It's been 7 years since you released the song "Ice Dream" to the public, but it seems like its popularity has not cooled down yet. Is that the reason why you're "lazy" about releasing new products?
- That's partly true. I have to say I'm lucky and blessed that the songs I make often have a long life, especially in today's music market, when new songs appear every day, a hit sometimes lasts a few months and then fades into oblivion. But until now, "Ice Dream" has not cooled down, more and more people are covering it, the song often appears on TikTok, Facebook...
Before, I used to work based on inspiration. There were many new songs, both those sent by musicians and those I wrote myself. Friends listened to them and said, "You'll be a hit when you leave." But I didn't feel satisfied, so I just "recited" them for now (laughs).
After many years in the profession, I believe that when making a song, it must be "enough", not too much or too little. There are many products that you may like at first, but after listening to them a few times, you will get bored.
When a song is "enough", no matter what genre it is, old or new, jazz or pop, it still gradually penetrates me, making me want to listen to it over and over again. I could make the song "heavier", make it more difficult to sing, but I don't do that because I feel that it is suitable for the audience.
Like the song "Ice Dream", after the musician gave it to me, it took me nearly 2 years to record and release it. The same goes for " Where Love Begins" , I was not in a hurry but always cherished, pondered, and waited for the right time to release it.
Podcast: Singer Bang Kieu chats and shares career and life stories with Dan Viet reporter.
What has the past 7 years of nurturing brought you, if not musical products?
- I don't know about other people, but for me, when I work, the burning and worrying are always present. Because I keep burning every day, when given the opportunity, ideas naturally pop up. Therefore, the directors and crew working with me are very happy. Any program I participate in is different from other programs.
In my live shows or shows I participate in as a lead singer, I always bring my cherished ideas to share with everyone, then everyone gives feedback and then just do it. And it's always successful.
One thing is for sure, audiences who go to Bang Kieu's shows never get bored and never leave early. When the show ends, they often ask each other in confusion: "Oh, is it over already?"
I have been performing in Vietnam since 2012, for 11 years now, every year I do at least one main live show and 3-4 big shows. If people get bored, I will never be able to do that.
After 2012, he added more entertainment elements to his shows than before. This is probably also the reason why the name Bang Kieu is always a guarantee for the success of his live shows?
- There is a fact that I cannot deny, the time I spent singing in America changed my concept of the profession. In the past, when I was still in the country, I was very "sophisticated" and "falsely proud". I sang in tea rooms in Saigon, wearing only jeans, a tank top, a crew cut, no makeup. After singing 6 songs, I would go off stage, no interaction, no conversation. I thought I sang well, that was all, no need to be fancy.
When I went abroad, I went to see their shows and entertainment programs and "broke out" a lot of things. The audience came to the theater to see me, they didn't just listen to music. They needed an entertainment program, something extremely "relaxing" and fun for them. After watching a show, they had to feel comfortable, not bored, and when they got home, they felt tired and uncomfortable.
Luckily, I realized it in time to be able to adjust myself. In addition to singing, I learned to adjust the program according to the audience's emotions, what to sing at this time to suit the atmosphere, what to say at that time to suit the mood.
That is also the reason why many viewers watch my show many times, but they do not (or rarely) get bored. Every time they see the difference and it is not repetitive. Of course, this also depends on luck, or what is called "God's favor", I cannot say it well.
It can be said that your music career is huge with a series of hits, with live shows at home and abroad. After more than 30 years in the profession, what do you think is the greatest achievement?
- There are many things to talk about, because everything I have is thanks to music. What makes me happiest and luckiest is that at this time I am still working and still loved by the audience.
There are few artists who are lucky enough to be loved by the audience for such a long time. I always think that I have had too much. Because of that, many people have asked me to do this and that (my relationships in and out of the entertainment industry are very rich), but I really just want to make music. That is what I feel I am best at, and it is also my mission when I came to this world . God has given me that special honor, I have to try my best.
Actually, I think a bit subjectively. Many artists are very talented and more famous than me, but they still think about backup plans, that they have to do this and that to have a better life in the future. I am still naive about that.
Back in time. You were born into a family where art was in your blood. You must have had artistic talent from a young age, but I still wonder why you didn’t choose vocal music at that time but instead chose to study trumpet?
- I have loved singing since I was a child, singing is like my breath, like my life. At that time, my parents sent me to learn musical instruments from outside teachers, but each class I only studied for a few months. I loved music but when I left the classroom, I had no environment to develop. That's why I always wanted to go to the Conservatory.
