Phung Khanh Linh takes risks

In early 2025, Phung Khanh Linh made fans and experts talk a lot because of the release of the single Em dau using the dream pop genre, which is very rare in the mainstream market in Vietnam. The skillful combination of strong sounds with catchy, easy-to-listen melodies helped Phung Khanh Linh create a unique image as well as attract a new audience.

Although the song was not too successful and explosive, in return, Phung Khanh Linh conquered the ears that wanted to explore new musical directions that did not follow the market. And the female singer continued to show her perseverance on this unique musical journey by continuing to play with rock with a new single called Khoc Block , with even more violence than the previous Em dau or Uoc anh tan tan con tim .

Take a risk with a difficult genre

Phung Khanh Linh started her journey to conquer rock with the single Uoc anh tan tan con tim with not too clear signs. The added elements of alternative made this song have a different direction from other products on the market, but in essence it was still a pop song with an easy-to-listen melody and not too experimental. It was not until the release of Em dau that Phung Khanh Linh showed her willingness to play when using dream pop, a sub-genre of alternative rock/shoegaze with a vague production, and affirmed her next path.

Coming to Khoc Block , Phung Khanh Linh does not use a genre that is too strange anymore. In fact, alternative is quite familiar to music lovers in the 2000s with the success of Linkin Park and many Vietnamese rock bands or even mainstream artists have applied this genre. However, for a long time, the audience has not heard the sounds of alternative rock in popular products anymore, it has retreated to give way to other influences for more than 10 years now.

Phung Khanh Linh continues to "play hard" when using alternative rock for the single Khoc Block .

Therefore, Phung Khanh Linh's choice of alternative rock for Khoc Block , although not as unique and original as in Em dau , is still a risky move by the female singer because it is no longer close to the audience at the present time. Phung Khanh Linh's commitment is well-founded, because there are not many genres that can describe the explosive anger of the character in the song as clearly as that.

The song begins with a pounding guitar and fierce drums, Phung Khanh Linh just pours out her emotions without holding back or hiding them : "I hate, I'm angry, the person I used to love", "Khop, Block, I don't wanna see you anymore" . Following each angry beat of the female singer, the guitar sound is placed throughout the song, and only at the end, when Linh sings very softly "Em phai di ve thoi" as a self-acceptance of the feelings that are no longer there, are the violent sounds softened to create the ending of the song.

Phung Khanh Linh shared: “With Khoc Block, I want listeners to feel an explosive flow of adrenaline – the feeling that makes you want to cry out loud in the car or scream along during live shows” . And Phung Khanh Linh and producer Carson Hogan have maintained the adrenaline flow as expected when the chorus of the song is handled well with each word, short sentence sung with the necessary decisiveness and is also very easy to remember and sing along.

Can it be successful?

Wish you a broken heart and Em dau both gained attention in the music community in general, but to say that these are mainstream hits is not true. Phung Khanh Linh mostly focused on a small audience, who already loved international alternative, instead of aiming at a larger audience. Khoc Block also followed a similar direction.

Khoc Block is clearly more rock than Phung Khanh Linh's previous two singles - which have a rather pop and easy-to-listen melody. Every sound in the song or the way Phung Khanh Linh develops the composition and builds the rhythm for the song are all aimed at a basic rock song. That is clearly a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it can help Linh expand her musical range and reach the rock audience in Vietnam, which is also quite large; but on the other hand, possessing a melody and production that is too strong, somewhat abandoning the pop element in the song can make Khoc Block even more selective of the general audience.

Crying Block will likely still be as popular as I'm in pain .

Moreover, although Khoc Block can be considered unique and novel when considering the general level of the Vpop market, if this is considered a true alternative rock song, it is not too special. Em dau or Uoc anh tan tan con tim is highly appreciated not only because Phung Khanh Linh dares to use a rare genre, but also because the singer's strange sound arrangements are very harmonious with the easy-to-listen pop melody. Meanwhile, Khoc Block does not have that genre crossover, but chooses to follow the familiar production methods of this genre.

In addition, Phung Khanh Linh's voice also lacks the necessary strength for the genre. When she sings each word of Khoc, Block , or Em han, Em phan, although it has more energy than when she sings pop songs, it is still quite "gentle" compared to the violent guitar sound behind.

However, we still have to praise Phung Khanh Linh for daring to take a path that does not follow any successful pop model of Vietnamese music. The female singer is willing to "play to the end" with strange genres and sounds, increasingly expanding the boundaries of music by touching on a series of different genres and partly building her own separate sound world . Khoc Block may not be as successful as Em dau , but those who love sounds different from the masses are still there and can still accompany Linh on the upcoming journey.

Source: https://znews.vn/phung-khanh-linh-mao-hiem-post1556770.html