EP stirs up Vietnamese music

In recent years, releasing extended play (EP) albums has become a top choice for many singers.

Compared to music videos or singles, EPs (extended plays) are more likely to tell a complete musical story, clearly showcasing the singer's image, style, and personal color. With EPs, singers can more easily control their product ideas, mature more quickly, and better orient their career path.

Suitable and reasonable

The singer's decision to release an EP instead of an album is a reasonable and sensible move in the current context. "Finding enough good songs for an album is sometimes impossible," singer Phuong Thanh explained.

Investing billions of dong in music videos is considered a risky venture in today's music market. There was a time when many singers invested lavishly in their music videos. However, the trend of making billion-dong music videos is gradually changing as many singers have failed. Audiences now demand genuine quality, a harmonious blend of music and visuals, not just visually appealing images.

A successful music video requires a harmonious blend of visuals and musical quality. This is a general formula, but achieving that balance is not easy. Music videos like "The Magic Lamp" (Ho Ngoc Ha), "Caring for Flowers" (Mono - Nguyen Viet Hoang)... are examples of products with meticulous investment and polished visuals, and clear concepts.

An EP is an extended play disc containing more songs than a single but is shorter than an album. While an album typically has around 10 tracks, an EP usually only has 3 to 6. Because the total duration is under 30 minutes, EPs save artists money and effort compared to producing a full album. Listeners also don't need to spend as much time enjoying the music while still being able to fully grasp the story or message the artist wants to convey.

After participating in "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles," Binz officially returned to the music scene with the MV "Duyen Kiet Cam Ca" and the EP "Keep Cam Ca." This EP includes 5 songs: "Hon Lo Sa Vao," "Chua Yeu Lan Nao," "Dem Vu Truong," "Duyen Kiet Cam Ca," and "Ruou Doc," inspired by the familiar bolero genre.

Ho Ngoc Ha at the launch of her new EP "Close Your Eyes, Turn On the Music, Turn Off Your Phone". Photo: THANH LUAN

Many impressive products

If the combination of rap and bolero had already sparked curiosity, then the collaboration between Binz, Xuan Dan, and Triple D on an EP surprised audiences even more.

Over the years, Binz has mostly collaborated with music producer Touliver on his creative works, and most of them have become hits. Binz's collaboration with folk music "king" Triple D on remakes of bolero songs is something to look forward to in the EP "Keep Cầm Ca". Furthermore, Triple D has mostly focused on DJing lately and has been quite selective about collaborating with other artists.

Ho Ngoc Ha's new EP, "Close Your Eyes, Turn On the Music, Turn Off Your Phone," which includes the songs "Dawn," "The Magic Lamp," and "Close Your Eyes, Turn On the Music, Turn Off Your Phone," reached number 1 on iTunes Vietnam just 18 hours after its release. The common thread among the songs on this EP is their catchy, trendy music that easily makes listeners want to dance along.

Ho Ngoc Ha believes that with the EP "Close Your Eyes, Turn On the Music, Turn Off Your Phone," she has completely transformed herself compared to her previous works. Audiences will no longer hear melancholic love songs. Instead, she focuses on exploring positive aspects.

Meanwhile, after her hit "Lucki," female rapper Liu Grace has returned to the music scene with her debut EP "Bobby," bringing a unique musical style to the Vietnamese music market.

Previously, many new singers making their debut in the Vietnamese music scene also chose to release EPs to clearly showcase their musical style and personality. Notable examples include "Love Yourself" by Felix (real name Nguyen Trong Tien Quang), "Adapt" by Thoai Nghi, "06001706" by Linh Nhi, "Beautiful" by Mono, "Sweet N Sour" by Charles (Huynh Phuong Duy), "Forgive My Heart" by Dat G, "Chu" by Linh Ka, and "Approved" by Hoang Yen Chibi…

Singer Luu Huong Giang also made an impressive comeback with her EP "Losing You, I Found Myself Again," Bao Anh reignited her popularity with the introspective EP "I Don't Know Whether to Be Happy or Sad," and Binz transformed from a cool, edgy city playboy to a pensive yet mischievous 1970s character in his EP "Dan Xinh in Love"…

Currently, music production teams tend to gauge audience preferences through a few minimalist products, and only add music videos if they are well-received. This is also a safe choice for singers.

According to musician Khắc Hưng, the vibrant and diverse music scene presents both opportunities and challenges for singers. To establish themselves and build a reputation, singers must have a distinctive style amidst this colorful landscape. EPs are a suitable option for them to relatively fully portray a facet of their image or freely express their individuality without being overly expensive.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/ep-khuay-dong-nhac-viet-196241201212253221.htm