The opportunity came when the teachers from the Conservatory came to eat at the pho restaurant my mother opened in Nam Ngu ( Hanoi ). Seeing that I had a talent for singing and playing, the teachers asked me if I wanted to take the exam for the Conservatory. At that time, I was only in high school and didn't like studying Culture. Hearing the teacher say that, I was so happy, "ok". The teachers were all in the Trumpet department, which was also the reason why I studied Bassoon later.
I still remember that day, when Mr. Phuc Linh - Head of the Trumpet Department taught me 1 or 2 sessions, he told my mother: "I will turn this boy into one of the top trumpet players in Vietnam". He graduated in Hungary so his knowledge of classical music is immense, I was lucky to have him teach me to have a solid musical foundation.
Unfortunately, I did not follow my teacher's career and he did not expect that I would be remembered for my singing ability.
How did the turning point come to you?
- Before entering the Conservatory, I had met many friends there. I immediately gathered my friends to form a band, called Golden Key , we performed at student parties and gathering places, but we just played to satisfy our passion and didn't think about making any money. My passion was to stand on stage, sing what I liked, and then everything came naturally.
The song that helped me become widely known to the public was Trai tim khong ngu yen, sung with My Linh. Then a series of other hits such as Mot ngay mua dong, Em ve tinh khong, Doi thay… helped me get closer to the public nationwide.
You are famous for having a very unique voice - a rare "roofy" tenor voice in the Vietnamese music industry. But when you first started your career, were you ever worried that your voice would not be accepted by the market because people often think that a male voice must be deep and warm to attract customers?
- Subjectively speaking, people who study and make music in Hanoi, even though they don't say it, still have a bit of pride in their subconscious. They often think: "I'm a student of the Conservatory, I studied systematically so I can't do easy things."
When I first formed the band and started singing, there were many invitations for me to perform on stage as an independent singer, but I refused them all. I just wanted to sing with my band, to sing British and American music which I thought was trendy and suitable at that time. As I said above, I was very vain and arrogant at that time, thinking that being able to sing like that was very impressive and classy.
Then, when I came out and did music professionally, I realized that reaching the audience is not a matter of singing being easy or difficult, but the essential thing in art in general and music in particular is to have an audience.
Is your "arrogance" or "false pride" because you think your voice is unique and rare?
- Honestly, at that time I was not aware of it. I just sang instinctively, sang because I liked it, and I didn't see anything unique or strange about my voice.
Later, when I became more famous and people talked about me a lot, I realized that my voice was different from most other singers. That was also a bit awkward.
Because when I realized this, I kept trying to do something really difficult so that no one could imitate it. I sang every song really high, very high. Later on, when I knew more, I became more gentle and moderate.
Among the many hit songs, which one left the biggest impression on you?
- It's hard to say, music goes with the flow of life. Sometimes I like this song, sometimes I like that song, and I don't pay attention. Hearing your question, I tried to flip through it but couldn't think of any specific song.
For example, when I made the album Strange Stories , I didn't like the song Trai tim ben le , it was completely to please my girlfriend at that time (singer Trizzie Phuong Trinh, who later became Bang Kieu's wife - NV).
She is an overseas artist so she has a good grasp of the market. I want to make an album in the Northern style, let's call it "feel good" style. The album is all songs by Le Minh Son and composed by me, unlike anyone else.
As for Trai tim ben le, I only included it because I really like my girlfriend. This was composed by Pham Khai Tuan , he played with Trizzie and really liked Trizze, but Trizze loved someone else. That song was given by Pham Khai Tuan to Trizzie Phuong Trinh, Trizze brought it back... for me to sing. I didn't expect that song to become a special mark, now more than 20 years later, wherever I go, people still mention it and ask me to sing Trai tim ben le.
When I first came to America, I also dug up a series of songs that I liked in the past but that few people sang, and then made the album Mat Biec – my first solo album overseas. And the album also created a big buzz, the number of records sold was terrible. It also opened the movement of young singers singing old songs…
One of the factors that made the album "Mat Biec" successful is that he sings old songs in a very different way, not sad or mournful...
- I'm young, so I sing in a fresh, modern style. Just like now, when I cover songs by Gen Z, I can't sing the same way they do. Each generation will bring different emotions and a different era to the song.
We also cannot fail to mention the level of harmony and arrangement of overseas musicians that helps elevate his songs to a higher level, for example the song "Buon oi chao mi" by musician Nguyen Anh 9...
