VietNamNet Bridge – Young composer Khac Hung won the Musician and Music Producer of the Year at the Cong Hien (Devotion) Music Awards, organised by Vietnam News Agency’s The Thao & Van Hoa (Sports & Culture) Newspaper. 

Honoured: Noo Phuoc Thinh wins Singer of the Year at the Cong Hien (Devotion) Music Awards ceremony yesterday in HCM City.

“I’m very proud to receive the awards. I want to express my gratitude to my soul mate, singer Trung Quan, who encouraged me to follow my producing career,” said 24-year-old Hung.

The musician, a graduate of the Viet Nam National Academy of Music, became a sensation in 2015 when his production Khoi Hanh (Departure) for singer Nguyen Tran Trung Quan won the 2015 Devotion Award for Album of the Year.

He has produced tracks for numerous pop stars such as My Tam, Thu Phuong and Nguyen Ngoc Anh.

In 2016, Hung was involved in many projects. He impressed critics and audiences with his own songs, including Sau Tat Ca (After All), Den Ben Em (Come to Me) and Yeu (Love), which became popular songs on local music websites.

Violinist Hoang Rob, whose music video filmed at some of Viet Nam’s most famous tourist spots has drawn hundreds of thousands of views on Facebook, was named New Artist of the Year.

The 25-year-old musician released his newest album entitled Hung Dong (Dawn) in 2016, featuring 10 tracks, mostly pop and world music style, composed by Khac Hung.

The Singer of the Year award went to pop star Noo Phuoc Thinh, one of the four coaches from Voice of Viet Nam 2017, a Vietnamese version of US reality show The Voice.

This year, the 29-year-old singer hosted the live show FunRing Day 2016 - Noo Phuoc Thinh Live Concert and two fan meetings in South Korea and Singapore, which attracted several thousands of adoring fans.

Young composer and singer Le Thien Hieu was presented with the award for Song of the Year, for Ong Ba Anh (My Grandparents). 

The song has simple lyrics about love arranged on top of a joyful melody. Its music video attracted more than 43 million views on YouTube.

“My song is inspired by my grandparents’ love. I wanted to dedicate my awards to them,” said 22-year-old Hieu.

Leading Vietnamese songstress Ha Tran received the award for Album of the Year for her indie rock album Ban Nguyen (To the Core) released in 2016.

Ha and her peers, young songwriters Dominik Nghia Do (lyric) and Hoang Quan (music), took nearly a decade to finish the album of ten songs.

“I am quite choosy in selecting songs for myself. As you can see, all the songs that I’ve ever sung contain philosophical lyrics. Songs by Nghia Do and Hoang Quan have satisfied my ‘standard’ as they also bear philosophical meanings," Ha said to the media at the release of the album.

The Music Video of the Year award was given to the HCM City-based boy band 365 Daband’s Bong Bong Bang Bang, a soundtrack from director Ngo Thanh Van’s movie Tam Cam which is based on a fairy tale best known as the Vietnamese version of Cinderella.  

The song was first written for children by Only C, one of Ha Noi’s young music producers, but was later remixed for an adult audience.  

In the video, four members of 365 Daband perform the song in traditional costumes, leaving a strong impression on audiences, both young and old.  

“We wanted to sing in a different way than other young singers. So, we decided to sing Bong Bong Bang Bang, a folk song, instead of a pop or dance number. We hope our video provides fans with a new taste,” said 28-year-old Issac, the band’s leader.

Doi Ban Tay Thap Lua (Fire Hands), a tribute concert dedicated to singer and songwriter Tran Lap – the late frontman of rock band The Wall, won the Live Show of the Year.

The concert took place in Ha Noi last January, two month before Lap’s death.

The show featured Lap and members of The Wall, leading Vietnamese singers such as Tung Duong, Pham Anh Khoa, Ta Quang Thang, and rock bands Microwave and Pentatonic.

The Music Programme of the Year award was given to Sing My Song, a TV reality talent show where singers and composers can introduce and perform their own songs.

The annual Devotion Music Awards began in 2004 to promote Vietnamese music and honour artists who have made significant contributions to the industry.

About 100 journalists on the art beat from Ha Noi and HCM City were invited to vote for the best artists and musical productions of 2016 in nine categories on April 18. 

VNS