Pop star Sơn Tùng M-TP performs in his MV, Chạy Ngay Đi (Run Now), a production about youth and their conflicts in love and life. His MV has been nominated for the 14th Cống Hiến (Devotion) Prize for Best Music Video presented annually by Thể Thao & Văn Hóa newspaper. (Photo courtesy of the producer)

By Thu Anh

HCM CITY—  Three music videos (MV) in electropop by young singers have been nominated for the 2018 Cống Hiến (Devotion) Award for Best MV by Việt Nam News Agency’s Thể Thao & Văn Hóa (Sports & Culture) newspaper. 

Pop star Sơn Tùng M-TP's Chạy Ngay Đi (Run Now) is about youth and their conflicts in love and life. Tùng wrote the song and performs on the MV, which was produced by Korean professionals. 

The singer invited Davika Hoorne, a famous fashion model and TV actress in Thailand, perform in his MV.

“Tùng makes his music in a different way than other young singers. His latest production, Chạy Ngay Đi, offers electropop instead of pop or dance, which are his strengths.” said musician Dương Trường Giang of HCM City.  

Chạy Ngay Đi attracted nearly 22 millions viewers on YouTube one day after its release in May. Last week it attracted more than 108 millions viewers.  

Tùng, a phenomenon in the industry, is a hit maker. In 2017, his MV, Nơi Này Có Anh (I’m Here), attracted more than 100 million viewers on Youtube 59 days after its release. A year before, his Âm Thầm Bên Em (Stand By You) reached more than 7 million viewers in just one day. 

Nearly 100 music critics and reporters from prestigious newspapers and magazines have submitted votes for the Cống Hiến Awards, according to the event’s organiser.

Tùng will compete with two electropop MVs by female singers Bích Phương and Phương Ly.

Phương, 29, worked with female song writers Tiên Cookie and Phạm Thanh Hà, to challenge her vocal range. Her MV, Bùa Yêu (Love Charm), combines contemporary folk and pop, accompanied by electronic music. 

Her MV includes scenes capturing the beauty of women. It has attracted more than 100 million viewers on YouTube.

“I think Phương reached a higher height in music in Bùa Yêu. Her MV has enough quality to compete with MVs produced and distributed professionally by Asian artists,” said music critic Đoàn Minh Tuấn of HCM City.

Phương began her career after competing at the Việt Nam Idol 2010, a Vietnamese version of American TV show American Idol.

Her hits include Bao Giờ Lấy Chồng (When You Get Married?) and Gửi Anh Xa Nhớ (For You), both pop songs.

Phương was nominated at Cống Hiến seven times.

In 2017, her MV, Gửi Anh Xa Nhớ, competed for the Cống Hiến’s Best MV, but the award went to Em Gái Mưa (Girl in Rain), a production by pop star Hương Tràm.

Her fans are awaiting her first prize at the 2018 Cống Hiến.   

Hà Nội-based Ly’s Thằng Điên (Maid Man) has attracted nearly 85 million views on YouTube. The song mixes pop and R&B.   

Ly worked with young musician and producer Justa Tee of Hà Nội to record and shoot the MV as a short film. 

Two other nominees for Best MV of the Year include Chạm Đáy Nỗi Đau (Touch the Pain) from male singer Erik of HCM City and Có Ai Thương Em Như Anh (Who Loves Me As You Did?) from Vietnamese-American female singer Tóc Tiên.

Both MVs are in pop and dance music.

The five singers are under 30 years old and have worked with leading composers and showbiz organisers to produce music on stage and in the studio.

The annual 14^th Cống Hiến Awards will present the best show, album and artist in nine categories, which include Best Music Video, Best Album, Best Musician, Best Producer, New Talent, Best Singer, Best Show and Song of the Year.

The awards ceremony will take place in Hà Nội, with a live broadcast scheduled on Vietnam Television on April 16.

"The Cống Hiến Awards support musicians and encourages them to contribute more to the country's industry," said Lê Xuân Thành, the newspaper’s editor-in-chief and member of the organising board.—VNS