- I can't deny that, moreover, I'm very careful in my profession. Usually, singers often send musicians to arrange their music, and they arrange it the way I sing. I'm different, I often sit with musicians for a long time to discuss, pushing the strongest possible. For example, with musician Nhat Trung, I'm close to him so I often discuss very carefully before each product.
Being close friends is one part, the other part is that he has the ability to compose, play musical instruments, and has a level of music theory almost equal to theirs...
- Maybe so. The song "Even if there are mistakes" that Ho Hoai Anh wrote, was initially arranged normally. Then I sat down with Nhat Trung, and the two of us discussed turning this song into a duet. Until now, this song still has a strong vitality and is chosen by many singers to perform duets.
Not only does he sing well, many of the songs he composed have become "big hits" such as Late Summer, Strange Stories, Lost Soul... Why don't you choose to develop your career as a singer who specializes in singing your own songs?
- I still write, but I have a pretty bad concept that… you can’t be too greedy. Before, I wrote Late Summer, Strange Stories, Lost Soul … to prove to everyone that I could write. Later, I thought that I had been “blessed” by God to be a singer with a solid position, so other things should be done by others (laughs).
You have sung duets and had success with many female singers, from Hong Nhung, My Linh, Phuong Thanh to Minh Tuyet, Ha Tran... If you were only allowed to choose one person to sing a duet with, who would you choose?
- Female singers often confide that they like to sing with me, the reason is because they don't have to go down the key, just sing in the right tone, I will know how to harmonize the duet to make it as harmonious as possible.
As for Ha Tran, we didn't have to practice much. Ha is very smart. I sing this way, Ha will know how to do that, we always understand each other and know how to become more harmonious in each song.
Singer Minh Tuyet once said about him: I admire Bang Kieu because he always lives optimistically, carefree, and doesn't hold grudges. Is it because of that that he can easily overcome the ups and downs in life?
- That could be true. Besides, I am an idealist. Everything that happens in life, I explain by fate. There are times when life cannot be peaceful. I am an artist - I have luck that only a few people have, in return I also have to accept many things that are not perfect.
God favors us sometimes we don't know, we think it's not good but it's good, we think it's good but it's not necessarily good. I don't think anything is too bad or too good. The most important thing is that we always strive for goodness.
You are famous as a singer but you really like smoking tobacco. Do you still smoke now?
- I still smoke, but I'm not addicted to anything.
Can you share about your life at the present time?
- For the past few years, I have been in Vietnam a lot because my children are still young, so I spend more time with them than my older brothers. The three older brothers already have a mother and a large family there. Their mother (singer Trizze Phuong Trinh) is an extremely talented person, talented in every field. Therefore, I feel very secure letting her take care of and educate the children.
My mother is still in the US, she takes care of the house and garden. I also set the irrigation system to automatic to make it less difficult for her. She is adapted to the climate there, her health is much better there.
Your three sons with Trizzie Phuong Trinh are all grown up. Do you intend to guide them to follow your path?
- I let my children follow their passions. In general, they are both musically talented. The two younger ones like many different things, but the older Beckham has had a talent since he was a child. He only likes music and nothing else.
Beckham and I have been friends for a long time. Until now, we can still sit together all day playing the guitar and talking about music. Now, there is also little Benly who loves music like him and his father.
Everyone knows Bang Kieu has a lot of female fans. Is the woman next to him right now one of them?
- No. She's not into music, nor does she care about celebrities, she only knows I'm a singer.
Before, you always loved people in the same profession, or working in showbiz. Your current relationship with someone not related to the entertainment industry must be very different?
- There are definitely differences. Before, I wanted someone who understood my profession and shared my views on this and that in my career. Later, I found that if both were like that, there would be disadvantages and conflicts in life. At each stage of life, what we need will be different. As long as we find it suitable, that is luck.
In the future, do you plan to move to the US with your girlfriend and child?
- I don't have any plans. Because all of our plans, not just mine, if we keep thinking about them, will never come true. So just live, why bother planning?
Have you ever wondered what you would do if you weren't a singer?
- I never imagined what I would do if I didn't sing. Since I was a child, I only loved singing and thought I was suited for this job.
When I was a student, just singing at a bar made me feel happy in life. I didn't dream of anything fancy, nor did I want to be richer, I just wished that there would always be applause and sympathy from the audience on stage.
Thank you, singer Bang Kieu, for this conversation. I wish you good health and happiness with your choices, and continue to have new hits so that the public can enjoy your voice more.
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