Artist Dien Tu Lang: From "King of Radio Songs" to Vu Lan singing to show gratitude

Nghệ sĩ Điền Tử Lang: Từ — Artist Dien Tu Lang filmed the MV Vu Lan to show gratitude at a pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City.

Recently, as a heartfelt tribute to his parents, artist Dien Tu Lang recorded and filmed a music video about his mother that caused a stir on the online community.

His voice is still warm and soulful. At nearly 80 years old, the singer once known as the "King of Radio Songs" still maintains a sweet and profound style. That is a testament to the perseverance and dedication of an artist's life.

Dien Tu Lang keeps his golden voice

His real name is Tran Van Sau, born in 1943 in Mo Cay, Ben Tre . He pursued a singing career and took the stage name Dien Tu Lang when he became involved with the art of Southern amateur music. "When I was a teenager, I learned to sing with the sen and the guitar. The 20 To songs taught by artist Hai Que were my first assets to pursue a singing career.

At the age of 20, I was introduced by artist Thanh Cong to sing at the Radio Station, and then the audience loved me so I have stuck with the profession until today" - Artist Dien Tu Lang said.

The secret to keeping his golden voice is to always stay healthy, not smoke, drink alcohol, and not eat grilled foods.

Dien Tu Lang owns 2,000 vọng cổ songs.

He quickly became a mainstay of the radio station. After the country's reunification, he continued to contribute to VOH, recording almost all programs introducing new traditional songs and contributing new lyrics to reformed operas.

When UNESCO recognized Southern Vietnamese folk music as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, he was invited to record many new folk songs.

He is loved by millions of listeners through more than 2,000 traditional songs that he has recorded from VOH radio to tapes, HTV television and the southern provinces. Experts call his voice "dong pha tho" - a deep, thick, and calm voice, completely different from the bright "dong trong" voice of famous names such as: People's Artist Ut Tra On, People's Artist Minh Vuong.

It is that nuance that makes his way of singing vọng cổ very soulful, not forced, but passionate and smooth. The cải lương stage also left its mark on artist Điền Tử Lang through many roles. Especially when he sang the main song with “Sad Girl” Út Bạch Lan in the play “The Case of the Adulterer” (author Lê Khanh).

Dien Tu Lang specializes in supporting roles.

After 1975, besides recording traditional songs, he joined a number of singing troupes and only played supporting roles, the role of "old man" on many stages in Ho Chi Minh City.

"Dien Tu Lang left an unforgettable impression thanks to his dedication and meticulousness. With his long-lasting voice, he also had a long-term association with traditional singing and reformed opera programs of Ho Chi Minh City People's Radio and the stages of Saigon 1 and Saigon 3.

He is remembered by the audience for the character "Tam Luc Lac" in the opera "Ong Bit". When my wife, People's Artist Thanh Kim Hue, and I set up a charity program, he also actively participated in charity work" - People's Artist Thanh Dien said.

Dien Tu Lang in the afternoon fell into misery

The life of cai luong artists in their twilight years is inevitably difficult, because most of them rely on singing. When the stage freezes and audiences no longer come to the theater to watch cai luong, they all have one thing in common: they fall into poverty.

Artist Dien Tu Lang is no exception to that rule, sometimes he sings at bars to make ends meet. His income depends only on tips from the audience.

In 2022, he suffered a life-threatening illness, but still steadfastly returned to singing. People's Artist Ngoc Giau once commented: "Dien Tu Lang is a singer with a rare longevity, devoted to his profession and colleagues - that is the most precious thing when mentioning him."

Today, when recording ancient songs about mothers during Vu Lan season, artist Dien Tu Lang wishes to send his love to those who still have mothers in this world. He also hopes that the next generation will always be filial to their parents. Because that is the eternal morality of the Vietnamese people, and at the same time, it is the happiest "Vu Lan season" for every child who still has their parents by their side.

He is a singer who is not noisy, not ostentatious, but full of humanity and loyalty. And above all, he is also an example of an artist who lives his life fully with his singing career. Even though his life is difficult, he still maintains his passion and filial piety.

"I thank the program "Mai Vang Nhan Ai" for visiting me and giving me gifts. The newspaper Nguoi Lao Dong has created a meaningful bridge, helping poor artists. Thank you to the audience for loving me over the years" - Artist Dien Tu Lang said.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nghe-si-dien-tu-lang-tu-vua-ca-dai-phat-thanh-den-tieng-hat-vu-lan-bao-hieu-196250822053837835.htm