Singer Pham Anh Khoa: Grateful for music for giving me a chance to start over

Pham Anh Khoa (born in 1985, from Khanh Hoa province) became famous from the Sao Mai rendezvous contest in 2006 when he won the Best Singer award voted by the Arts Council. For many years, he mainly sang rock music, accompanying the group Buc Tuong. With the recently released EP Dan toi ca, Pham Anh Khoa and his crew brought the Vietnamese spirit into music with a cinematic mindset, turning each song into an emotional and visual sequence, crystallized from the love for Vietnamese culture. In the near future, the songs will be performed at the closing ceremony of the National Tourism Year 2025 in Hue City.

* REPORTER: What ideas and motivations motivate you to continuously launch new projects?

* Singer PHAM ANH KHOA: The EP Dan Toi Ca, released a few days ago, is a music project that combines rock and folk materials, recreating the journey and spirit of Vietnam through 4 songs with contemporary epic colors. The idea comes from my love for national culture because after many years of working, I found harmony in folk music - where drums, gongs and traditional tones blend with strong, free rock rhythms. Before that, I also released the EP Khoa Hoc with 6 songs. Each song is like a "subject", a state of life. The works are not intended to create a buzz but to tell stories that need to be told with one's most authentic voice.

* What do you want to reposition at this 20-year milestone? Is there any pressure?

* It's not exactly a repositioning. I see it as a transformation from a pure rocker to a cultural worker - telling the origin story through music with structure, layers, and origins...

I don’t feel any pressure or difficulty. In fact, this is probably the time when I am most natural and relaxed. Having gone through ups and downs, I am grateful that music has given me the opportunity to start over. Performing each song is a time to reflect on myself more clearly. I found the belief in the strength of the Vietnamese people’s roots. If young artists want to find material, they don’t need to look far, because the treasure of Vietnamese identity and the beauty of life is vast and rich.

* Recently, many artists have created works that are oriented towards their roots and country. Your works are also in that flow. Are you following the trend or something else?

* For me, the flow of music towards the roots with songs about continuity, gratitude to the previous generation, the pride of today's generation... is truly beautiful and meaningful. Being able to join that sacred river of music for an artist is happiness. That is also the reason why my songs return at a time when the country is full of spirit to rise up with bright, strong melodies, blending rock with folk music. Over the years, going through many stages, the more mature I am, the more I realize that there are things of depth such as love for people, country, and nation that only need to be sung deeply and calmly to be moved.

I think, trends represent the general trend of the majority. To follow or not to follow is the artist's choice at each time. What matters is whether the times are truly suitable for you, not just trying to force it. Furthermore, artists really still hope to create trends through their works of art.

Pham Anh Khoa uses many onomatopoeias in the Southern dialect very well, so his products are imbued with local culture. In terms of singing, Pham Anh Khoa has never lost his form. Whether on stage or recording, Khoa has never disappointed us.
- Musician DUC TRI comments on EP Dan Toi Ca -

* In the context of the bustling Vietnamese music market, what is your roadmap to bring your works to a wide audience?

* The lyrics and rhythms resonate with me. When I wrote the song "Nhong nhong nhong nhong", I remembered the memories of my two children when they were young. I was a horse for them to ride. Now the children have grown up, but the joy of that day still remains in my heart, becoming something precious. At this time, the emotions related to my roots and family are most clearly present in me. In my opinion, the biggest challenge, the most important thing is to become a good family man.

In the past, I was proud of my homeland Central because there were so many interesting things in culture and tradition. Later, experiencing many other lands of the country, I expanded the range of pride. During this journey, I found inner strength in being a Vietnamese citizen. I always see Vietnam as a resilient, diverse country, knowing how to stand up by its own strength. Therefore, my current and upcoming musical works will continue to praise these elements.

* This time back, the audience feels Pham Anh Khoa is softer. Where does this softness come from? How do you balance the toughness of a strong rocker that is already defined in the audience's eyes?

* I feel like I'm returning to myself more. Roses always have thorns. The current me is a combination of both. I'm gradually finding a balance between who I am in music and who I am in real life. Listening to my music, people will feel it more clearly.

Comment (0)