More than ever before, local singers are taking a stab at the international market but many say it’s an uphill battle.
In 2004, My Linh, a self-proclaimed “diva” forayed into the American music scene with an album titled “Coming to America.” The album, which mainly features iconic Vietnamese songs sung in English, was not enthusiastically embraced by US audiences as she had expected, however.
Linh is one of many local singers eyeing the international market and hoping to reach fans beyond Vietnam’s borders.
Success is proving elusive, however, for more than a few aspiring hopefuls.
Up-and-coming local singer Duc Tuan held a concert titled “My Secret Passion” Tuesday where he sang 19 international hits including The Phantom of the Opera and O Sole Mio (My Sun) at Ho Chi Minh City’s Khong Ten cabaret.
Tuan is also looking to release his first album of world music in English, French and Italian.
“Many singers ignore this segment, thinking it is too hard to crack,” he said.
“Everyone thought I must be out of my mind to invest in such a risky, unprofitable project and I’m recording the album in Canada as no one here is willing to cooperate with me,” he said.
“My Secret Passion” drew large audiences, mostly foreigners living and working in Vietnam, and it gave Tuan the confidence he needed to proceed with the album, he said.
There are too few musical programs that serve foreigners in Vietnam and many are not thoughtfully produced, Tuan noted.
After studying music in the US and winning second prize at HCMC Television’s prestigious singing contest in 2001, Doan Trang is now speeding up production on an album featuring all English songs.
“In my opinion singing in English is the best way to promote one’s image abroad, as audiences cannot like us if they don’t understand what we are singing about,” the English graduate from the HCMC University of Foreign Languages and Information Technology (HUFLIT) said.
To be on the safe side
Several singers choose to feature one or two English tracks alongside Vietnamese songs just to be on the safe side when entering the global market.
If the English songs fail to strike a chord among foreign audiences, it is thought the Vietnamese songs will “save” the albums.
In addition, the English songs add diversity and originality to their albums.
Minh Thu, the niece of renowned pop singer Lam Truong, is also making her debut on the international scene with the songs “Fire” and “Wondering,” which she composed herself.
The songs appear on an album which was produced by Thailand’s House of Indies Co. in 2005 and featured all Thai singers.
She was interviewed on MTV Thailand in July last year and “Wondering” was later broadcast on the channel.
A graduate from the English department at HUFLIT, Thu composes lyrics and sings in English as well.
She won Vietnam Television’s Cung Uoc Mo Xanh (Together with Youths’ Dreams) singing competition in 2002 and finished among the top 12 in Vietnam Television’s Sao Mai – Diem hen (Tomorrow’s Stars) competition in 2006.
Phuong Vy, who won first prize at the first Vietnam Idol contest last year, also performed an R&B English song titled “Leave Me Alone” on her first album Luc Moi Yeu (When one first fell in love) released last March.
Having secured an exclusive contract with Music Faces Co., one of the most prestigious entertainment firms in Vietnam, she also plans to enter the MTV Asia market.
“Most local singers, including me, aspire to become internationally known but how to achieve that goal is the question,” the RMIT student said.
Stumbling blocks
One of the major hurdles in performing English songs and breaking into the international market is that due to their limited English skills, few local singers can compose refined English songs.
English pronunciation is another major obstacle for many homegrown singers.
Thao Trang, praised by foreign audiences as being one of the few Vietnamese singers who can sing well in English, points out that it is essential for local singers to improve their English pronunciation if they want to break into the world market.
“One will certainly fail if no one can understand the English language in
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