Miss Americana and The Hearbreak Princess

Chapter Four - A Place In This World

"I put out my debut album later on that year. I think... I didn't realise the impact that it would have. None of us did. I mean, who knew that Irish traditional music would resonate so well with other teenage girls? And the country music industry in the states too. That was unexpected, but it was what we'd hoped for at Chen Records. It all came together so perfectly, that I think all of us were stunned by how well it did. To this day, I don't think we ever thought I'd end up where I am now."

"Is this where you want to be? I mean, you just wrapped up your reputation world tour and announced a new record deal with a different label since you signed that contract with Chen Records all those years ago. It must be a big change, but is it something you always planned on doing?"

Pressing her lips together in a thin line, Becca slowly shook her head. 

Things had gone far from how she'd always planned it happening. In the beginning, she'd trusted Chen, he'd believed in her and she'd been loyal to him, and they'd been great for a few years. And then it had all changed, and she'd realised that she was nothing more than a show pony. 

In the beginning, just after her self-titled album was released, he would introduce her to every one of note he knew. She felt like his most precious jewel, being shown off to all of his friends, all of the connections he knew, getting radio stations to air her music, small interviews with local newspapers in America and Ireland. 

It wasn't until she was older that she realised that she wasn't a precious jewel, but a prize pig. Chen was happy to show her off, watching her grow bigger with fame and her fortune, her name splashed across the headlines, sometimes on a near-daily basis, massive worldwide tours and notoriety, until she grew so big that she was nearly untouchable. 

Only then did she realise the threat of the slaughterhouse looming over her, the tight grip that Chen had over her with her career tied to his label. He essentially owned her, for those six albums, at least.

Still, Becca couldn't bring herself to regret signing that contract. 

There had been moments where it had ruined everything for her, left her broken-hearted, angry, an obedient client in the grip of the record label, but at the end of it all, without Chen, without his label, she would've still been waiting for other people to believe in her. 

They hadn't been on good terms for years now, but Becca found that she couldn't quite hate him completely. He'd taken a chance on her, and she'd let him groom her for the industry. He'd done what he thought was best for his business, and she'd had to swallow her thoughts on what was best for herself, stay quiet about the things she'd wanted that were out of reach for her, but now it was all within reach.

She should've done this a long time ago. Opened up about everything, spoken the truth when the media was rife with lies about her, been bold and shameless in the face of scandal, but she'd every been allowed. 

Her public image was tied to Chen Records, reflecting back on them, and if she'd stepped out of line, ruined the good girl persona that they'd all spent years cultivating for her, they would've shelved her. Becca would've found herself out of the studio, unable to make a new record deal, while still tangled up in one that was essentially useless. 

She could've lost her career. 

At so many points in her life, that hadn't seemed like such a bad idea, the thought of leaving it all behind, fading into nothingness in the middle of the Irish countryside, yet she couldn't bring herself to give it up. There were moments where she would've been quite happy to be shelved, to take the money and her dignity and deny Chen the massive sales her remaining albums would bring him.