Vietnamese pop music

While many pop singers have received no formal training and hire songwriters, they still strike a chord with teens. Young Vietnamese pop stars are proving you don’t have to be the Jonas Brothers to take a generation by storm. In fact, one hit song can propel many virtual unknowns to stardom. Teenage heart throb Ung Hoang Phuc, for example, became an overnight sensation with the hit Nguoi Ta Noi (Don’t Believe in Gossip), a love song composed by writer-musician Ngo Quang Huy. Now the young girls go crazy at his shows. "One day my friends and I heard a Ung Hoang Phuc song in a CD music shop, and I fell for him immediately," says Nguyen Thi Thao, a high school student who lives in Dong Nai Province’s Dinh Quan District. "We became his fans and now buy all his albums." Phuc is not alone. Thuy Tien, now 24, is finally tasting the delights of stardom after years of hard work. Three years ago, while Tien’s colleagues like Quang Vinh were achieving pop fame, she … [Read more...] about Pop singers propelled by hits, not depth

Composer Tran Manh Hung has won two of the five prizes awarded by the Vietnamese Musicians Association for his emotional poetic symphony, Le Chi Vien (Le Chi Garden) and the song Giac Mo Mua La (Dream of Falling Leaves). Hung, who is a lecturer at the National Academy of Music, also won two association awards last year for his four-chapter symphony Mot Nua Coi Tram (Haft a Life), and the choral song Gio Long Bon Phuong (Rising Wind on All Sides). Other prizes were granted for the songs Doi Do Ngan Nam (One-Thousand-Year Relocated Capital) by Nguyen Tien, and Dong Trang Lung Lieng (The Stream of Moonlight) by Ngo Quoc Tinh, and a compilation on bai choi folk singing by Truong Dinh Quang. According to the deputy head of the Musicians Association’s Membership Department, Ha Long, the award-winning composers had expressed their extreme creativeness in their compositions. "Compared to last year, it can be said that this year’s award-winning works are really outstanding." … [Read more...] about Music lecturer wins award

Australian singer Eleanor Clapham, or Hoang Lan, is the first foreigner to master the ancient art of tuong and cheo. She has returned to Vietnam to release her debut album “‘The Awakening” this June. In 2006 Eleanor Clapham, 23, attracted a wave of attention when she performed a one-woman show broadcast across Vietnam that showcased her mastery of ancient Vietnamese song, dance and acting. In this midst of her sudden success, Eleanor completely disappeared from the music scene, leaving people wondering where she had gone.   Four years later she has returned to Vietnam to release her debut album “The Awakening.” On June 26, 2010 she will perform at the Hanoi Opera House, demonstrating an exciting mixture of ancient and modern sounds, costumes, music and dance.   She describes her album as “what I always set out to create, a perfect fusion of contemporary pop music and ancient Asian traditions,” but just who is Clapham and … [Read more...] about Australian singer set to impress with Vietnamese traditional songs

Lee Kirby told Tuoi Tre newspaper that he is infatuated with Vietnamese music and he knows many Vietnamese songs by heart. Lee has performed and uploaded many Vietnamese songs like “Em oi, Ha Noi Pho”, “Diem Xua”, “Que Nha”, “Dem Thay Ta La Thac Do” and “Nong Nan Ha Noi” on YouTube and attracted a great deal of attention from Vietnamese around the world. Here are Kirby’s own words about his love for Vietnamese music.   “I’ve lived in Vietnam for a long time and I believe that I have become absorbed by Vietnamese music.   I love Trinh Cong Son’s music and I think that I can feel the beauty, which not only comes from the melodies and lyrics. Whenever I listen to Trinh’s music, I’m moved. It is difficult to explain as my Vietnamese is not very good while Trinh’s music is said to be difficult to understand even for many Vietnamese.   But someone has said that … [Read more...] about “Vietnamese music absorbs my soul”

(Cinet)- 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) is broadcasted live on Vietnam Television (VTV) Channel 6 to satisfy the demand from music fans throughout the country on November 30. The Mnet Asian Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as MAMA), is one of the major K-pop music award ceremonies being held annually in South Korea, involving the participation of some of the most well-known actors and idols, by Mnet Media.  It is  one of the most important events in the South Korean music industry attended by many well-known and most successful K-Pop acts such as Bi Rain, TVXQ, SS501, Super Junior, Big Bang, Girls' Generation, 2NE1 and other artists musically active in South Korea. VTV also produces an introductory program for the awards to provide Vietnamese audiences with a comprehensive picture about MAMA, one of the region’s largest and popular music events. Annual awards, having changed its name from the former M.net KM – Music Festival, were launched in 1999 and … [Read more...] about Mnet Asian Music Awards 2012 broadcasted on Vietnam Television

(Cinet) – VK-Pop music talent search contest in Viet Nam will be officially aired on Viet Nam Television's VTV3 channel from March 20. Titled Ngoi Sao Viet, meaning Vietnamese Stars, the contest aims to look for talent in multiple art forms such as singing, dancing, playing instruments and composing music. Young along with Vietnamese artists – singer Phuong Thanh and dancer John Huy Tran will serve on the jury for the contest taking palace from February 22-28. The finale will be held on July 19 and the winner will walk away with a prize of VND7.5 billion, or US$320,000. To get a victory for “ Vietnamese star-Lotte VK-Pop Super Star", the talent will be a chance in multiple art forms such as singing, dancing, playing instruments and composing music. The Jury is some Vietnamese artists such as Kim Do Hoon,Shinsadong Tiger, Kim Jin Woo, Baek Ji Young, Phuong Thanh and John Huy Tran…   … [Read more...] about Finding some talents through “Vietnamese star” program

A music competition entitled “Rock Your Passion” aiming at discovering the best local rock bands and bringing world-leading groups to the country will be hosted here over December 5 to January 6. After a long break from successful music competitions including “Unplugged” for student rock bands of universities and the first Pop Rock festival in 1992 presenting big names like Ba Con Meo (Three cats), Den Trang (Black and White) and Da Vang (The Yellow Skin), who still win rock fans’ hearts, people started believing this kind of this music fell into obscurity. However many groups of rock fans have tried to organize monthly gatherings or set up clubs in HCMC and Ha Noi where they can go to exchange the latest information, play music, study and learn popular rock music with each other. Several well-known rock bands such as the Microwave, Unlimited, Buc Tuong (The Wall) and more were born at that time. These rock bands help each other improve their … [Read more...] about Let’s Burn With the Passion for Rock Music