Even God would have to… smile.

An album that inspires both audiences and industry professionals without much media attention, without the usual trending topics or seeding, still captivates listeners with the spirit of the music itself. Very few musical products achieve what "Nụ cười" (Smile ) has, to the point that people will talk about it for a long time, even until the Lunar New Year of 2025.

Album cover: The Smile

Nguyen Thao, the Remedios - the beauty of Vietnamese music.

If Remedios—the beauty in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's * One Hundred Years of Solitude* —was a peerless beauty, then Nguyen Thao's "beauty" lies in her unparalleled, magnificent voice and incredibly refined approach to interpreting songs. Sadly, Remedios—the beauty—doesn't belong to the real world (in the great novel), and Nguyen Thao doesn't belong to the Vietnamese showbiz scene, so one has soared to the heavens while the other has remained in seclusion for many years!

The album "Smile " was "stamped" with the intention of being created over 16 years, but perhaps those involved and those who followed the long journey from "Dialogue with God" (the original title of the album) understand that it was a 16-year gap – not continuous. Two years after her debut album "Stream & Grass" (2006), Nguyen Thao approached musician and producer Vo Thien Thanh to introduce her book and propose a collaboration on an album inspired by the literary work. Vo Thien Thanh quickly found common ground with her and immediately began composing, creating three songs in the following order: "Grass Dew," "Missing You," and "Wild Sunflower ." In 2011, in the joy of the new product, they let some friends listen to the demo and received much appreciation and high expectations. Nguyen Thao even made an exception, bringing the songs "Suong Co" and "Da Quy" to perform for the first time in the 2011 year-end music program "The Sound of the Bell" to introduce them to the audience in Hanoi ...

Unfortunately, the project then fell into disuse without any response. Nguyen Thao appeared in a few programs and then… quietly disappeared from Vietnamese showbiz.

Nguyen Thao and Vo Thien Thanh in the recording studio.

From Dialogue to Smiles

There were periods of prolonged project interruptions, during which musician Vo Thien Thanh's dedication to the album was almost entirely consumed by patience. He patiently sent the arrangements and waited for Nguyen Thao to schedule a recording session. That wait was measured in years, not just days. Because anyone who has worked with Nguyen Thao understands her nature – meticulous and… incredibly slow. It takes Thao at least a month to memorize the lyrics of a song, think through it, and find the quickest way to perform it; with a completely new song, it takes even longer. And the one who accepted this patient challenge was none other than Vo Thien Thanh, because for him, the songs composed for this project, if not performed by Nguyen Thao, would not be performed by anyone else, and would remain stored away forever, as time has proven.

From "The Smile ," a small sensation was created by the music itself, by Nguyen Thao's voice and the compositions of Vo Thien Thanh...

The "scratched" appearance of a smile

Regarding the delay in releasing the album, composer Vo Thien Thanh shared: "When I had time, Nguyen Thao was busy, and vice versa. Perhaps it's because fate hasn't arranged everything yet!" The remaining three songs in "Nu Cuoi" (Smile ) were truly completed over a long period, from then until 2024. Perhaps that's why composer Vo Thien Thanh intentionally arranged the album's narrative to follow the chronological order of the recordings, reflecting the "dialogue" he and the singer had through music.

Even with "Children in Heaven ," a song about child abuse that he repeatedly wanted to release as a way of sharing his empathy and outrage with society, he had to "hold back" waiting for Nguyen Thao. " The Smile " (formerly titled "The Smile from Above ") was recorded in 2023. Thao recorded the song while sick with a cold, but perhaps that's why the recording seems to have a layer of "scratches" to convey the messages that the songwriter embedded within this soul song, considered the most weighty in the album, both musically and spiritually. Later, Nguyen Thao suggested re-recording the song, as well as other songs recorded over 10 years ago, but Vo Thien Thanh insisted on using the original recordings because, for him, those early recordings contained more emotions, the most brilliant and beautiful moments of Nguyen Thao's voice that could never be captured again. Therefore, listeners may find that the singer's voice in these tracks is not uniform, but that is precisely what shows maturity; the beauty of a fleeting moment is something that will never be repeated.

The final track on the album – "One Day I Suddenly Remember " – was also the last song recorded, in mid-2024. The album (or more accurately, the mini-album) initially only contained 5 songs; the final track was actually a bonus track because it wasn't written for the project but was originally an old song previously performed by Nguyen Thao with Hoang Hai, now remade in a new age style completely different from the previous climactic ballad. Recalling the feeling of completing the recording, musician Vo Thien Thanh said that Nguyen Thao spent a whole month absorbing the arrangement. When she stepped into the recording studio, he was terrified, like someone "holding their breath while crossing a river," fearing she would be too attached to her old singing style and wouldn't be able to express the minimalist essence of the new arrangement with the piano mimicking the rhythmic ringing of bells. However, when Nguyen Thao finished the recording, Vo Thien Thanh knew this was the final song of the album and also the moment when "The Smile" should be brought to light; there could be no more delay!

For a long time, Nguyen Thao felt indebted and guilty towards her audience, so this is also an opportunity for her to repay her fans.

Vo Thien Thanh's response

When the album's release date was announced, there were many doubts surrounding Vo Thien Thanh and Nguyen Thao. These doubts weren't unfounded, such as: what would an album made 16 years ago be like? Or what would the voice of a singer who had stopped performing sound like? An album made 16 years ago with so few songs... However, both remained silent, waiting for the release date. Nguyen Thao didn't appear in public, there was no grand press conference, except for a few brief shares about their music on their personal pages. Yet, music lovers were still excited, searching for the album on digital platforms and ordering physical copies. A small sensation was created by the music itself, by Nguyen Thao's voice and Vo Thien Thanh's compositions; authenticity finally found its way to the real public!

When the album was released, Nguyen Thao was the happiest person; she was overjoyed that her "brainchild" had finally been released. Furthermore, she felt indebted and guilty towards her audience for so long, so this was also an opportunity for her to repay her fans. For the physical version, Thao set aside several hundred copies to give away to friends and fans before the official release.

Regarding Vo Thien Thanh, in his role as a producer, he has answered many questions. In the album, he intentionally used only Nguyen Thao's vocals, with no duets, and not even backing vocals (except for the original vocals in "Remember You "). All of this was to honor a voice that was so beautiful, pure, and innocent. In "The Smile ," Nguyen Thao's voice from the highlands is explored, unaffected by anyone else. Musically, Vo Thien Thanh has proven that the value of good songs doesn't lie in when they're released; if something is "good," it's naturally "great," regardless of how it's produced using a live band or sequencer/programming. Furthermore, in his view, music is "good" because of the emotions it evokes, not because of the format. Because they weren't constrained by formalities, he and Nguyen Thao released the song on all digital platforms (including free ones like YouTube) before the physical version, so that "The Smile" could be more accessible to the public.

The album contains six songs; however, perhaps the best dish isn't a large selection that will leave diners wanting more. Vo Thien Thanh, like a seasoned chef, has used top-quality ingredients (Nguyen Thao's voice) to create a feast of few but distinctive dishes. In "The Smile ," any listener can find a favorite song and resonate with the message of the work.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nghe-nu-cuoi-cua-nguyen-thao-den-thuong-de-cung-phai-mim-cuoi-185250127215120464.htm