Billion-dollar salary and the madness of Son Tung M-TP

At a recent concert in Hanoi, Son Tung M-TP caused a sensation with his musical performances and skillful interaction with the audience. Once again, the singer from Thai Binh province proved his unique position compared to the rest of the Vietnamese music market.

When Son Tung appeared, all that remained was the name.

After a period of silence, Son Tung made a comeback with a performance lasting over 30 minutes, closing one of the largest outdoor music events of early 2024. It had been quite a while since Vietnamese music had such an explosive live performance that generated such a strong social media buzz. The hype surrounding Son Tung quickly spread that night and its impact continues to this day.

Sơn Tùng's rise to fame is a combination of factors: explosive music, meticulously staged performances, engaging audience, and a consistently clever and captivating style. While his live singing might be less impressive than some of his peers, and he's never been highly regarded for his dance skills, his unique style allows him to blend everything and create a one-of-a-kind version of Vietnamese music.

Son Tung on his latest stage performance.

30 minutes of Sơn Tùng's explosive performance

Sơn Tùng brought his familiar formula to the stage. He appeared with an intro (a characteristic piece of music to open the performance), then continued with the list of songs agreed upon with the program from the beginning. Here, Sơn Tùng sang them one by one. Give me, Drifting Away, We Don't Belong Together, You of Yesterday and Don't break my heart .

The entire song was re-arranged by Son Tung, with a focus on redesigning the drums and bass to suit the stage performance. As the show's closing act, Son Tung received preferential treatment in terms of screen time and the most spectacular stage effects among all the performances. Even the smallest details of the show, such as the fire and smoke effects, were meticulously choreographed to perfectly match each of Son Tung's moments.

The male singer opened with a rap segment for the intro, set to catchy Trap music with a dominant trumpet sound. Son Tung led the audience in rhythm by chanting M-TP's name.

The biggest difference between Son Tung and the rest of the artists in the show is his ability to energize the audience. Not just on this stage, but on many other stages as well, Son Tung always gets the rhythm right, finding the right moment to engage the audience. This is especially true during the most explosive parts, such as the drop in his performances. We Don't Belong Together , Son Tung takes on the role of a Hype MC.

Throughout Son Tung's performance, there were three musical interruptions to make way for the Q&A session. During these times, the singer from Thai Binh also acted as the MC, interacting with the audience, expressing gratitude to his fan club, and cleverly promoting the sponsors and organizers of the show.

Other artists in the show only spent a few minutes, interspersed between performances, interacting with the audience. Meanwhile, half of Son Tung's time on stage wasn't dedicated to singing. Not every singer would dare to face this scenario, as the risk of a "stage disaster" is very high if they aren't subtle and skillful enough when interacting with the audience. But Son Tung is already very adept at this.

On the same night, almost all of the most popular singers/rappers in the current Vietnamese music market took to the stage. Son Tung's performances went viral, primarily because the singer's recognition remains at the top. The music Son Tung brings to the stage is well-invested, unique, and creates a feeling of "familiar yet new," attracting online audiences.

More importantly, Son Tung has the backing of the program to quickly propel his performances to the forefront of the show. With a stage of this scale, the total investment could reach tens of billions of VND. Of that, the advertising budget for the show typically accounts for 1/10 or 1/20 of the total investment.

Sơn Tùng not only created a "viral" sensation using his own name but also received strong support from one of the most generous organizing units currently. Therefore, it's easy to understand why the male singer has dominated social media in recent days.

The male singer took on the role of MC Hype to energize the crowd.

The truth about Son Tung's multi-million dollar performance fees.

Following the recent Sơn Tùng craze, the issue of the singer's multi-million dollar performance fees has once again become a topic of debate online. Many viewers believe that currently, inviting Sơn Tùng to perform on stage would cost billions of Vietnamese dong. Some even assert that Sơn Tùng's multi-million dong fee is calculated per song, not just for the entire show.

According to revelations from people in the music industry, it's true that Son Tung's performance fees reached billions of VND many years ago. The singer's performances are divided into many different types, such as: programs organized by brands, programs with brand elements, programs for student audiences, charity programs, etc.

For programs with a strong brand element, Son Tung's fee will reach the maximum, amounting to billions of Vietnamese dong. Considering the current market, this is an insane figure. However, given Son Tung's status, especially the effect from his latest program, it's understandable why the male singer receives such high compensation.

A program that spends billions of dong to invite Son Tung is not just aiming to get the singer on stage to perform music. Son Tung's appearance is a strategic asset that determines the success or failure of the promotional plan before, during, and after the show. Son Tung's fee is also directly related to whether a brand/organization uses the singer's image.

Sơn Tùng's "viral" value is currently at its peak for the male singer. It's effective both in terms of natural spread and targeted promotion.

At the same time, competing for social media popularity with Son Tung were other prominent representatives of the market. These included Soobin Hoang Son, Hieuthuhai They all stood in the "headline" alongside the singer from Thai Binh province. In Ho Chi Minh City, Karik – who is currently gaining popularity as a coach on Rap Viet – delivered a spectacular performance on stage. Gen Z sensations like Tlinh also appeared with heavily invested performances.

However, as one audience member commented: "When Son Tung appears, all that matters is his name." This is a half-joking, half-serious remark, but it accurately reflects Son Tung's still special position.

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