HCM CITY — A few brave souls in the Vietnamese musical scene are spending large sums of money and putting their talent on the line by venturing into areas unknown and unpopular with many music fans.
Duc Tuan, one of a few Vietnamese singers following classical and semi-classical music, is popular only among a select group of fans, and singer Tung Duong has introduced his favourite genre, electronic music, to new audiences.
Based in HCM City, Duc Tuan won prizes for Singer of the Year and Album of the Year for his record Music of the Night at the fifth annual Music Contribution Prize contest in Ha Noi last week.
In 2000, Duc Tuan rose to fame when he won the first prize in HCM City Television's song contest.
Despite being young, he chose and followed semi-classical music, which is not popular among youth.
His renditions of semi-classical songs by composers Van Cao, Pham Duy and Trinh Cong Son have attracted a large number of fans across all age groups.
"Classical and semi-classical music pieces are especially attractive to me," Tuan said.
Last year, Duc Tuan staged a solo show Music of the Night in HCM City, singing 11 songs in English and French from his latest album The Broadway Album: Music of the Night, with the repertoire heavily favouring the songs from musicals by British composer Andrew Lloyd Weber.
He performed with support from his friends, Vietnamese singer Ngoc Tuyen, English conductor-composer Paul Bateman, Canadian singer Genevieve Charest, and Irish sound specialist Colin Voland, who have all helped the artist learn how to sing in a new style.
Despite collecting only VND500 million (US$26,300) in profit from the VND1.4 billion ($73,680) he spent of his own money for the Music of the Night production, Duc Tuan is planning to hold pop and classical shows in the city's Hoa Binh Theatre and HCM City Opera Theatre in upcoming months.
"I'm not extravagant, but I'm on my way to helping direct audiences' tastes," Tuan said. "Winning hearts comes not just from words but also from musical products."
Electronic vibes
Like Tuan, Ha Noi-based singer Duong has introduced a genre of music not familiar with many fans.
Duong became a phenomenon in Viet Nam when he won first prize at Sao Mai Diem Hen (Morning Star Rendezvous), a televised song contest organised by Viet Nam Television for the first time in 2004.
At first, he wanted to be a jazz singer and released his first album Chay Tron (Running Away) in 2005, featuring seven jazz songs composed by the well-known musician Le Minh Son.
Duong has also received many prizes for his performances at VTV's prestigious Annual Viet Song Competition (Bai Hat Viet), especially three prizes for electronic song Dong Ho Treo Tuong (Wall Clock) composed by Nguyen Xinh Xo during last year's contest.
According to the singer, electronic music is a difficult genre and still new in Viet Nam. "I'm attracted by its impressive melody and style," he said.
Duong is a fan of Icelandic singer-songwriter B'jork, who uses electronic instruments in her music.
"I want to follow in her footsteps," he said, adding that he is working with composer Quoc Trung to release a third album featuring electronic music. — VNS