Singer Tung Duong received Japan's biggest international music award

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Accordingly, the MAJ 2025 Organizing Committee has sent a notice to Tung Duong and the male singer of "Rebirth" confirmed that he will come to Japan to attend the Awards Ceremony taking place on May 21-22 at the ROHM Theater in Kyoto at the invitation of the Organizing Committee. The Awards Ceremony will honor Japanese and international music artists in 60 award categories, broadcast live on Japan's National Television NHK.

This is an important milestone not only for Tung Duong personally but also the pride of Vietnamese music on the international music map.

From the launch pad "Devotion Music"

Marking its 20th anniversary, the Devotion Music Awards of the Sports and Culture Newspaper (Vietnam News Agency - VNA) has expanded to the continent through cooperation with the Japan Music Awards. This award is organized and operated by the Culture & Entertainment Industries Promotion Association (CEIPA) of Japan. (CEIPA is an association jointly established by five major organizations in the Japanese music industry - including record companies, artist management companies, music publishers and concert organizers).

The Music Awards Japan 2025 will be broadcast live on NHK and broadcast globally on YouTube. The judging panel consists of more than 5,000 music industry professionals, including artists, producers, record label employees, critics, journalists, publishers, international judges, and more.

In March 2025, the Organizing Committee of the Japan Music Awards invited two Vietnamese journalists, journalist Le Xuan Thanh and journalist Hoang Thu Hang, to represent the Sports and Culture newspaper to participate in voting for 6 award categories including: Song of the Year; Album of the Year; Artist of the Year; New Artist of the Year; Top Global Hit from Japan and Best Song Asia.

The MAJ 2025 judging criteria are based on objective data from major charts such as Oricon, Billboard Japan, GfK/NIQ Japan, Luminate, USEN, JASRAC, etc. Works/artists must have released products between January 29, 2024 and January 26, 2025 to be eligible for consideration. Some special categories (e.g. Best of Listeners' Choice) are decided entirely based on public votes from the audience via Spotify.

The voting process consists of 3 stages: Stage 1 – The system automatically compiles the nomination list based on objective data; Stage 2 – The panel of industry experts selects up to 5 nominees for each category; Stage 3 – The international panel and voting members select the final winner. For the categories voted by the public, the results are based entirely on the audience votes.

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MAJ 2025 Schedule.

The International Special Awards is a category established through the cooperation between CEIPA and music award organizations from 6 countries: China, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. In Vietnam, as announced, MAJ has decided to cooperate with the Organizing Committee of the Dedication Awards of the Sports and Culture Newspaper. On March 5, 2025, Mr. Taro Kumabe, Executive Director of the Japan Music Awards Committee 2025, also attended the Dedication Awards 2025 in Hanoi . According to the cooperation agreement, in 2026, the Dedication Awards will also honor Japanese artists on the award stage in Vietnam.

To kick off the cooperation, the Organizing Committee of Music Awards Japan 2025 (MAJ 2025) and the Organizing Committee of Dedication Music Awards 2025 of Sports and Culture Newspaper have completely agreed on the decision to select and honor singer Tung Duong in the category of International Special Awards for the first time. According to the assessment of both sides, Tung Duong's musical path as well as musical orientation have the criteria closest to the MAJ 2025 Awards at the present time. And through the mark, influence and series of awards that Tung Duong has achieved so far, the two sides decided to select and honor Tung Duong as the first Vietnamese artist to receive the International Special Awards. Along with that, the Organizing Committee of Music Awards Japan 2025 (MAJ 2025) also recognized the "Song of the Year" award that Tung Duong received at the Devotion Music Awards 2025. In which, it honored this as a typical song, having great influence in the popular music life, selected based on achievements and artistic values that have been affirmed in the country.

Previously, MAJ 2025 established a partnership with the Dedication Award of the Sports and Culture Newspaper. From this cooperation, the Dedication Award Organizing Committee participates as a voting member of this award, and will annually coordinate with the partner CEIPA to introduce a Vietnamese artist to CEIPA to present the International Special Awards at the Japan Music Awards. And this year, Tung Duong is the first Vietnamese artist to "open" this award.

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“Ultra athlete” on the music track

Tung Duong was honored with the International Special Award by MAJ 2025, which is completely deserved, because in the Vietnamese music industry, there are few artists who can be compared to an “ultra athlete” – someone who is persistent, tenacious and constantly surpasses his own limits – like singer Tung Duong. Over more than two decades of artistic activities, Tung Duong has proven himself to be not only an excellent singer but also a symbol of creativity, innovation and profound influence in the Vietnamese musical life.

