[Chapter 19: Scandal Heat]
The flight from New York to Miami took only three hours.
He had flown out at three in the afternoon and arrived in Miami by evening. After a quick bite and a brief freshen-up, Orlando started his Miami promo schedule. As usual, he did a slot on a local TV interview first.
"...Even though we've heard it a hundred times, hearing it live is amazing! Wow, this song is everywhere right now," the host gushed.
"Orlando, do you know what Miami media have been calling you lately? 'Madonna's young boyfriend'! She said in a noon interview that she was recording a new song you wrote for her, and that you understood her better than anyone. Is that true?"
Old Town Road had become a word-by-word citation in the music world. There was nothing new to say about the song itself. The hosts had to steer the interview toward his private life. A straight music interview had turned into a gossip piece.
"We are just friends. We shared the same A&R, Seymour Stein, and we are both signed to Warner Records. It is through them that I got the chance to write for her, and I'm grateful for the opportunities they've given me," Orlando said.
Write for Madonna? The night before, Madonna had indeed asked him about songs. But Orlando knew his own business. Without any kind of revelation, he didn't have a finished song for Madonna. He hadn't agreed to anything the previous night -- he had been vague and noncommittal.
And now -- Madonna had gone on record saying she was recording a song written for her by him. Motherfucker.
But he couldn't publicly deny it. So he had to play along and feed the gossip to stoke the hype. Orlando forced himself to deliver the canned lines. He had never been good at this. But after days of back-to-back, intense interviews, he had finally learned the routine.
"So will you consider dating the pop queen? Some outlets criticized her for your age gap -- what do you think?"
"I'm only eighteen. Right now I am focusing on music and school..."
"But aren't there rumors you already have a girlfriend? People said you wrote a new song for her at a Manhattan steakhouse, right in front of everyone?"
With Orlando's sudden fame, his past was getting dug up. That night the restaurant had been packed. Higher-ups from other music companies had been there too, so full secrecy had been impossible. Whether it was Daisy Cuomo's influence or Warner Records' reach, her specifics hadn't leaked.
"There was a new song, but she's not my girlfriend. We're just good friends." To keep the heat and to avoid exposing his relationship with Daisy, Orlando answered vaguely.
"Wow, really? A new song? Is it the same country-rap vibe as Old Town Road?"
"No, it's a different style."
"When will we hear it?"
"Old Town Road just dropped. It'll be a while."
"We'll be waiting," the host said, and then quickly steered to the hottest topic nationwide. "Back to Madonna -- lots of callers are saying they're jealous that someone your age has Madonna wrapped around his finger. Can you tell us how you did it?"
"Uh... let's talk music. I'm working on the music video for Old Town Road, and..." Orlando tried to change the subject awkwardly.
'All they care about is whether I got with Madonna,' he thought afterward.
---
When the recording wrapped, Orlando complained to Frank, "They don't care why I made Old Town Road. They only care about me and Madonna!"
"Honestly," Frank winked at him, "I'm curious about that too."
The Warner Records promo manager traveling with them chimed in, "Yeah, me too."
"Fuck, man!" Orlando flipped the bird at his manager and the Warner promo manager. Frank and Jason from Warner both laughed.
---
His Miami schedule lasted three days. After running the three-day promo circuit, Orlando noticed how much more coverage there was about his rumor with Madonna. His image had already been shaped in press releases as her young boyfriend.
He regretted not having actually done something that night -- if he was going to carry that label anyway, he might as well have gotten something out of it. It was the Madonna -- what normal guy wouldn't want to?
At the same time, the high-profile rumor helped sell records. The surging sales numbers confirmed that. It benefited both sides -- Madonna's tour and album sales and Orlando's single sales -- and it also helped cover up Orlando's secret relationship with Daisy.
As he prepared to leave Miami for the next promo stop, a swarm of paparazzi trapped him at the airport. A tabloid reporter shouted, "Orlando, how serious is it with Madonna now?"
"Orlando, I'm from The Miami Express. We all know Madonna's hard to tame -- how did you make her fall head over heels for you?"
"A reporter from The New York Post talked to one of your childhood buddies and said your getting Madonna had nothing to do with your music. It was because you had a big wood, and Madonna got hooked on your big wood. Is that true?"
The barrage of questions left Orlando stunned, especially that last one.
"My flight's about to board. I can only say Ms. Madonna and I are artists on the same label. We're friends, not what you think," he said, and left.
Reporters tried to follow, but Warner's reps and airport security arrived to restore order. Orlando slipped into the gate area and finally got a moment of peace.
---
The next stop was Austin, Texas. South by Southwest would take place there soon. The festival was still young -- this year was only the fourth SXSW -- so it hadn't hit full heat yet. Orlando had no shortage of heat, though. The organizers offered him and Madonna paid performance slots. The money was good and it gave the festival cachet. Warner agreed, and the two of them were added to the SXSW lineup two days later.
"Jesus," Orlando complained in the gate area. "Now I'm really going to be labeled her young boyfriend."
"Why not?" Frank grinned. Seeing Orlando's uneasy face, the manager softened, "At least Old Town Road's sales are exploding. You're number one on the Billboard singles chart! And three weeks at the top is totally doable."
The Warner promo manager smiled and added, "Think about it, Orlando. You make $3.50 for every single sold. This Madonna rumor is boosting your sales by at least twenty percent. Every day this mess stayed in the headlines, you are making hundreds of thousands more. God, that's my yearly salary in one week. Frank, I am so damn jealous of you!"
Because Frank was his manager, the more Orlando earned, the bigger Frank's commission. "Ha -- who said I didn't get lucky being Orlando's manager?" Frank laughed.
Hearing it that way eased Orlando a lot. It was all about the money.
*****
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