 |
|
Leading lady: Ha Hoai Thu is one of three finalists in this year's Sao Mai-Diem Hen 2010 (Morning Star-A Rendezvous) competition. — File Photo |
HCM CITY — The three women finalists – and, to many people, the front-runners – in the nation's top reality music show may be attracting an increasing number of fans but they are not resting on their laurels and are focused on improving further.
Le My Nhu, Nguyen Thi Minh Chuyen, and Ha Hoai Thu are working on their voices and new styles and have their sights set on winning Sao Mai-Diem Hen 2010 (Morning Star-A Rendezvous) on Viet Nam Television's VTV 3 channel.
Audiences have seen them perform pop, R&B, dance, and rock music and seem to have taken their fresh style to heart. Not only have the three been forging ahead in the competition but also become national stars.
"My goal now is to improve as a singer," Nhu, a performer with the Sao Bien Folk Music and Dance Troupe in Phu Yen Province, says.
For Nhu, 27, an ethnic Ba Na, it has been a fairytale rise from the time her poor parents sold off their cows to send her to the Ha Noi-based Military College of Culture and Arts.
She was named the "Queen of rock" by the contest jury after singing Va Ta Da Thay Mat Troi (And I Saw The Sun), a composition by well-known musician Nguyen Cuong which is in the repertoire of many top singers like Siu Black.
Her powerful voice and modern singing and performance style have made a strong impression on the jury and audiences, who voted her into the contest's final round that began on Sunday.
But the mother of a 15-month-old daughter has a confession to make: "I have difficulty in deciding what style to adopt to win fans' hearts."
Nhu's biggest rival for the crown, 24-year-old Thu has also become very popular.
She got more than 16,000 votes for her attractive appearance and clear voice as she performed Anh (You) and Ngoi Hat Mua Dong (Singing in the Winter), pop songs by Xuan Phuong and Le Tinh.
It is not inconceivable that we are witnessing the rise of a future pop icon.
"Though I have become famous, I'm continuing to try and improve," Thu, from Quang Ninh Province, says.
Chuyen, the last of the trio, has not found it easy to attract young fans though her perfect voice and dance skills while performing R&B and dance music have been acknowledged by the jury.
"It's not a problem," Chuyen says.
She points to the silver lining in this: "Through my songs, I hope youngsters will learn not to think they can be a singer merely with an attractive appearance and dancing skills."
Chuyen has already signed recording contracts with music producers in Ha Noi.
The qualifiers for the final round in HCM City will be chosen from the three women and eight men who will perform in Phu Yen this week.
The biennial contest this time attracted 700 hopefuls, many from rural areas, who sung and danced before a 10-member jury made up of famous artists. — VNS