Recently, Dao To Loan's name has been mentioned frequently in major music shows. People fondly call her "the top opera singer". However, many people still think that she cannot sing Vietnamese music. What do you think about this?
– My goal is to be recognized as a Vietnamese singer singing Vietnamese music. I love the country and people of Vietnam. Therefore, in the past, even though I had many attractive invitations abroad, I was still determined to return to Vietnam to work and not stay. If I couldn't sing Vietnamese music, I would never have followed this path until today.
In the past, before studying at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, I used to sing and make money thanks to Vietnamese songs. I sing all genres, from youth music, lyrical music to folk music... Luckily, after winning the Chamber Music Champion award at Sao Mai Competition (also known as the National Television Singing Festival) ) In 2011, I received a scholarship for advanced vocal training in Germany.
Learning opera requires a lot of practice and takes a lot of time to practice, so I don't have much time to devote to other genres of music. If you regularly sing opera, you will get used to it. When you switch to another music genre, it takes some time to adapt and approach... but that doesn't mean I won't be able to sing Vietnamese music anymore. Similarly, many Vietnamese artists, although trained in opera vocal techniques, switched to chamber singing or semi-classical singing for a long time. When they sing opera again, it takes a lot of time to practice.
Honestly, I'm very sad when people say I can't sing Vietnamese music. Because I know very well what my abilities are. Many nights I cried alone and thought a lot. I don't understand why I sing like that but people still say I can't sing Vietnamese music. Are they holding some grudge against me?
So have you found an answer or a direction to change?
– I think, once people make comments like that, we should think again. Maybe I don't have enough softness, gentleness, and sophistication when singing Vietnamese music. And that means I have to practice to do better. As for singing Vietnamese music, I can probably sing it because I love Vietnamese music so much. Every time I sing Vietnamese music and post it on my personal page, many people still accept it. If I didn't sing well, people would have given me direct feedback. I have many friends who returned from studying abroad unable to sing Vietnamese music, and the expression of not being able to sing Vietnamese music is very different.
I think maybe I've spent too much time on opera. Now is the time for me to devote more to Vietnamese music. Try to practice to make your technique softer and more in tune with Vietnamese music.
Among the music genres, which music genre is the most difficult for you to approach?
– My personality is that if I can't do something, I will definitely not do it. Among music genres, I definitely can't sing rock. I've always insisted that I can't sing rock even though I've tried singing a few times. As for light music, I still sing well when invited to perform at events or interact with friends.
Occasionally I post Vietnamese music on my personal Facebook page, and my friends and colleagues seem to enjoy it after listening. Many people still don't think that a classical opera singer like me can sing both light music and folk music. Of course, I won't be able to sing pure folk songs like the old artists sing, but I can still sing. I have also sought out literature artists several times to ask them to teach me how to sing literature in the old way. I have also been able to pierce my nose and throat when singing the adoring melodies.
I must add that, when participating in the opera "Princess Anio", I had to practice playing the bamboo flute for a scene. When they learned that I studied the bamboo flute but also the horizontal flute, everyone said they couldn't learn it because it was very difficult. But I am still determined to practice and assure everyone that I will learn because I love Vietnamese music, especially traditional music. I find my ethnic music extremely good. Each musical instrument, each melody, each folk song genre... contains extremely unique values. Ethnic music is also considered the national soul of the country.
When participating in the play "Princess Anio", I realized that they also combined traditional Japanese music with traditional Vietnamese music to create something new to attract the audience. So why don't I do that? The 5.0 era is here, I study abroad to bring back good things to create something new, not to follow the old path.
When you returned from studying abroad, it seemed like you had to spend quite a long time struggling to shape your musical path?
– When I returned from studying abroad, I got married and had children, so I interrupted my musical activities for a while. I only have one vocal cord, one throat, one voice, so if I don't follow music, I don't know what else to do. I kept thinking that I would have to follow my passion for music to the end.
During my time studying abroad, because I studied opera, I had to practice a lot and didn't have time to do my own things. For example, singing a foreign Romance or Aria takes a whole week to both master the music and memorize the lyrics. The time spent practicing foreign songs always takes more time than practicing Vietnamese songs. Acting in a musical takes even more time because there are so many parts and scenes to sing. For that reason, I don't have much time to invest in any elaborate and worthy music product. I think it's also a sacrifice I make for opera music.
