Singer Tung Duong: As long as there are imperfections, there is still a need to strive.

Present in Ho Chi Minh City to launch his new album Vol.1: The Voice - Timeless, singer Tung Duong shared his thoughts on the music scene with the Saigon GGP newspaper. The singer jokingly remarked that he's no longer young enough to be considered an "older brother" and his looks are only average or below average. However, he affirmed that he has never stopped learning, creating, and challenging himself in the arts.

REPORTER: With the release of your vinyl album and the changes you've made to your renditions of classic songs, what kind of impact do you hope to achieve?

Singer TUNG DUONG: For me, Vol. 1: The Voice - Timeless is not just a recreation of the golden moments of Vietnamese music through classic works, but also a dialogue between the past and the present. I want to preserve the essence of my voice and show the difference in my approach to songs that have been around for decades. Many of these songs have been recorded and performed before, associated with big names, but I don't let myself be swept away by established styles. I explore the emotional depth in the songs through personal experiences, stemming from my own thoughts, inner feelings from life, and inspiring journeys over the years.

With this album, I want to honor the works, the composers, and highlight the role of the orchestra – the silent forces that help the singer shine. The album is also a reminder to myself of the true value of the voice, of emotion, and of art – things that seem simple but are gradually being forgotten in today's digital age. Therefore, I chose a simple singing style, without embellishments or the "possessed" style of the past. Each era has its own personality and creativity. If you've listened to Tung Duong's albums, you'll surely feel that difference in his singing style, vocal embellishments, and harmonies. So any comparisons are unnecessary.

He shared that each new project is a test of his own limits. What challenges did he face during the making of this new album?

The most difficult part was choosing the tracklist for this album because the Vietnamese music library has so many great works. Meanwhile, the vinyl record only contains 8 songs. Regarding this product, I admit it's not perfect yet; for example, some notes are a bit too bright or too immature, but I still decided not to use digital techniques to adjust them. For me, imperfections are a motivation to strive harder. However, I always maintain my own unique style and never compromise on quality.

Tung Duong is known for being an extreme perfectionist, valuing excellence above all else. But recently, he shared that he no longer wants to be confined within the pursuit of perfection. Why this change?

Through my experience singing and performing, I've gradually come to understand that humans are a blend of emotions – depending on the time, external circumstances, and mood, we experience different feelings; not to mention health issues. Humans are not machines, so they can't be perfect. The more we strive for perfection, the more flaws we discover. As long as there are flaws, there's still a need for effort. If we become too perfect, "our feet never touch the ground," what's left to strive for? It's truly frightening when we feel content and satisfied, because then there's no motivation to try harder.

When you read about colleagues having trouble singing off-key or out of tune on stage, how empathetic do you feel?

It's perfectly normal for artists to make mistakes on stage. I've made many mistakes too, but usually only I or my colleagues and the professionals know about them; the audience probably doesn't notice. For example, back in 2017, due to a packed performance schedule, my vocal cords were affected and didn't recover in a short time. A month before the "Heaven and Earth" live show, I was so stressed that I lost my voice; my throat was hoarse after singing only the second song – something that had never happened before.

How much energy does regularly collaborating with young artists bring you?

Working with young people gives me renewed energy and rejuvenates me. That's why I don't mind collaborating with them, even in different musical genres. I'm quite receptive to learning from and following young talents, which allows me to create effective collaborations for music projects. However, I don't blindly follow young people; I always have many creative projects of my own.

Having once wanted to bring Vietnamese music to the world , do you currently have any plans or ideas to achieve this?

After being honored at the International Special Awards of Music Awards Japan 2025 (MAJ 2025) – one of Japan's biggest international music awards – I really want to collaborate with artists from around the world, but due to geographical distance, language barriers, and other obstacles, I haven't been able to fulfill this wish yet. Hopefully, there will be more opportunities in the future.

“Young artists have their own worldview, sometimes writing lyrics that are very down-to-earth and challenging. That's why the 'warnings' from authorities against some young artists whose songs were created during moments of impulsiveness and recklessness are truly necessary. In the past, I also wanted to push my boundaries when performing songs, but then I understood that anything that wants to spread to the community must be truly beautiful and meaningful. I hope that artists always aim for the positive when creating and expressing themselves,” Tung Duong shared.

TIEU TAN performed

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ca-si-tung-duong-con-khiem-khuyet-la-con-can-no-luc-post822543.html