Starting his career in the late 1990s, as a young man full of enthusiasm, Tung Duong soon made a strong impression with his powerful, emotional voice and unique performance style. He did not choose the “sprint” path but persevered in practicing and developing every day, persistently overcoming all challenges.

For over 20 years, Tung Duong has always been proactive in renewing himself through each project and each album. He is not afraid to try many different genres: from pop, rock, jazz, world music... to contemporary folk music. Constantly renewing himself helps him avoid repetition, boredom and always maintain curiosity and excitement in his creativity.

To maintain energy on the long “race”, Tung Duong always focuses on practicing and maintaining his health, especially his vocal health – the most important “tool” of a singer. Thanks to that, despite performing continuously, he still maintains a stable performance and high quality of performance. In particular, Tung Duong always maintains a spirit of learning, is open-minded, and is ready to cooperate with many musicians, young artists, and domestic and foreign producers, thereby receiving new winds, enriching his life and artistic experiences.

Tung Duong also does not compete for quantity but always carefully selects projects, albums, and live shows. Each music product is carefully invested in ideas, arrangements, and stage production, creating a unique mark and artistic depth. This helps him build a sustainable and prestigious personal brand in the hearts of the public and professionals.

One of the secrets that helps Tung Duong maintain his endurance is his ability to connect traditional and modern music. He constantly renews songs that have “gone through the years” with a contemporary breath, creating a unique blend that both preserves identity and keeps up with the trends of the times.

Tung Duong also inspires many generations of young artists. He always dares to think, dares to do and is not afraid to challenge new limits in music. His albums and music projects are often highly appreciated for their artistry, depth and breakthrough.

Besides his artistic activities, Tung Duong also actively participates in community programs and music education, contributing to raising awareness and love of music in society, being a model of an artist who not only knows how to shine on stage but also has responsibility for the community and national culture.

One of the clearest evidences of Tung Duong's talent and dedication is the huge list of awards he has achieved in his career. Notably, Tung Duong is currently the artist holding the record for the number of Dedication Music Awards (14 times) - the most prestigious award in Vietnamese music organized by the Sports and Culture newspaper - awarded to music products and artists "whose discoveries and creations make practical contributions to the richness and development of popular music life". Being continuously honored in many important categories such as "Male Singer of the Year", "Album of the Year", "Program of the Year" has affirmed Tung Duong's irreplaceable position in the hearts of professionals and music lovers.

There will be many Vietnamese artists bringing Vietnamese identity to the world.

The male singer was moved when he received the announcement from MAJ: “I am extremely moved and proud to be in Kyoto - an ancient city of the land of the rising sun to receive the International Special Award at the Music Awards Japan 2025 on May 21 - 22. This is not only a great honor for me personally, but also a source of pride for Vietnamese music, for artists who always strive to preserve and spread national cultural values to the world.

Over twenty years on the artistic path, I have experienced many challenges, at times seemingly insurmountable. However, it is the love of music, the love of my homeland, and the encouragement of the audience, colleagues and family that have given me the strength to constantly create, constantly innovate and persevere on my own "race track".

I would like to express my deep gratitude to the MAJ 2025 Organizing Committee for creating a colorful art space where all cultural values are honored. In particular, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Dedication Award of the Sports and Culture Newspaper - a prestigious award that has accompanied, recognized, inspired and been a launching pad for me as well as many Vietnamese artists throughout the creative journey. The Dedication Cups are not only a source of pride, but also a motivation for me to constantly strive, dare to innovate and devote myself to art.

I believe that music is the common language of humanity, a bridge between cultures, a place where all hearts can meet, share and sympathize. I am happy to contribute a small part to the journey of bringing Vietnamese music closer to international friends, so that melodies and lyrics imbued with Vietnamese identity can resonate on big stages, touching the hearts of those who have never known my country.

This award is a recognition not only for me, but also for all Vietnamese artists who are tirelessly creating, preserving and renewing traditional music. I hope that with this award, Vietnamese music will become more widely known. And I believe that there will be more young artists confidently reaching out to the world, carrying with them the aspirations and identity of their nation."

Some impressive numbers of Tung Duong:

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