“Really? How come you haven’t approached me before?”
“I had a couple of other big deals going down, and I like to put all my efforts into new signings. I didn’t have the time to dedicate to you, but now I do. We have investors, but I’m the one who calls the shots.”
Made sense, and if it meant I had his full attention, I was listening.
“Of course, this is all subject to you being happy with the offer we make, but we’d like to start with one album and then see where we go from there. Some public appearances. There are a couple of summer festivals we can sign you up for. The next few months could be really busy for you.”
Shit. This was all moving far too fast. They had everything planned out. What if I didn’t agree?
“What say do I get in all this? I don’t want to tie myself into something I can’t get out of. Not that I would want to if the offer was the right one.”
“You have input, for sure. On the songs you sing, which festivals you want to attend, although some of them are belters. Leeds, Reading, Creamfields. We couldn’t get you a slot for Glastonbury. You can imagine artists are booked up well in advance for those. What do you think so far?”
“It’s a lot to take in. My head’s in a bit of a spin. I also think I need a manager or an agent.”
“Yep, absolutely, and I can put you in touch with a couple. Meet a few, see who you gel with. A word of advice: don’t jump into bed with the first one you see, so to speak. A good agent can make or break you, and you want one that has your interests at heart and isn’t just there to pad their pockets.”
I’ll give Sully his due; he wasn’t forcing me into this. He was giving me sound advice, and I was tempted to say yes right away, but I needed to pace myself and take it all in.
As if sensing my apprehension, he took a sip of his coffee and stood. “Let’s go for that tour, and you can see what we’re about.”
I gulped down my coffee and followed him out of the room, now transparent again. What kind of fuckery was that?
The tour was mind-blowing. We visited a couple of recording studios. One was empty, and another had a very popular artist sing their heart out. I could have stayed and listened all day, but Sully moved me on after about five minutes.
“I have an early contract I had drafted for you to take away and get checked out. As I said before, I don’t want you to sign anything until you’ve taken legal representation, or if you get an agent, they can sort that side of things for you.”
“Um, yeah. Sounds great. I’m a little shell-shocked, if I’m honest. Things like this don’t happen to guys like me.”
“And why not? You have the voice, the looks, although if you don’t mind, we’ll get you a proper stylist who’ll sort out your clothes. The look is good; it just needs a little tidying up.”
I touched my hair, a self-conscious gesture, but he had a point. There was a lot to do to make me look even halfway presentable.
What would Harvey say to all of this? I didn’t know him that well, but I knew this would mess with his head. He’d need reassurance and plenty of it.
“What do you think?”
Of what? Shit, I’d been so far away I hadn’t heard what Sully had said.
“Sorry? I was just trying to take in all you said. What did you say?”
“We have a hairdresser here today; they could tidy you up a little if you’d like? No charge. This one would be on us.”
“Um, I guess that’d be okay.” At least my hair was clean.
“Fantastic, and then you can have a practice in the studio. Ever been in one before?”
“Not before today.” I was nervous but excited, and Sully led me through to what can only be described as a hair salon.
“Matt, could we tidy up Killian’s hair a little? I want to do some sample shots to see how he’d look on a cover.”
“What now? You didn’t mention that before.” I’d signed nothing, but Sully was acting as if it was a done deal.
“It’s just for the investors. I swear, you’ll have all the rights to the photos until anything is signed. If we don’t? You get the pictures back.”
“It’s just a lot, Sully.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. Let’s go straight to the studio, and we’ll play around in there for a while.”