In the past, when listening to foreign singers sing opera, I kept wondering "Why can they do these wonderful things that we can't do in Vietnam?". I keep thinking about that, so even though I am a very small individual, I still cherish the desire to promote my country's classical music scene higher.
We are used to distinguishing classical music from non-classical music, but many of our country's famous artists came from the cradle of classical music. Maybe it's because when they step out of the Music Academy, they sing other genres of music so they forget their original cradle, but that doesn't mean they can't sing classical music. I will always keep the parallel, both singing Western classical music and singing Vietnamese music. Because I determined that I am Vietnamese, living in Vietnam and singing Vietnamese music is not good. Actually, first I have to sing good Vietnamese music before singing other genres. While studying abroad, I never thought I would have to stay abroad or only sing opera.
Now that you don't have to perform for a day, how will you practice?
– In my normal day, when I don't perform, I teach and practice. When I practice, I focus on breathing the most. For me, whether singing light music or opera, I must have a good breath column. I practice breathing first and then practice open and closed sound positions. For example, when I sing Western music, my voice always rises and opens up. But when I sing Vietnamese music, I always close the resonance part.
Many Vietnamese singers say that to practice breathing they have to use many methods, tools and bend themselves in many "strange" positions. Do you have to practice so hard?
– When I studied abroad, I also practiced like that. That is, depending on each student, there are different practice methods. As for me, when I practice, I relax my body, only focus on my abdominal muscles to hold my breath, and try not to frown when singing. I have many "disability" that the professor who taught me directly was able to correct it, especially the frowning problem that I couldn't fix and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fix it. The professor told me: "Well, this must be accepted, because many opera artists around the world also make this mistake. If you can train to fix it, all the better, but if you can't fix it, it's okay. Many people frown when singing but their voices are still wonderful."
When I practice, I usually relax completely, don't stretch, don't tense, don't do unnecessary movements... because that will create a habit, and when I go on stage to perform, I will be like that. However, there are also people who have to practice like that to get the feeling, but when they go on stage they can moderate and adjust. Many of my classmates were taught by the professor to both exercise at the gym and sing opera. She also wore medical gloves and put her hand in her mouth to adjust the sound position for the student.
In the past, when I took the Sao Mai exam, I was considered to have quite good technique, but when I went abroad I had to learn many new things. I have a habit of having a stiff tongue so I can't get all the sounds out. And my teacher used to hold my tongue and pull it out. For some students, the teacher had to put her hand in their mouth because their throat couldn't open. You guys don't know how to open it, while opera is required to open it.
Now, I still contact my professor from time to time. She said: "Loan, you are better than me!" I can sing both classical and light music... how can I sing like that? She said that because she can only sing pure opera. Overseas people love to confide, exchange experiences and are very humble. The teacher who taught us, even though she was a professor and had taught many generations of students, was very humble. She kept saying: "Loan tell me how to practice singing classical, semi-classical and light music?" How did you feel at that time, how was your palate? When I shared with her, she said: "It's God who has given me the sensitivity to flexibly adjust my voice, but you can only sing opera and opera and nothing else."
When Dao To Loan reappeared, there was information that she would return to teaching at the Vocal Department of the Vietnam National Academy of Music, but in the end she returned to join the Vietnam Opera and Ballet Theater. The reason why?
– Maybe it's because I don't meet the qualifications to teach at the Vietnam National Academy of Music. However, I still want to perform more when I'm young. I want to have hands-on experience and experience so that I can have a lot of knowledge to teach to the students in the future. With opera, the endurance is not as good as other music genres, so I will also devote myself wholeheartedly to teaching after satisfying my passion.
Normally, people who are exposed to Western music from an early age will be very modern, liberal, open-minded... However, many people see Dao To Loan as sometimes a bit closed and unapproachable. Is there something coming from her family situation that makes her become like that?
– I had a more special childhood than everyone else and that specialness greatly influenced the formation of me. Later, when pursuing music, many people expressed wonder when they saw me as a bit cold and unapproachable... but that was not the case. Although I pursue art, I live a somewhat introverted and closed life. My starting point was very difficult so I almost shrank into my own "brain notebook".
