Is Dan Truong lost?

Dan Truong has just released the music video "Don't Love Memories (Dream of Heartbreak)", but both the music and the visuals are quite outdated.

Dan Truong seems to be going against the trend. He just released a music video. Don't love the memories (A tragic dream) Following the historical martial arts style, a concept popular since the 2000s, and one that Dan Truong himself pursued throughout his career singing Vietnamese versions of Chinese songs, this type of music video, with its somewhat outdated and old-fashioned style, makes it difficult for Dan Truong to compete in many aspects, especially on the trending charts.

The unexpected debut of Karma A song by rapper Pháo on the evening of March 21st is currently dominating the attention, causing Don't love the memories. Even more disadvantageous.

Maintain your unique identity or take a step backward?

Dan Truong already has Songs like "Stormy Love," "Waiting Through the Years," "Illusion of Love," "Old Memories," "Returning to the Old Street," "Desolate Night," "Lullaby of a Thousand Generations," "Emperor, " etc., follow this style. It can be said that Dan Truong is one of the Vietnamese singers with the most historical-themed music videos in Vpop. Most of these music videos were released in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Don't love the memories (A tragic dream) Still faithful to the familiar formula: A tearful love triangle story.

Faced with the challenges of changing times and the market, Dan Truong was also forced to change, albeit slightly. Instead of completely building his music videos in a historical style, based on the scripts of Chinese films as before, Don't love the memories (A tragic dream) Blending modern and historical elements, the story intertwines love stories between characters across multiple lifetimes.

Image of Dan Truong in the music video. Photo: Provided by the artist.

The music video is well-shot, but the visuals inevitably feel outdated, continuing to exploit the historical setting with a familiar motif. This makes the product feel less groundbreaking compared to the general standard of the Vpop market. Musically, the gentle melody and nostalgic lyrics easily resonate with listeners, but lack the novelty to create a unique impact.

Dan Truong still delivers emotional performances in his signature genre. However, by repeating old formulas, from his image to his music, the male singer is limiting himself within safe boundaries.

With the launch Don't love the memories (A tragic dream) At this point, the male singer seems to want to return to his golden age, reminiscent of a musical style that made Dan Truong famous. Or perhaps Dan Truong himself is struggling, yet to find a new path amidst a rapidly changing market.

But for what reason? Don't love the memories (A tragic dream) It's clearly difficult to reach new audiences. It might satisfy a certain segment of the audience, those loyal to Dan Truong since the beginning of his career, but it's hard to win over a larger, newer viewership.

After 16 hours of release, the music video garnered nearly 89,000 views. Meanwhile, released at the same time, Karma It has garnered 1.3 million views and is dominating the discussion and attention of the online community. The clear difference between the two products proves... Don't love the memories (A tragic dream) They are not competitive enough.

Before the release date, Don't love the memories (A tragic dream) The music video also sparked discussion on social media, but in a controversial way. The reason was that the styling of Ý Nhi and Tuấn Ngọc in the MV was somewhat rudimentary and cheesy. When the MV was released, the visuals were somewhat improved, but the overall product still felt out of place compared to the market. Many details in the MV, such as the martial arts scenes and the characters' acting, felt awkward and comical.

Lost in a constantly changing market.

Before Don't love the memories (Long-lasting dream), Dan Truong has a music video. Hey girl, what about the oil? It wasn't very successful. Despite heavy investment in AI technology, instead of impressing, the product faced much controversy because the images looked fake and unnatural.

The characters in the music video have stiff expressions and unnatural faces. This causes the product to lose the necessary emotion to connect with the viewer.

Dan Truong remains true to his familiar musical style. Photo: Provided by the artist.

Some viewers believe that the application of AI technology is a novel step, giving the product a more modern feel. However, the excessive use of AI in the music video makes it lose its naturalness and the emotion necessary for a work of art.

Even just a few days after its release, the music video had 6,800 dislikes, almost three times more than likes.

At that time, Dan Truong spoke out about the controversial product. He said: “It’s been a long time since Dan Truong sang folk music from the Southwestern region of Vietnam, and it’s a song I’m very happy with. As usual, if we don’t shoot a music video, the team just releases an audio version with an added image and sound. But this time, the team spent more than two months applying AI technology to the music video to make the song more lively and emotional. This may be the beginning, not perfect yet, but rest assured, in 1-2 years, AI technology will make Dan Truong’s image look 100% real.”

In terms of music, Hey girl, what about the oil? It features folk elements with an emotional, sweet singing voice, closely adhering to the familiar musical style that has been associated with Dan Truong from the beginning of his career until now.

Dan Truong has been active in the music market for decades and still maintains his unique position with a large, loyal, and supportive fan base. However, with a series of safe products consisting of ballads and gentle images, Dan Truong is gradually lacking innovation and breakthroughs, and is becoming lost amidst new music trends.

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