Genderless singer Tran Tung Anh

600 people worked for 24 hours on 9 music videos.

At the grand auditorium of the National Academy of Music ( Hanoi ), singer Tran Tung Anh's "Mountain Song" project was performed with great solemnity, supported by the New Vitality Symphony and National Orchestra under the direction of conductor Dong Quang Vinh.

Wearing a golden ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress), young man Tran Tung Anh sent chills down the audience's spines as he showcased his soft, sweet, and clear female voice in songs like "The Muse of Hue ," "The Girl Sharpening Bamboo Stakes," and "The Sound of the Ta Lu Guitar,"... Immediately afterwards, he switched to a deep, powerful male voice, seamlessly transitioning between the vocal registers with exquisite finesse and harmony.

Listening to Tran Tung Anh sing, if you weren't looking up at the stage, it would be hard to believe he's a man, because from the subtle nuances to the soaring high notes, everything is so graceful and feminine. Two songs associated with famous female singers like Tuong Vi, Anh Tho, and Trang Nhung... were once again conquered by Tran Tung Anh, also with his soaring, bell-like high female voice.

Singer Tran Tung Anh is a gender-neutral vocalist, a unique talent in Vietnam.

The gender-neutral vocalist chose to perform three standout pieces from Vol1 of "Mountain Songs," which included nine songs, showcasing the full range of her voice and vocal power.

Tran Tung Anh honestly confided: "Singing in the morning with a singer is torture. This is the first time I've made such an elaborate public appearance in 6 years, so I'm very nervous. I see that conductor Dong Quang Vinh is very confident. After today, there will be a Tran Tung Anh who is almost as confident as Dong Quang Vinh."

Tran Tung Anh added that today's event was attended by many people who love him dearly: his teachers at the Conservatory of Music, the Bac Giang School of Culture and Arts, family members, and many famous senior colleagues in the profession.

Singer Phuc Tiep, Tran Tung Anh's teacher, commented: "Training artists like Tung Anh is a special case; possessing a castrato voice is very difficult and painful, and creating works for such voices is even more challenging."

Because female singers were not allowed on stage in the British Royal Family in the past, male singers had to be trained from a young age to impersonate women during performances.

In Vietnam, Tung Anh is the first female singer to confidently step out with a soprano voice. The audience's reception of Tran Tung Anh has been so overwhelming that her studies have been temporarily put on hold. We hope Tung Anh will soon return to the classroom to complete her studies."

Tran Tung Anh is a special case, possessing a rare castrato voice.

Composer Luu Quang Minh shared: "When I first met Tran Tung Anh, I was impressed by his sincerity and genuine nature, as if we had known each other for a long time. Tung Anh often teases me, calling me his 'musical lover'."

"In the works that Tung Anh chose for me to arrange, all are familiar to many generations of Vietnamese audiences. I researched how to bring a new breath of life to them, suitable for Tran Tung Anh's voice."

Meanwhile, the music video's director, Vuong Khang, shared: "Khang and Tung Anh aren't very close; we don't have much time to talk because one is from the South and the other from the North. When Tung Anh participated in 'Gương mặt thân quen' (Familiar Faces), which I directed, I saw that Tung Anh had a special voice and great enthusiasm."

It's been a while since I directed a music video because I've been busy with TV shows, but when Tung Anh extended the invitation, I saw how passionate he was. This is the only music project I'm working on this year.

Nine music videos were filmed in just 24 hours. This was a special project; Tung Anh sang with a live orchestra behind him, and each music video had a different style but shared a common theme. Nearly 600 people worked tirelessly on it.

To do this project, I also hesitated a lot, wondering if it was possible to shoot 9 music videos continuously in one day. With normal music videos, there are fewer cameras, but here we had to increase the number of people and equipment significantly, like a live show on stage but filmed in a studio. This could be a new direction for artists."

Don't try to sing like the artists who came before you.

However, contrary to director Khang's worries, Tung Anh expressed complete confidence in the crew. He even took on the role of Production Director. "We started filming early in the morning and finished at 3 am the next day, without any setbacks or arguments; everything went very smoothly. I am confident in my crew," Tung Anh proudly stated.

