Top Southern folk singer

Cam Ly is a "strange" singer in the Vietnamese music industry. She started out in a pop group with singer Minh Tuyet, and only switched to folk music after her sister moved to America.

She sings pop, ballads, foreign songs with Vietnamese lyrics and some other genres, all of which have hits and are well received by the audience, but only at the cute and easy-to-listen level. Only when singing folk songs does she truly shine.

Cam Ly's folk singing is not as smooth as Huong Lan's previous generation, not as clear as Nhu Quynh's, not as technically proficient as Thu Hien, Anh Tho, Tan Nhan... and also lacks the beautiful timbre of Thuy Trang or the impressiveness of Van Khanh, Quang Linh...

In short, she has almost no advantage from natural voice to technique compared to her colleagues in the same field.

Cam Ly's strength, also her characteristic, in folk songs is her natural sincerity and honesty - which cannot be practiced or achieved through technical processing.

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Singer Cam Ly.

Not only spirit and emotion, the sincerity is also shown in the way she pronounces and enunciates words, which are considered not standard folk songs.

Cam Ly sings folk songs in her own way, her voice is like the person, simple but not ordinary.

Folk songs through her voice do not become beautiful, moving works of art or standards for future generations, but they give the public a sense of closeness and harmony, as if they were listening to "Miss Hai from the upper village" or "Miss Ba from the next door" sing.

That sincerity touches the majority, especially the Western audience. This unique point puts Cam Ly at the top of the contemporary generation of Southern folk songs.

Cam Ly fans - a formidable force

Cam Ly FC is not as strong and powerful as My Tam, Son Tung, Dam Vinh Hung... but impresses with its steadfast loyalty that many artists aspire to.

At her peak, Cam Ly was the name that dominated the categories of Most Favorite Singer or Most Favorite Folk Singer in awards such as Blue Wave, Golden Apricot, HTV Awards... as well as press polls.

"A few bamboo bridges" - Cam Ly ft. Quoc Dai

In 2015, the name Cam Ly attracted attention when YouTube's Music Insights tool confirmed her as the Vietnamese singer with the most views.

According to this data source, up to now, Cam Ly's products still attract a steady 60-80 million views per year - a fairly stable number compared to most of her contemporaries.

Last August, the live show Tu Tinh Que Huong 6 with a scale of 2,000 audiences was recorded to have good ticket sales speed. Not long ago, Cam Ly's livestream chat with fans attracted up to 5 million views.

Notably, the above figures and information are placed in the context of Cam Ly's many years of absence from showbiz due to illness affecting her singing voice. She has only just returned this year with a live show and a music video.

Cam Ly's fan base is not too large but they are loyal and willing to spend money. Whenever she appears, they follow and support her.

This is the sweet fruit that Cam Ly planted and watered in the past. Few people remember that she was the first singer to perform a series of free live shows for students in 2003 and 2004.

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In contrast to many live shows that "explode" in budget but invest carelessly and sell tickets at high prices, Cam Ly's live show is invested in grandly with ticket prices that are affordable for the majority of the audience.

Cam Ly is also famous for loving and pampering her fans. From the first live show "Tu tinh que huong" at its peak to "Tu tinh que huong 6" this year, she still maintains the same view of selling tickets at a moderate price because she is afraid of wasting money.

The one who keeps Cam Ly innocent

Looking throughout her career, the success of Cam Ly's personal brand is sustained by two outstanding factors: combining the right partners and maintaining personal ethics.

People in the profession describe Cam Ly's personality as "innocent as a fairy", unchanged for decades. She speaks freely, says what she thinks, without embellishment or mannerisms.

An acquaintance said that Cam Ly is often sulky but is not the type of star who bullies or makes things difficult for others. She is simply feminine and likes to be pampered.

At work, she is a classic old-generation singer, only working within a closed and safe social circle.

In real life, Cam Ly lives a healthy, even somewhat simple life. Besides singing, she only knows her family, doesn't have many relationships with showbiz people, doesn't gather around to gossip, and seems to stand completely outside the complicated, chaotic online society.

Having been singing for 31 years, she is still nervous every time she goes on stage; still shy and worried when interacting with juniors in the profession.

Cam Ly often posts bare-faced photos on her fanpage.

In general, Cam Ly lives in her own world , almost isolated from showbiz. She has been able to live like that for decades thanks largely to her husband, musician Minh Vy.

More than just the principle of matching the right partner, he is also Cam Ly's special partner: husband and wife, colleague, confidant, manager - singer and musician - muse.

In her career, Minh Vy is talented and versatile, holding almost all roles, in charge of all stages: composing, producing music, releasing, business, communication, booking shows...

He is difficult, even a bit "formidable", is a powerful showbiz manager, respected by many people in the industry.

With Minh Vy, Cam Ly can choose a gentler, simpler lifestyle than many of her colleagues, revolving only around music and her husband and children.

31 years, from young singer, star to veteran artist, Cam Ly is fulfilled, taking care of both work and family. Thanks to a special and ethical partner, she has achieved fame, reached the top and maintained her position without having to sacrifice her personality and inner innocence.

Le Thi My Niem

Photo: NVCC, FBNV

Don't feel sorry for Ho Quynh Huong. Singer Ho Quynh Huong's absence from showbiz, interrupting her career for many years, makes the audience regretful. However, with the gains and losses, it is not necessarily a pity for her.