The release of "Shape of You" was a carefully orchestrated event. After the quieter, more introspective success of "Thinking Out Loud" and "Photograph," Alex and his father knew they needed something to signal versatility and broader appeal. "Shape of You," with its instantly addictive looped melody, danceable rhythm, and cleverly suggestive lyrics, was the perfect candidate.
The [Maestro's Codex], in its analytical wisdom, had provided several adaptation notes. While the original 2017 production was heavily reliant on marimba-laced tropical house elements, Alex, guided by the System, tweaked it for 2015. He kept the core looped guitar progression but beefed up the acoustic percussion, layered in more organic-sounding bass, and made his vocals a touch warmer, less processed, ensuring it still felt connected to the "authentic singer-songwriter" persona he'd established, even as it pushed into distinct pop territory.
The music video, again a low-budget affair but smartly executed, featured Alex in a series of quick-cut, energetic vignettes: him playfully sparring in a boxing gym (a nod to the original), strumming his guitar on a vibrant city street corner, even a few smoothly choreographed but simple dance moves in an empty warehouse. It was youthful, fun, and showed a different, more charismatic side to the usually reserved artist.
The impact was immediate and explosive.
Where "Thinking Out Loud" had been a warm embrace, "Shape of You" was a jolt of pure, unadulterated pop energy. Radio stations, already familiar with Alex Vance's quality, jumped on it. It flew up the iTunes charts, easily cracking the Top 10 within its first week. Spotify streams went through the roof. The YouTube video garnered hundreds of thousands of views in days.
Alex Vance was no longer just a "promising new talent." He was a burgeoning phenomenon.
The juxtaposition was almost comical. At Northwood High, he was still dodging spitballs in algebra and enduring awkward group projects. Then he'd go home to "Echo Chamber Studios," where he'd gets field calls from his dad discussing potential distribution deals for wider physical releases, or review mastering notes for his next track, "Perfect" (which was now feeling like a perfectly timed romantic counterpoint to "Shape of You's" playful flirtation).
His anonymous SoundCloud comment on Billie Eilish's "sHE's brOKen" had elicited a simple, one-word reply a few days later from "BillieE": "Thanks."
Not much, but it was an acknowledgment. Alex knew he couldn't rush this. He needed a legitimate reason to reach out more formally. The success of "Shape of You" provided it. Echo Chamber Records was now a name with some actual clout, however new.
He composed a careful message through the Echo Chamber Records SoundCloud account, addressed to BillieE:
"Hello Billie (and Finneas, if you see this),
We've been incredibly impressed by the raw talent and unique vision in the tracks you've uploaded, especially 'sHE's brOKen' and the ideas in 'Ocean Eyes' [he used the title she'd used on the rough upload]. My name is Alex Vance, and I run Echo Chamber Records. We're a new independent label focused on fostering unique artistic voices. I'm also an artist myself.
I genuinely believe you have something incredibly special. I'd love to chat, with your parents' permission of course, about potentially collaborating or exploring how Echo Chamber could help you develop your sound and get your music heard. No pressure at all, just a huge admirer of what you're doing.
Best,
Alex Vance
Echo Chamber Records"
He hit send, his pulse a little quicker than usual. This felt more significant than just releasing his own songs. This was the first step in actively shaping the musical landscape beyond his own voice.
Meanwhile, the rapid ascent of "Shape of You" began to attract attention from established players. Whispers started in online music forums and industry blogs. Who was this Alex Vance? Where did he come from? How was a fifteen-year-old indie artist producing music of this calibre and achieving this level of organic success with no major label backing?
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hey hey! just dropping in to say a massive thank you to everyone who's been supporting the story lately — seriously, you're all incredible and the reason I keep writing. now, let's get into the fun part: stat time 😎we just hit 5.35k views — that's a wild 91.1% increase from yesterday! 🎉we're sitting at 37 collections, average words per chapter is now 1.25k, and reader count jumped from 17 to 40 — with 27 effective readers actually sticking around and reading (I see you, and I appreciate you).
here's a cool bit — the geographical spread of readers has changed:🌍 48.92% from "Other" (the mysterious majority),🇺🇸 17.76% from the US,🇬🇧 8.88% UK,🇮🇳 & 🇵🇭 6.66% each from India and the Philippines,and then Argentina, Germany, Bhutan, Australia, and France all repping at 2.22% each. love seeing the story travel across the world.
and now for the most fun stat — reader gender:👨💻 56.25% male,👩 2.08% female (shoutout to you rare queens — your presence upgrades the entire atmosphere 😏),❓ 41.67% unknown — the mysterious legends.
now, huge shoutouts to some amazing folks:💥 Lucifer_2807 — He checked out my Patreon! my deepest thanks for the support(The first and only one to do that for now) 🔥💬 Hxzrniq_ — you gave me my first comments and reviews, and that meant the world to me!💡 Herson_barrera, Kellen_McNeil, Dude_Boring, Neutral, and PinkieLicious — you all lit up my notifications and made this whole journey feel a little more real. I see you, and I remember you 💖
thank you again to each and every one of you — whether you're reading quietly or cheering from the comments, I'm seriously grateful. let's keep going — together 🚀