Singer-songwriter trend

Recently, the song "Sunshine in the yard" composed and performed by musician Hua Kim Tuyen has received love from many people.

Trend of the times

In response to the online community's love for "Sunshine Outside the Yard", Hua Kim Tuyen shared: "This song was created when I thought about my niece - Pam (my sister's daughter). Through the song, Hua Kim Tuyen wants to send a message to parents that "the sunshine and rain outside can help your children grow up and discover many things". Because Asian fathers and mothers often protect their children very carefully, wanting them to live a simple, calm, safe life, without having to endure too many storms. But Tuyen thinks it would be better if their children were more independent because the more they stumble, the more life experiences they have, making life more interesting".

It is from the meaningful message of "Sunshine in the yard" that Hua Kim Tuyen also had the opportunity to look back at the experiences he had gone through in his life: "Tuyen decided to pursue a musical career because of his passion but also because he wanted to explore himself, to see where he could go with those passions". That is how Hua Kim Tuyen, instead of just being content with being a hit maker, chose to also sing.

It can be said that singer-songwriters are the new trend of the times. Audiences are not only familiar with Dong Thien Duc's music but also see him performing everywhere with songs that "captivate" audiences such as "Tomorrow people get married", "Who is loyal to love forever", "Two promises", "Beautiful dreams of the past", "Why must it be you"... This is also the image of musicians Bui Cong Nam, Khac Hung, Vu Quoc Viet, Chau Dang Khoa, Do Hieu...

Multi-purpose to survive

Singers have recently been "scratching their heads" over the cost of copyright for a song. Accordingly, the copyright for a song associated with a hit maker's brand is 300 million VND/song. This is the average price with some conditions such as having to pay half the amount in advance to agree to make music or having to order 3 or more songs to accept. 300 million VND/song is an unimaginable number for many people in the industry.

Not everyone can afford to pay this price for a song. Of course, the number of musicians who can offer 300 million VND/song is not much. There are also musicians who accept to write songs for a cheaper price. However, whether or not it becomes a hit song still depends on luck.

Faced with this rather daunting reality, many singers have to also work as composers. Vietnam Idol 2023 champion Ha An Huy was praised by all three judges My Tam, Nguyen Quang Dung, Huy Tuan for his ability to compose, make music, and perform. Ha An Huy is not the only young singer pursuing the trend of becoming a singer-songwriter. Many faces started out as singers but later also switched to composing in parallel, including many prominent names such as: W/n, Phung Khanh Linh, LyLy, Orange, Tang Duy Tan, Phuong My Chi, Phuc Anh, Thanh Thao...

Singer Phuc Anh said: "No one understands their songs better than themselves and no one understands themselves better than themselves. Each time they compose, they pour their heart and soul into their brainchild and if the performer can fully convey the meaning of the song to the audience, it is a sublime artistic performance."

Musician Duong Khac Linh believes that this trend is not new but is clearly growing stronger among the younger generation - the generation that is catching up very quickly with the world music scene. "This "2 in 1" trend helps young artists be proactive in their careers, increasing their competitiveness. It is also an economic choice when singers can participate in many stages of the production process. Of course, not every singer can do it, but it requires capacity and training, and improvement over time" - musician Duong Khac Linh acknowledged.

According to musician Huy Tuan, the “composing and performing” model is not a mandatory requirement. But if one can try, it will be an outstanding condition for a new face in the current Vietnamese music market.