I never thought I would have the life I have today. From being an orphan girl, poor, to having difficulty going to school... I never dared to dream of becoming a star. Until now, even though I have a bit of a name and a stable life, I still cannot change myself. I am still a girl with something sincere, rustic, simple, closed and introverted. I still like to keep myself as the old person. I think sometimes those things will make my music better because music comes from the soul.
It can be understood that her biggest loss and hurt was having to leave her mother forever when she was a child?
– When my mother passed away, I was very young but I clearly felt the sadness. Back then, I just walked and struggled everywhere, no one cared. There are times when I climb up and lie on a pile of straw or on the roof, looking up at the sky and thinking about my mother. At that time, in my child's immature mind, I thought my mother was in the sky. There were times when my father got drunk and chased me away. If he didn't let me stay at home, I would wander to my mother's grave to lie down. There was a time when I fell asleep next to my mother's grave and in my dream I kept hearing someone calling in my ear, "Loan... wake up, Loan... wake up and go home." When I woke up, I saw that it was already dark. I panicked and ran home, crying because I felt sorry for myself and because I missed my mother.
Now, every time I perform and receive applause from the audience, I always have the habit of looking up. I always think my mother is up there, watching over me. Deep down, I always dream and desire to meet my mother in my dreams. Every time I think about my mother, I feel like a knife is piercing my heart. There are times when I pause, tears welling up when I think of my mother. Maybe everyone hasn't been in my situation so talking about it will be very difficult to fully feel. But truly, every time I think about my mother, my heart aches.
My childhood may have ended in just a few hours, but the days going through that terrible childhood for my sisters and I were very long. Now, every time we sit and talk to each other, we say we didn't have a childhood.
Anyway, I'm grateful for the lost things in life. Thanks to those things, there is Dao To Loan today. Growing up from difficulties, I am always strong and resilient in the face of all challenges and turbulences of life. Facing many things, I no longer find them difficult or strenuous. Perhaps, circumstances have forged me with a slightly different will and energy than others.
Anyone who comes into the world with a situation like hers always harbors feelings of guilt. How do you face and overcome that guilt?
– Receiving this question reminded me of my childhood of wearing pants with holes in my butt. That day, every time they saw me wearing torn pants, my friends would mock and tease me, making me not dare to play with anyone. Just trudge to class and trudge back home. There was a time when he didn't have money to pay tuition so he had to drop out of school. The teacher knew about it and came to his house to encourage him and pay the tuition for him.
Those childhood complexes were like a shield that prevented me from opening my heart to get along with everyone. Until now that guilt still haunts me...
People like her find it difficult to integrate into the world around them, and it's also difficult for people around them to approach them. So it must be very difficult for your husband to win your heart?
– My husband is my first love. It was fate that we came together. He was originally a close friend of my brother-in-law, so we knew each other since I was young. Whenever my brother-in-law goes to flirt with his sister, he often takes this close friend with him. And when we met when I was 17 years old, it was like we were struck by love at first sight and fell in love with each other. But of course, before becoming lovers, the two brothers also spent some time as friends. He saw that I had musical talent so he guided me along this path.
At first I mainly sang light music. In the past, my voice was like singer Thu Minh's, even higher. Mr. Phuc Tiep and Le Anh Dung are the people who know me best because in the past we often sang together. But when I entered the National Academy of Music, I studied classical. If back then, someone had been more orientated and had studied light music in the military, I would have been able to develop more of my forte and strengths.
How did your husband support you to persevere and persevere with opera music - a genre of music that is extremely picky about audiences, especially Vietnamese audiences?
– First of all, he is the one who brought me to professional art. He not only gave me direction but also supported me a lot in my studies. Even though he only felt it through the ears of a normal audience, he gave me a lot of accurate and objective suggestions. Especially when I participated in Sao Mai.
I always remember, at that time I chose the song "Missing you in the forest" by the late musician An Thuyen to perform. It was musician An Thuyen, who was then a member of the jury, who commented that I sang this song the best among the singers who had ever performed it. I feel very happy because the efforts of the two brothers practicing day and night have paid off. He patiently sat and listened to me sing, gave me comments to help me make adjustments, and that helped me be more successful when performing this work.
Even in the past, when I rehearsed the opera Co Sao, Red Leaves..., he always acted as a loyal audience member to give me suggestions. He told me that this part of me wasn't right, that part of me needed to be done differently. In my opinion, my husband is an artistic soul and has a relatively broad musical knowledge. He is also a very good listener.
