Den's Music and the Power Shift of V-pop

'I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to face only the essential truths of life', is a line from the work Walden by philosopher Henry David Thoreau about his time living in the woods.

Den's music represents a stable and mature mentality - there is nothing wrong with that, the problem is: even the musical language is too stable, too clean but limited, while the music market has changed.

We can think of Walden somewhere when watching Den Vau's MV Lang dang, although of course Den's music is much simpler.

Lang lang has everything that has made this rapper successful: slow storytelling flow, rustic beat, rich imagery and poetic lyrics - very healing music.

It's just that Lang Lang wasn't as successful as its previous products.

MV Lang dang by Den Vau

On the thread, there is a discussion about "why Den's music has decreased in popularity" that attracted thousands of views, with viewers leaving comments because his music is now "too humane and disciplined". "Discipline" is a very good comment about Den's current composing style.

It's true that his music is meticulous, following very well-rounded patterns, but that's why when listening to him sing about the forest, we feel like we're walking on a wide avenue, too smooth, too flat to the point where there's not much to linger on or think about.

Around the same time, 2pillz - a producer from Generation Z - whose name initially rose from underground, also associated with rap music, released his debut album PILLZCASSO with many positive reviews both domestically and internationally.

It is when listening to this album that we feel like we are being immersed in a forest: a tropical forest of extremely lush, luxuriant, and lush music with a diverse "ecosystem" of sound materials, from lithophones, t'rungs to electronic instruments, from dance pop to bolero, from afrobeat to vinahouse.

The eclectic musical structure of PILLZCASSO, blending so many elements that it is difficult to trace a single origin, represents an era no longer limited by hard borders.

The album cover is a small stage emerging from the vastness of the water, like a self-emerging oasis, not deeply attached to any tradition, not bound by any rules or roots.

For example, the way the lithophone blends harmoniously with electronic sounds, house, pop, R'n'B elements blend smoothly with folk melodies in the opening track Thac Nung makes us surprised about the internationality of Vietnam's musical heritage.

The mix is not simply a reluctant patchwork of disparate elements, but is processed to become a natural whole that cannot be separated.

The lyrics are not the focus of PILLZCASSO. It's an album that's bursting with creative fire, but for those looking for some time-honoured reflection, you won't find it here.

The language of the lyrics is very... TikTok, meaning it doesn't need to be polished or meaningful. But that's not a problem for the album to reach the world, where international audiences connect with the musicians mainly through the language of music, not the language of lyrics.

Such comparisons are not to say that Den's music is no longer in tune with the tastes of the times, or that 2pillz's music lacks depth and thought, because each musician speaks to a different generation.

Den's music still speaks to the late 8X and early 9X generation - those who have also entered the age of preferring calmness over recklessness; but now is the era of Generation Z and it takes young musicians to talk to that generation.

Vietnamese music is entering a new phase of power transfer. If an artist like Den cannot speak to the contemporary Generation Z audience, it is normal. After all, each generation must discover its own philosophy, lifestyle and art.

Hien Trang

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/am-nhac-cua-den-va-su-chuyen-giao-quyen-luc-cua-v-pop-2025081709460088.htm