Artistic performances including Phuong Vy to welcome Lunar New Year’s Eve

In support of Nguyen Hue Flower Street and the Tet 2009 Celebrations on the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year 2009, three artistic performances will take place in town on Lunar New Year’ Eve, which falls on January 25, to give locals and foreign tourists some exciting moments as they wait for the special stroke of the new year.

A music show “Tet Phuong Nam” (Tet in the south) will be held at Le Duan Boulevard (in font of the Reunification Palace) from 10 p.m. to 0:00 a.m. The program will feature attendance of well-known Vietnamese singers such as Cam Van-Khac Trieu, Dam Vinh Hung, Ho Ngoc Ha, Hong Ngoc, Kasim Hoang Vu, Cam Ly, Ha Anh Tuan and Phuong Vy, in an animated atmosphere.

The program is held by Saigontourist Holding Company in cooperation with IMC Company and will be broadcast live on TodayTV and HTV.

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in collaboration with RASS Company and Ngoi Sao Company will host “Chao xuan Ky Suu” (welcome the New Year of the Buffalo) at 23/9 Park from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. The program will feature singers Lam Truong, Dam Vinh Hung, Quang Linh, Ho Ngoc Ha, Ai Van and Linda Trang Dai and a talk show with Miss World 2008, Ksenia Sukhinova, as well as donating 500 gifts for unprivileged children.

The program will be broadcast live on HTV.

Finally, an artistic program organized by Coca-Cola will take place in front of the Municipal Theater from 10 p.m. to 0 a.m. in four parts, each 15 minutes long. The program includes a laser show, count down show and 10,000 flying balloons at the stroke of the night.

The shimmering town features light decorations on Nguyen Hue and Le Loi boulevards and Dong Khoi Street during the New Year, with colorful flowers of apricot, peach, orchid and daisy. Colorful mini clusters of sparkling LED lights designed in variety of themes make the city more fanciful.

As part of Nguyen Hue Flower Street Festival and the Tet 2009 celebrations in downtown HCMC, some hotels in town will arrange door and window shows featuring traditional Vietnamese artistic performances including dragon and lion dance performances, juggling, water puppet shows, circus and traditional musical instrument performances.

 

by VietNamNet Bridge

Local musicians including Vy pump out album releases

HCM CITY — An increasing number of albums by local artists have been released recently. In the first three weeks of October alone 20 albums have hit the shelves, a sharp rise from the usual four or five albums per month.

Old time favourite Van Truong has released Tinh Bo Vo (Lonely Love) and another classic voice, Thu Minh, has released I Do. Thanh Thuy‘s new album Co Hong (Pink Grass) hit record stores this month as did AC&M’s Khat Vong (Aspiration). Young and upcoming singers have also released work, including Mai Khoi with Hoa Dai (Wild Flowers), Phuong Vy with Chuyen Nguoi Con Gai (Story of a Girl), Nhat Thy with Ngay Khong Anh (The Day Without You), and Huong Giang with Chuyen Dong (Movement).

Composers have been hard at work and Tran Tien has released the self-titled Tran Tien. Do Bao has finished his second album in the Bow series Canh Cung 2 (The Bow 2), Nguyen Vinh Tien’s Ngoi Tren Vach Nang (Sitting on the Sunlight’s Wall) is now on shelves and overseas Vietnamese singer-songwriter Viet Cuong released two albums; Trai Tim Khong Gia (The Ageless Heart) and Tim Lai Toi Giua Co Don (Finding Myself in the Loneliness).

New sensations

Tran Tien’s self titled work has caused a sensation in musical circles and received praise from critics and fans alike. Produced by the composer’s niece Tran Thu Ha, Tran Tien is a tribute album and singers Tung Duong, Hoa Tran and David Tran perform some of Tien’s greatest works as a birthday gift to the composer. His work has been re-mixed in a contemporary style and has proved popular with young listeners.

The Bow 2 and Sitting on the Sunlight’s Wall follow a tried-and-true formula and do not depart from the composers’ signature folk-classical style, the albums include performances by Nguyen Ngoc Anh, Tuan Anh, Nguyen Thao, and Anh Tho.

Two HCM City Television Singing Contest winners, Thanh Thuy and Duc Tuan, have chosen to perform works by veteran composer Pham Duy, and Thuy’s new album Pink Grass is also in the lyrical style and shows her development as a singer is headed in the right direction.

Unlike previous mostly acappella work, boy band AC&M perform accompanied by instruments in their latest release Aspiration.

Marketing

This year has been different from other years in that many singers released albums last month, earlier than the traditional November launch. An employee of the Friends Love Music Company said that’s because Lunar New Year falls earlier this year in January, not February.

This year more singers have realised the importance of marketing and have released albums that may not sell well to gain exposure. Most new albums are accompanied by slick promotional material produced by professional photographers, make-up artists, and graphic designers.