She shared that she had a crush on her husband since she was 17 years old. So why did the two of them fall in love until later?
– That means when we first met, he liked me, I also liked him but in the way "inner love is like the outside but I'm afraid". Both like each other but don't dare say it. It wasn't until two years later that they officially fell in love. Back then, he helped me a lot, but because he saw that I was still too young, he didn't want to ask any questions yet. Later, after accepting our relationship, I had to study abroad in Germany, and he was still waiting for me.
There is a very memorable memory when I was studying abroad in Germany. Due to the geographical distance and time zone difference, in order to talk to each other, he always had to stay up until midnight. Staying up all night makes him haggard and skinny... But every day he stays up to talk to me. The day I returned home, I saw him but I couldn't see him anymore because he looked so haggard.
We loved each other for 11 years before officially getting married. He knew I was too passionate and loved art so he was willing to sacrifice and wait for me.
Is it true that at the first moment of meeting, she fell in love with her husband because there were things in him that she was missing, that she longed for from her father?
- Correct. In the two years it took to move from friendship to love, he was everything to me. He is both a father, a mother, a friend, and a lover. It feels like he always protects, protects, and takes care of me. At that time, I was only 17 - 18 years old, living in the countryside... so I didn't know anything. He was the one who researched and guided me.
There was a time when our "rice was not good, the soup was not sweet" and we planned to break up. But I quickly realized that without him, I would be terribly empty and depressed. It's like having a solid support, suddenly losing it makes me feel disappointed and disoriented. At that moment I realized I couldn't be without him. I have never found a man who loves me with all his heart, takes care of me, pampers me and does so many things for me.
People say that in love, age is sometimes not important, but to keep the fire of marriage alive, erasing age boundaries is also very necessary. So, how should you and your husband be in harmony so that age is never an obstacle to marriage?
– I am lucky to meet my husband who is funny, young and loves art. Since living as a married man, he has been more attached to music. He is a composer and a member of the Vietnam Musicians Association. He also opened a small studio at home. What he did made me realize was that he always tried to do everything to get along with me.
By now, he is over 50 years old, and I am only 38... so we sometimes have disagreements due to generational vision. However, in stressful times, we all sit and talk to each other and he always gives in to me. I noticed that he tried very hard to get along with me about everything. That is something I always appreciate and am grateful to you for.
Are you satisfied with the life you have?
– I am quite satisfied with my current life. If we talk about abundance, I don't have it, I just live at a normal level. But if we talk about spirit, I have a lot. Compared to my starting point, I don't dare to dream of anything more. The important thing is that I have married a husband who always supports his wife in every passion. I am a very simple person, my biggest wish is just to sing, I don't ask for anything else, so everything is very comfortable for me. I don't need to use branded goods, I don't need a luxury car, I don't need a mansion... I just need to sing and that's enough.
In the past, many people said I was too simple. At first I didn't listen, thinking I could live comfortably. But so many people commented, so I gradually paid more attention to my appearance. I also agree that artists should pay attention to their clothes because if they sing well and are beautiful, they will always be loved more.
It is known that her family has 3 sisters. Her mother passed away early, and her sisters took care of her and raised her. So how do you repay your sisters now that you have become a famous singer?
– After my mother passed away, my father took another step forward. My family has 3 sisters, but the second sister has been sick since childhood and is not normal. In the past, when I was studying at the Academy of Music, I had to work a lot to earn money to support my sick sister. My eldest sister and I took turns taking care of this second sister. Now, she has gone far away and in Hanoi I also worship her.
If asked what I regret most in life, I would answer that my mother died too early. Now that the children of the village are grown and successful... want to repay and make up for their mother, but she is no longer there. My eldest sister is also in Hanoi now. My two sisters live next to each other. If we move house, we move together because we are now each other's only relatives, we rely on each other to survive.
Perhaps because I lacked my mother's love since childhood, I now have very special feelings towards songs about mother-child love. I also felt very emotional when singing the song "Mother loves you" by musician Nguyen Van Ty. One time I went to perform with artist Dang Duong and when he saw me singing this song on stage, Dang Duong's wife was very touched. That's why in Mr. Dang Duong's live show "The Fatherland Calls My Name" in August 8, he invited me to sing the song Mother Loves Me.
Thank you Dao To Loan for sharing the information!
