonna Come Home was riding the massive wave of hype Von had already built.
Still, the great performance put a unique kind of pressure on Von. By choosing You’re Gonna Come Home as the lead single, there was a very real risk that the song could overshadow the rest of the tracklist, or that the better, more complex tracks like It Doesn’t Even Matter might get less attention if the casual public only associated his new album with folk-pop.
But for now, they were happy with their progress. The release of the lead single completely secured the album’s momentum.
Over the next three weeks, pre-saves for Lost & Found skyrocketed, crossing the 25,000 mark across all streaming platforms. Independent or not, Von was pulling engagement numbers that made major label executives sick to their stomachs.
During that waiting period, Von finally had the time to handle the physical side of the release.
He had commissioned Naomi to design the official album cover weeks ago. Based on their last talk, he expected her to be completely finished by now, but he hadn’t received a single file in his inbox.
Deciding to check in, Von grabbed his phone one morning and hit the FaceTime icon next to her name.
It was still quite early in Miami, which meant the sun was barely up in California. The phone rang for nearly a minute before the screen finally connected.
Naomi’s face appeared, illuminated by the harsh, white glow of a ring light. Her dark hair was tied up in a messy, chaotic bun with a paintbrush sticking out of it like a hairpin.
Her hands were completely soiled with streaks of black and crimson oil paint, and she was wearing a heavy, paint-splattered canvas apron.
It was clear she had been working through the night.
"Oh, good god, Nana. When was the last time you had a shower?" Von remarked teasingly, covering his nose to emphasize his point.
Naomi’s face instantly flushed red with embarrassment. She quickly tried to wipe her cheek with the back of her wrist, only managing to smear a streak of charcoal across her jawline.
"You little brat," Naomi pouted. "You’ve lost your manners, huh? Hmph."
Von laughed out loud immediately after. "I’m sorry. You just look like you’re working the night shift at a coal mine. What are you even painting this early?"
Naomi let out a long breath, carefully setting her wooden palette down out of frame and picking up her phone. of exhaustion and nervous energy.
"Well, we’re having the Freshman Fall Gala today," she explained, her eyes darting off-screen to look at whatever she was painting. "It’s this big fundraiser auction program. All the freshmen have to auction off one of their original works to raise money for the art department. The professors are bringing in a bunch of local gallery owners and donors."
"Ahh," Von gasped with exaggeration, putting a hand over his heart. "It’s such a big day and you didn’t even invite me? I’m really upset now."
Naomi rolled her eyes, though a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "No, it’s not like that... I mean, you’re so busy with your album marketing. It wouldn’t make any sense for you to fly all the way to Los Angeles just for a freshman fundraiser. But... it’s tonight. You can come if you really want to."
Von waved his hand dismissively at the camera. "Nah, you’re right. I’m indeed way too busy. Sorry, Nana, but I won’t be there to support you tonight."
Naomi tried to hide the tiny flash of disappointment in her eyes offering an understanding nod. "Yeah, I know. It’s fine."
"I’m sure you’ll do well anyways," Von added casually. "What are you even painting for them?"
Naomi offered a wry, slightly guarded smile. "Hmm. It’s not completely finished yet, but I promise I’ll show you when I’m done." Her eyes suddenly widened as she remembered something else.
"Oh, I’m done with the album cover, by the way! I don’t know if you’ll actually like it, but I have the files. I can show you that right now if you want?"
"Hmm. I don’t really need it right now. I’ll tell you when I do. Keep it safe with you. How’s school treating you anyways? Aside from the painting marathons."
They spent the next five minutes catching up, but Von didn’t entirely like what he was hearing between the lines.
Because Naomi was incredibly protective of Von’s privacy, and because she didn’t want people using her for clout no one at CalArts knew she was Von Varley’s sister.
She lived a very simple, quiet lifestyle, wearing cheap clothes and keeping her head down. As a result, she was dealing with the harsh reality of an elite, expensive art school: she was quietly being stigmatized by the rich snobs in her classes who looked down on anyone without a pedigree or a wealthy last name.
