They sounded great, and the arrangement they’d decided on lent the song a slightly more intimate feel, which was what Brian said they should shoot for. “It’s all about connecting to your audience,” he told her. “The barrier between artist and listener is thinner than it’s ever been. We can connect in real time. Form actual relationships with our fans.”
It was such a strange sensation to speak and play and sing for an invisible audience. Layla knew they were there, watching through their phones, tablets, and computers, because she could see the little hearts and thumbs-up icons that flew across the screens of Brian’s laptops. There were more comments now, too.
I love the song
What’s next
You guys seem kind of old
Love you guys
Fuck, yeah
“So, we’ve got a surprise for you tonight,” Brian said when the song ended. They’d been sitting on the news for over a week and were bursting to share it. “We’ve got something new to perform for you now. It’s our next single and it’ll be available at midnight tonight. Make sure you’re following us and add it to your playlists.”
They played the new song, Layla once again singing lead. It was called “Come with Me,” and it was just as catchy as “Thankful” but slightly different in tone. Brian had looked through all the songs he’d written over the years, and they’d selected it because it was similar to “Thankful” but different enough so that it wouldn’t seem like they were copying themselves. Layla thought it was superior to “Thankful” from a songwriting and technical perspective, but Brian would track and analyze the sales data to see if those qualities translated into downloads.
When they finished singing the new song, hearts flew up the screen again and the comments indicated that the song had landed, and they wanted more. Brian ended the livestreams, set his guitar down, and started laughing. “Jesus. We’re not that old.”
No, but for musicians trying to break in, they were pushing it. Brian was forty-four but had a more youthful appearance. Layla would soon be thirty-six, and she didn’t look her age, either. Nor did she care.
“That’s what happens when you put yourself out there,” Layla said, laughing, too. “The internet will always have an opinion and they will happily share it.”
“We sounded good and we can be proud of that. Might pick up a few more listeners if word of mouth continues to shine its light on us.”
“Thankful” had popped up on a few more playlists and was gaining even more steam. And now they’d have their first follow-up. See if they could make it rain twice.
“Word of mouth is the best kind of marketing power in existence,” she said. Someone telling a friend about a song they loved and convincing them to download it was the kind of organic support you couldn’t materialize on your own, but when it happened you’d better harness it for all it was worth, and they intended to.
“So, ‘Come with Me’ will be available at midnight and I’ve set up all the links to be published on social media simultaneously.”
“Thanks for taking care of all that.” Layla was glad that Brian enjoyed the technical side of things, because she had little interest in it. She just wanted to make music.
“No problem.”
Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear what Brian said next. “Layla?”
“Sorry. What did you say?”
“You must have been daydreaming about our potential downloads,” he teased.
“Busted,” she said.
“I said I’ll let you know how we do in the first twenty-four hours.”
“Awesome.” But she hadn’t been thinking about the downloads. What she’d been thinking about was whether Josh had been watching the live video and how he was doing and if he missed her as much as she missed him and if he’d really be back like Brian said he would.
chapter 49
Layla
“Will you just look at that,” Layla said.
“Oh, I am,” Tonya said. “It’s a beautiful sight.”
The cars in the drop-off line were moving forward with precision. Like a well-oiled machine, students stepped out of the vehicles, backpacks in hand, and waved to their parents, who pulled away from the curb, leaving room for the next car. Layla didn’t even care that it was the last day of school, which meant they’d be right back to square one in the fall. It was nice seeing it finally come together.
Josh and Sasha arrived, and that was one more thing that had found its groove. It was almost as if they’d never had a relationship outside the one they had in the context of the school setting.
Almost.
Josh and Layla still greeted each other with a smile, exchanged pleasantries, mentioned the weather. But underneath it all, Layla wanted to know how he was doing. She missed talking to him, walking Norton, cooking side by side. She wanted to ask how things were going with the divorce. How long it might be until he’d tied up those loose ends. But maybe he had. Maybe the cooling-off period had shown him that they’d moved too fast and he was having second thoughts. Had he decided she was his rebound the way Layla wondered if he would be hers?
Two weeks ago, Layla turned thirty-six. She and Tonya and Annie had gone out for happy hour, and the urge to text Josh after one margarita to ask him these things was so strong, she declined a second and went home early.
She and Brian were fully immersed in their budding career, and now that school was ending, Layla would have even more time to devote to it. They were doing live videos at least once a week, and they’d released their third song, a summer anthem called “Stick Shifting,” that Brian sang lead on. It was about road-tripping to Colorado in a Jeep with your girl by your side, and it was doing well, but neither follow-up had made it onto a notable playlist or seen download numbers anywhere near as high as “Thankful.”
“It’s okay,” Brian had said. “We’re building our audience and it takes time.”