"Maybe I won’t even be able to sell 1,000 CDs, but my profits come mostly from performances and advertising contracts, so releasing a CD is more promotional than profitable," said a young singer who wished to remain anonymous. "Thanks to my album release, I have become better known to managers and directors."

The trend for professional production has taken-off, and many stars are making the most of promotional opportunities, Quach An An has used French stylist Henry Hubert for her new album Q.A, and Japanese photographer Sobun Tsukikawa helped produce Le Hieu’s Hay De Anh Di (Please Let Me Go).

According to Hai Yen, an employee at the Idea Advertising Company, some of the bigger local enterprises have taken to giving albums as New Year’s gifts to customers, and singers are pouncing on this new opportunity to promote themselves. "Young singers can find sponsorship from businesses to help produce albums. It is an opportunity for singers to present themselves, and also a way to start a performance career, so they are releasing more albums than ever before," she said.

Phuong Vy interviewed by Thanh Nien Daily

In a interview with Thanh Nien Daily earlier this month, Phuong Vy, winner of Vietnam Idol 2007, unveiled she was going to team up with fellow pop icon Le Hieu on an upcoming album to be released at the beginning of next year.

The pair, who have both signed exclusive contracts with Music Faces Entertainment J.S.C., hope to gain new fans by singing several duets together.

In addition, the joint album and upcoming concerts are hoped to cost less money to produce as both singers can be promoted simultaneously.

RMIT to host outdoor charity festival, Vy will perform and many others

Loreto Fest 2008 will feature famous Australian artists including Regurgitator, Rock ‘n’ Roll, The Bad Neighbors, and blues singer Mojo Webb.

Vietnamese singers, Ho Ngoc Ha and Vietnam Idol 2007 Phuong Vy, will also give performances.

Food, beverages and other picnic activities will be available at the event from 2 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Money raised from the festival will be used to support orphans and mentally disabled children at the Binh Minh School in Tan Phu District, and to help visually impaired and malnourished children in Can Gio District.

The event is organized by the Loreto Vietnam Australia Program (LVAP), a non-governmental organization founded in 1997 that has provided education projects for more than 6,000 underprivileged children.

Last year's Loreto Fest raised US$55,000 for charities.

The RMIT International University Vietnam is located at 702 Nguyen Van Linh Street, District 7.

Fan-favorite singers headline football championship

The first time that Thanh Nien invited celebrated singers to perform at its under-21 football event five years ago, the audience in An Giang Province’s Long Xuyen Town was enthralled with the sets.

The organizing board for the event now has decided that singers should become a fixture at the annual championship.

Singers, who are also enthusiastic football fans, have been eager to sing at Thanh Nien’s championship event. Famous pop stars such as Lam Truong, Siu Black, Dam Vinh Hung, My Tam and Ho Quynh Huong have charged up the atmosphere in the past.

Since the scale of the event has expanded to several Asian countries since last year, singers are even more enthusiastic toparticipate in the event.

Singer Ngoc Son, who joined his colleagues in dazzling fans at last year’s championship, is a hardcore football fan. He will appear once again to croon at this year’s event.

This year’s national championship in central Binh Dinh Province and the 2nd Thanh Nien U.21 International Football Cup will once again be headlined by famous singers. Pop favorites Doan Trang, Thu Minh, Nguyen Vu, Kasim Hoang Vu, Minh Thu and Phuong Vy will all appear at tournament games.

Although he was informed on short notice, much-loved singer Quang Dung instantly accepted the offer to sing in Binh Dinh, his hometown, without even inquiring how much he would earn for the performance.

Up-and-coming vocalist Han Thai Tu said after last year’s tournament held in central Khanh Hoa Province that he had hoped to have other opportunities to sing at Thanh Nien’s sporting events. His wish came true this year as he joined other singers in belting out a memorable performance at the opening game last Thursday. Among this year’s star-studded lineup is high-profile singer Thuy Lam, the reigning Miss Universe Vietnam.

Lam will appear at the opening game of Thanh Nien’s U.21 International Football Cup to be held on September 20 in the imperial capital of Hue.

The invitation came as a surprise for Lam, who grabbed the opportunity immediately. She said she would give her best effort, though performing in a large stadium is much more difficult than performing onstage.

Songstress Doan Trang also expressed her joy in attending the event.

“I’m pretty busy right now preparing my English album set to come out soon,” she said. “But when I was invited by Thanh Nien, I put off other plans and accepted the offer right away. I really can’t wait to perform for spectators at the U.21 International Football Cup in Hue.”

Phuong Vy as Global aspirations

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

Phuong Vy - Leave Me Alone

Leave Me Alone is a song by the first Vietnam Idol, Phuong Vy.

It's a cathcy pop dance. When I hear for the first time, I kinda like it.

Kinda bitchy song, but love her.

This song is also available from her first album.

Her album was released on february 2008 called "Luc Moi Yeu".

You should listening this song, not bad for asian singer.