Giving something back: Vietnamese-Australian singer Thanh Bui will open a music centre in HCM City to nurture children's dreams of singing. — File Photo

HA NOI — Vietnamese-Australian singer Thanh Bui will open a music centre for children in HCM City on July 1.

Soul Academy will be the place where children can play with music freely. "My centre is professional but not academic," he said.

"I want the kids coming to my place to exclaim ‘Wow! So cool!' They can play any kind of musical instrument they like in the Red Room (Passion Room) or the Yellow Room (Creative Room) with teachers," he shared.

"We need to pay attention to a new generation starting now. I expect that Soul Academy will bring kids great moments, like our slogan ‘Where music fulfils you' says."

The singer, who has already opened two similar centres in Sydney and Melbourne, talked about his plan to hold concerts as well as to build an international-standard studio at the centre.

"I'll pick some potential kids who feel interested in singing for the local music industry. I don't mean to build my place as a singer training centre, just as a place that allows children to be creative with music, where a child's dream of singing can be nurtured," Bui said.

"When you want to become a singer abroad, you have to sing well, know how to dance, play at least one music instrument, understand musical theory or be able to compose songs. By comparison, being a singer in Viet Nam is quite easy in my opinion," he said.

He pointed out the disparity when it comes to being a doctor, which requires five or seven years to study, with someone who has an aptitude for singing and learns in studies for several months only. "How can you have a long career if you don't have a strong basis?" he pondered.

"My centre is a place for children to fully explore their desires to play music, but through that, I expect that a generation of professionals will be naturally trained," he said.

Bui (whose real name is Bui Vu Thanh) finished in the Top 8 of Australian Idol 2008. He has joined Asian singers, such as Thailand-based Tata Young, to perform on Asian-wide channels

He said it's just the first step on the road to bring Vietnamese music to the world.

"Firstly I want to work with Asian singers, since their cultures and music are close to ours. In the near future, after the Soul Academy is completed, you will see more collaborative projects," he said. — VNS