He also said he had to be given eight bottles of IV fluids, his voice was hoarse this morning, and he felt his performance was "bad," not at its peak despite receiving enthusiastic support from the audience.

After participating in The Voice Vietnam 2017, Tran Tung Anh took part in a series of popular game shows. During those years, Tung Anh still released small-scale products, and the viewership reached tens of millions of views. This is rare. He said that his path wasn't paved with roses, but he always tried his best, and after six years pursuing art, he feels he has reached a mature stage.

Singing songs already performed by famous artists, Tung Anh felt quite apprehensive but didn't give up. He affirmed that he wasn't trying to imitate the artists before him, but rather choosing his own path.

The 9 songs in the music video "Mountain Sings" are once-popular songs, reinterpreted by singer Tung Anh in his own fresh and unique style.

With nine songs in the music video featuring both male and female vocals, Tran Tung Anh isn't worried about viewers getting bored. When working with the team, Tran Tung Anh doesn't put his ego first but completely respects the opinions of the two music directors. He doesn't consider "Nui Hat" as his own project, but rather a collaborative effort of the entire team.

Notably, this project includes a song titled "Our Love Will Last Forever," composed by Tran Tung Anh himself to celebrate his parents' love story. In this music video, Tung Anh sings in both male and female voices.

The album "Mountain Songs" originated from Tran Tung Anh's childhood dream – a boy from the mountainous region of Bac Giang who loved to sing, often singing loudly on his way to school, and hoping that one day he would do something to showcase the beauty of the mountain and forest nature.

The "Mountain Song" project includes 9 music videos: "The Sound of the Ta Lu Guitar," "The Muse of Hue," "Lake on the Mountain," "Still in Love," "Crossing the Bridge in the Wind," "Nine Steps of Love," "Love Song of the Northwest," "The Song in the Pac Bo Forest," and "Our Love Will Last Forever"...

Tung Anh's parents met in Central Vietnam while serving in the army. Nine of his songs travel across the country where they served. His parents loved to sing, and his father always took him along to veterans' cultural rehearsals. This instilled a love of music in Tung Anh's blood. "Mountain of Songs" is a gift he dedicated to his father on the anniversary of his passing.

In the singer's heart, his father was a very kind man. When he was young, his family was poor, and his parents often rode bicycles to sing in the army, carrying Tran Tung Anh on the back. Listening to his parents sing, Tran Tung Anh's love for singing began early in his life.

However, Tran Tung Anh admitted that he and his father weren't close and rarely spoke. But, Tran Tung Anh always felt his father's love, as his father silently supported everything he wanted to do. During his father's serious illness, Tran Tung Anh, who was living and working in Ho Chi Minh City at the time, returned home and stayed by his side, helping the family care for him.

"When my father was nearing the end of his life, he was very close to me and very loving. Every time he woke up, he would ask, 'Where is Tung Anh?' He loved listening to me sing. During his treatment, he would often play my songs on YouTube next to his bed and listen all night long. When he was weak, and people came to visit, he even asked them to bring speakers so Tung Anh could sing for them. Seeing me sing like that made him very happy," Tran Tung Anh recounted.

At that time, Tran Tung Anh also wanted to do a solo live show as a gift to his father, so that his father could sit in the front row at the Grand Theatre and watch his son sing, but he didn't have time. His father's illness worsened, and he passed away. Fortunately, before that, when participating in some game shows in Ho Chi Minh City, he had also brought his parents to watch, so his heart felt less heavy with regret.

And today, after months of planning and execution, Vol 1 of "Mountain Songs" has been completed, fulfilling Tran Tung Anh's wish to give his father a truly polished musical gift. "I was born in Bac Giang, and all I see when I open my eyes are mountains. The path I've taken is the same; reaching the summit requires many difficulties. People ask who my benefactor is, and it's my family, my older sister," Tung Anh said, his voice choked with emotion.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/giong-ca-phi-gioi-tinh-tran-tung-anh-toi-sinh-ra-o-bac-giang-mo-mat-ra-toan-la-nui-19223092420563291.htm