Refreshing folk songs and nursery rhymes with rap lyrics

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The lyrics, music and simple melody have been part of the memories, nurturing the souls of many generations of Vietnamese people, now recreated with a new breath, through modern arrangement techniques, suddenly "transformed" fresh, youthful and bustling. The person who wrote the modern rap in the film's soundtrack is none other than director NSUT Trinh Lam Tung. He was inspired by the nursery rhyme Dung dang dung de but transformed it into a walk with words and music . Young audiences enjoyed immersing themselves in the vocabulary of the Gen Z generation, interwoven English - Vietnamese slang, both mischievous rhymes and full of childhood rhythms, causing laughter to resound involuntarily.

Nguyen Thu Giang with the sound of the erhu in the film soundtrack.

Director Trinh Lam Tung shared the reason for using folk songs and nursery rhymes for the film's soundtrack: "To me, Ly Cay Da has a soft narrative quality, rich in imagery. Di Xay evokes a joyful working atmosphere, with cinematic expression through lyrics. Dung Dang Dung De has a bustling rhythm, describing folk games as a symbol of the childhood of an entire generation. These three songs have linked the character's journey of maturity, not only the children but also the parents who come to watch it, making them remember their own beautiful memories. In the film, I not only tell a fantasy adventure story but also want to recreate a cultural space. There, children will not feel unfamiliar with the countryside, with the bamboo bushes at the village entrance, the well, the communal house yard... Music is one of the strongest bridges to bring children closer to the soul and origin of the nation."

Admittedly, the soundtrack is a new venture for the director. The confident and energetic rap part is performed by the child actor who voices the main character Quynh Nho, Tuan Khanh. Director, Meritorious Artist Trinh Lam Tung said: “For me, the rap is more successful than expected. Tuan Khanh raps innocently, drifting emotionally with the music. This is a rap combined with two folk songs to create the best arrangement for the film, helping the film have a truly perfect ending. We hope that the young audience or parents will walk out of the theater with their feet dancing and the lyrics on their lips because it connects the cultures of many generations.”

Ho Trong Tuan Khanh, the voice actor of the character Quynh, participated in performing the film's music.

Performing the soundtrack are two teenage singers, Do Ngoc Linh and Do Nhat Anh. Not only that, the musical instruments in the film such as the two-stringed fiddle, the zither, the flute... resonate rhythmically, blended by the young musicians. The innocence of the young singers makes the ending of the song pure and genuine.

It took him and his music team a long time to find a satisfactory arrangement. Musician Dang Duy Chien said: “The challenge of this process is that the musical rhythm changes according to the movements of the characters. The film's theme song retains the national spirit but is not outdated.” Recording director Pham Quang Quoc Trung was initially worried about whether the international recording techniques would be suitable and smooth in the Vietnamese folk music. However, after only one or two instructions, the young singers completed the song smoothly.

Vietnamese animation unexpectedly got together to make a soundtrack inspired by folk music: An emotional mash-up in "Trang Quynh nhi: The Legend of Kim Nguu".

“Trang Quynh nhi: Truyen thuy Kim Nguu” is proud to be the first commercial animated film in Vietnam to exploit folk cultural materials. The film was developed from the animated series “Trang Quynh thoi nhi nho” which was popular on YouTube and won the “Audience Award for Most Favorite Vietnamese Film” at the 2024 Asian Film Festival - Da Nang.

Lam Khanh

(Photo: Provided by the film crew)

Source: https://baocamau.vn/lam-moi-dan-ca-dong-dao-bang-loi-rap-a39890.html