Following the battle between Son Tung, Binz-Soobin, and Toc Tien, the Vietnamese music scene continues to heat up as many other notable names release new products. Chi Pu made a significant impact with her studio album EXs , featuring a collaboration with Amber Liu (former member of F(x)). The singer held a press conference to announce the album and implemented a comprehensive media campaign across all platforms.
However, a surprising development in the Vietnamese music market at this time was MCK's release of a new album. The rapper quietly surprised the market with 30 new songs, collaborating with Tung Duong, Obito, and many other promising names in the emerging generation of singers/rappers. MCK surpassed Son Tung and Toc Tien's music videos to climb straight to the top of the overall "trending" list on YouTube.
The storm named MCK has only just begun. It will be very difficult for the rapper's competitors to overthrow him in the coming days.
The accurate measure of Chi Pu's appeal.
The singer, born in 1993, released her album at a time when the Sơn Tùng M-TP craze had cooled down. Binz and Soobin's "Em" phenomenon had also passed its peak of popularity. And the controversy surrounding Chi Pu's music video "Người còn thương em không" (The One Who Still Loves Me) – the very element that helped the MV gain popularity – began to die down. When Chi Pu released a series of new songs, the market quieted down. It seemed as though the female singer had the upper hand, but MCK turned the tables.
Chi Pu invested heavily in her album EXs . This marks the singer's return with a major project, after she had previously postponed her first album due to controversy surrounding a sensitive song. Chi Pu held a press conference, using the keyword "Amber Liu flew from the US to show support" to gain media coverage. Thanks to this media boost, Chi Pu's new album has achieved considerable reach on social media.
When MCK made his comeback to the Vietnamese music scene, media attention was no longer an advantage for Chi Pu. This is because MCK didn't need a marketing plan; audiences sought him out on their own, fueled by the strong influence of the rap community. In music , natural spread is the ultimate form of media promotion. And in this battle, MCK held that advantage.
Chi Pu's new product line has been widely praised by audiences for its meticulousness, focusing heavily on product concept, appearance, and choreography. However, Chi Pu's vocals haven't truly convinced the majority, even though the singer chose songs with the simplest and safest melodic structures. All the songs in the EXs album still lack something to truly break through. The music video for "Tin được không" (in collaboration with Amber Liu) was the only song in the album to reach the "top trending," but its position at 38 isn't a breakthrough achievement.
In the Vietnamese music market, Chi Pu has a rather unique career path. The female singer started out struggling amidst controversies. However, her participation in the Chinese game show "Sisters Riding the Wind" propelled her to fame. Her success in the game show helped her overcome the controversy that led to her having to remove her songs, and she became an influential figure online.
Will Chi Pu break through to become a firmly established name in Vietnamese music? That's a question that has been asked for the past four years. Given what happened in the Vietnamese music scene after the release of "EXs ," the album's widespread popularity is the answer. Chi Pu hasn't exactly failed, but she still lacks many things to create a true hit that would solidify her position.
It's not just Chi Pu who's been overshadowed.
At the same time, three albums were released in the Vietnamese music market. Besides Chi Pu and MCK, there was rapper Dangrangto. Dangrangto released 13 songs at the same time as MCK. That night, all the attention was on MCK, and Dangrangto was forgotten. The contestant from Rap Viet Season 4 was unlucky to be at a disadvantage at the beginning and now has to struggle to climb step by step in the competition.
Before competing with MCK, Dangrangto was the fastest-rising rapper in the Vietnamese music market over the past two years. He rose to prominence from a controversy involving diss tracks against fellow artists. Afterward, Dangrangto participated in Rap Viet, further expanding his reach. Following the game show, the rapper, born in 2001, released several hit songs. He also achieved great success as a featured artist, with his music becoming a sensation wherever he appeared.
Dangrangto is no pushover in the current market, yet he's completely outmatched by MCK. That's the biggest surprise. Each individual song the rapper released on YouTube only attracts around 30,000-40,000 listens/views. Only one track from his album " Bandaged Heart " is currently trending.
Besides the album battle, a multi-million dollar music video is attracting attention in the market: "Lá ngọc cành vàng" by Kiều Anh. After 5 days of release, the "Lá ngọc cành vàng" music video ranked 4th on the overall YouTube trending list and 6th on the music-specific chart.
This is a good start for Kieu Anh compared to her previous MV, " Nha Via" . The female singer chose a formula with a high success rate for creating current hits: contemporary folk music. Her team includes Tuan Cry (composer) and Duong K (music producer). "La Ngoc Canh Vang" has a catchy melody, suits audience tastes, and still has strong potential for increasing listens/views in the near future.
Returning to MCK, 3 out of 30 songs on the HVL album surpassed one million views. One-third of the tracks on the album exceeded 500,000 views. Most of the songs saw extremely rapid streaming numbers across platforms and are currently dominating playlists.
It was a huge success for an album without music videos and without any built-up marketing narrative. MCK dared to release 30 songs at once to "surprise" the market, and this is what helped the rapper overshadow everyone else. On the other hand, MCK's outstanding success also stemmed from his long absence since the album 99% . In the past few years, the rapper only released short tracks, gradually increasing the audience's anticipation.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/chi-pu-va-loat-nghe-si-bi-lu-mo-post1853054.tpo
