Phuong Thanh only dares to be the "silent beauty" behind Duc Tri

Sharing her thoughts about musician Duc Tri, Phuong Thanh expressed: "Today, I officially declare myself the muse of Duc Tri. But not just a muse in his songs because my personality is different from the ideal image Duc Tri aims for. I am a thorny muse in his life, silently supporting him from behind the scenes. I am fortunate to have known Duc Tri for 30 years and witnessed his journey from the very beginning. Duc Tri has songs and arrangements that are still 'hot' today, and no one dares to reinterpret them."

Singer Phuong Thanh and Duc Tri were seen being friendly at the press conference introducing their live concert "Like a Drifting Wind". Photo: Organizers.

When Duc Tri was the music director for a show, he would absolutely forbid me from including his songs. Once, I disobeyed him, insisting on singing "Ta Chang Con Ai" (We Have No One Left) in the "Duyen Dang Viet Nam" (Charming Vietnam) program . That time, I argued that it was my choice, not Duc Tri's. Thanks to that, I am now a talented and influential figure, having collected many of his songs. That is truly my happiness. I often say that a singer needs a good voice, but if they don't have a great and skilled songwriter behind them, it's very difficult to succeed. Phuong Thanh needs a songwriter like Duc Tri behind her, and right now, Phuong Thanh prefers to be behind Duc Tri."

The singer from Thanh Hoa province further revealed that she likes following the composer of "Like a Drifting Wind" because being behind such a talented and kind-hearted musician makes her feel proud and happy. She knows that even if she follows him, she will only be a "silent woman" behind him and will never be included in Duc Tri's list of women. But for Phuong Thanh, that doesn't matter at all.

Composer Duc Tri said: "The first person I always think of is Phuong Thanh. She has successfully performed many of my songs. That's her old favorite, but later, I liked new voices like Nguyen Ha, Lan Nha… There's one person who rarely appears in other people's shows, but this time I managed to invite her to participate, and that's My Tam."

Duc Tri always has the best feelings for Phuong Thanh.

Sharing his thoughts on the concert "Like a Drifting Wind," musician Duc Tri said that this is the largest-scale music program in his musical career to date. He named the program after the song "Like a Drifting Wind" because it was his first song composed in 1995, but it wasn't recorded until 2023.

Musician Duc Tri shared information about the live concert "Like a Drifting Wind". Photo: Organizing Committee.

"I started learning songwriting quite early. From the ninth grade, teachers who were friends with my father often came to our house to teach me how to write music. But the way I learned songwriting was mainly by setting existing poems to music. Perhaps that's because my musical talent was more evident than my talent for literature and poetry when I was young."

I also tried writing both lyrics and music a few times and showed them to my teachers, but without much success. I still remember Professor Tô Vũ shaking his head. When I tried singing it, he told me to stop and said, "Just focus on studying music well, don't write these silly love songs." Because of that, I temporarily abandoned the idea of ​​writing a song with both lyrics and music.

During my time at the Conservatory, I worked in musician Tran Thanh Tung's recording studio and continued practicing songwriting. Sometimes I would show my work to Mr. Tung or Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thien, and they would always give me encouraging pats on the back: "It's alright, you should adjust this, add this."

"Like a Drifting Wind" was born during those days, when I was about to graduate from the Conservatory of Music. But like the fate of some experimental songs before it, it was put away in a drawer for almost 20 years. I always thought the song was too immature, weighed down by the shadow of composers from the past, yet the writer kept trying to overcome it," composer Duc Tri expressed.

The live concert will feature the most representative songs of composer Duc Tri, which shaped the face of Vietnamese pop music during its glorious period from the late 1990s to the 2000s. These are also the "hits" that helped build the careers of leading singers.

"Like a Drifting Wind" brings together an incredibly high-quality lineup of guests, including artists associated with the hit songs of composer Duc Tri, as well as new voices that he admires: Phuong Thanh, My Tam, Nguyen Ha, Lan Nha, Pham Anh Khoa, and Quoc Thien.

"There's one person who rarely appears at other people's shows, but this time I managed to invite her to participate, and that's My Tam. Inviting My Tam is very difficult, but we have a debt to each other. I've been in many of her shows, so she'll be in mine too," Duc Tri said.

Source: https://danviet.vn/phuong-thanh-tinh-nguyen-lam-bong-hong-tham-lang-sau-lung-duc-tri-20230802094222092.htm