Composer and musician Anh Quan has produced many musical pieces, performed with Anh Em (Brothers) band and produced for his wife, My Linh, one of the leading vocalists in Viet Nam.

He talks about Cong Hien (Devotion) Awards which he was honoured at the recent.

You have received Cong Hien Awards for Musician of Year and Album of the Year, for your wife My Linh's acoustic album Mot Ngay (One Day), for which you were co-producer. How do you feel about this?

I was surprised at first because I work silently in the field of music. I often spend all day in recording rooms, I don't appear regularly in front of the public or perform.

I attended the Cong Hien Awards ceremony to accompany my wife. I didn't expect that I would be awarded.

Then I felt really moved and happy. It's a feeling I haven't had before. Even after the ceremony, I still felt like I was flying.

How do you rank the prestige of the Cong Hien Awards?

The Cong Hien Music Awards are the most prestigious among music awards nowadays, in my opinion.

I highly appreciate the awards due to their transparency. I investigated them and found out that 100 journalists throughout the country voted to decide the winners. The process of counting the votes and the result were kept secret till the last minute.

I recognised the sense of justice of the organisers and the impartiality of the vote.

You have said that you choose to work in silence and don't need to be awarded. Now that you have received an award, has anything changed in your mind?

My friends, who are composers and musicians, appear in front of the public as judges in contests, in talk shows and as entertainers. I also receive invitations to do those things but I choose to work in the recording room.

I hadn't thought to achieve an award. I don't put too much emphasis on awards, although I admit that when I received the title Musician of the Year at the Cong Hien Awards, people recognised my devotion for Vietnamese music.

My Linh's Chat with Mozart album was given a Cong Hien Award for Album of the Year in 2005 and the public praised her. They ignored the fact I was her manager and the album's producer.

For me, the most important thing is I know who I am and what I do. I don't need an award to know my work is appreciated.

How do you feel when your wife is more famous and achieves much more success than you?

Not at all. People see her in the limelight without knowing that I stand behind her to conduct the performance. Linh is appreciated in Viet Nam but I think her success represents a team effort.

I have been offered many opportunities that would make me more famous but I refused. I want to spend my whole ability on musical works. I'm responsible for my family's, including my wife's, success.

I produce and arrange all of Linh's works and performances. When people praise her, I'm praised as well. We are married and have worked together for 14 years. There's nothing to feel sorry about.

How will you prepare for future music projects?

I am still composing and organising My Linh's live concerts in Da Nang and HCM City. I prepare to serve the different tastes of audience in different regions. After the recent live concert in Ha Noi, I gained more experience.

What I prepare, I think I should keep a secret to let the audience discover on the night. — VNS