Choose to study art to… escape poverty
Sharing with Dan Tri reporters at the press conference introducing the music night Bong hoa anh thep , singer Hoang Hong Ngoc said that after winning Sao Mai 2015, she still lived in a dilapidated house in her hometown Nghe An .
“At that time, my house was still leaking. One time, there was a heavy rain, the water flooded up to the floor, my mother slipped and fell in her own house,” Hong Ngoc said.
Not coming from an artistic background, Hoang Hong Ngoc grew up in poverty in a remote district, living with her mother, a woman who made a living selling lottery tickets.
Since childhood, she was aware of her situation. When she passed both the University of Commerce and the Military College of Culture and Arts, Ngoc chose art not only because of her passion but also because of practical considerations.
At first, her mother objected because she feared that her daughter pursuing art would have a hard time, but Ngoc gently analyzed the pros and cons, reassuring her mother about the future ahead. The young girl's determination and thoughtfulness made her mother agree.
“I chose to study at a military school because I would be fed and would ease the burden on my mother. As for studying economics , I would have to compete a lot after graduation. I thought that even if I studied art, I could still sing at weddings to earn money to support myself (laughs),” Hoang Hong Ngoc said frankly.
According to the singer, her first income did not come from performing on stage but from tutoring Math - Literature and babysitting for 180,000 VND/session. During her years studying in Hanoi, in addition to tutoring at home, she started choreographing dances, singing at weddings, and recording backing tracks for a few hundred thousand VND each time.
Winning Sao Mai Championship and then… depression
Winning the Sao Mai 2015 contest in the pop music genre was once considered a turning point in Hoang Hong Ngoc’s singing career. But few people know that after winning the championship, she fell into depression for a year because she had no money to make music products and was not able to maintain the media heat as expected.
Glory came quickly, but difficulties came just as quickly. With no money to make a MV, nor a team to accompany her, she tried to find songs from other musicians but felt they were not suitable.
The feeling of being abandoned after her victory made her depressed. People who invited her to sing at weddings thought that the Sao Mai Champion would no longer accept small shows. And people in the profession at a higher level did not invite her because she was not outstanding enough.
“At that time, there were many new television competitions that had greater media appeal than Sao Mai. I quietly stood on the sidelines, not knowing where to start again,” Hong Ngoc confided.
To maintain her image after the competition, Hoang Hong Ngoc collaborated with two close friends - Bich Ngoc (Sao Mai runner-up in the light music category) and Hong Duyen (Folk genre runner-up) - to release some joint products such as: Dieu khong the mat, Pho co, De gio cuon di ...
Despite the careful investment, these products still did not create the strong effect as expected. She admitted that it was a period of struggling to find her own direction, because the songs she sang together, although of good quality, lacked her personal mark - something she always aspired to pursue in music.
At the live show introduction event, Hong Duyen (Sao Mai 2015 folk runner-up) could not hide her emotions when witnessing the persistent journey of overcoming difficulties of her close friend Hong Ngoc over the years (Photo: Organizing Committee).
Unable to find suitable songs from musicians, Hoang Hong Ngoc began to compose her own songs. At first, she did not believe she could do it, but the pressure to move forward made her pick up the pen. "I could not hear myself in the songs written by others. When no one wrote for me anymore, I had to do it myself," she confided.
In 2016, Hoang Hong Ngoc attracted attention when she participated in the program Sing My Son (Best Song). With her self-composed song called Why Not , she was selected directly to the next round and became a contestant of musician Nguyen Hai Phong's team.
During the program's songwriting camp, Ngoc continued to demonstrate her impressive composing ability when she completed the song " Con snake" in just 24 hours - a challenge that surprised the judges with her ability to write music quickly and her unique musical personality.
However, when asked if she could continue writing a second or third article, Ngoc honestly said she didn't know and admitted that she wasn't confident enough. It was this hesitation that prevented her from being chosen to continue.
Three years later, she had written nearly 80 songs - a number that surprised even her. Of these, two works she considered important milestones: Lotus - a song often chosen to be performed in beauty contests, and Words of the Party Calling the Heart - a song played in many sessions of the National Assembly and Party Congresses.
"Steel flower" is tempered in hardship
As a female soldier working in an artist environment wearing military uniform, where most of her colleagues are men, Hoang Hong Ngoc compares herself to a “lonely flower”: thorny and resilient. “In the unit, people often see me as a younger brother, as a strong, individualistic girl,” Hong Ngoc humorously said.
She once wondered why she had never had an official relationship. She shared: “Some people say I look like a boy, others feel self-conscious when standing next to me. Some people only talk about money and position, I am allergic to them. I don’t need anyone to support me, I just need someone who understands my artistic self.”
Instead of searching for a relationship like many others, Hoang Hong Ngoc chooses to live true to herself, work seriously in art and cultivate inner strength.
She believes that when a woman is radiant enough, love will eventually come to her, like bees come to fragrant flowers.
After 15 years of working, from singing at weddings, choreographing dances to trying out more than 20 big and small competitions, Hoang Hong Ngoc organized her first personal live show called Bong hoa anh thep , taking place on the evening of August 8 at the Army Theater (Hanoi).
This name is also a song she composed herself, inspired by the image of a woman in military uniform - normal but not ordinary, soft but strong.
“The steel flower is the first image that comes to mind when I write about female soldiers - women who have to undergo hardships and practice to become strong and resilient,” Ngoc said.
But the deeper she went into her musical journey, the more she realized that image was not only for soldiers, but also a symbol for millions of Vietnamese women.
“Later, I saw that it was also the image of my mother, and of many women who always shine, not with fire, but with their own inner strength,” Hong Ngoc said.
For Hoang Hong Ngoc, this live show is not grand in terms of cost, but is "filled with living material". Director Huy Cong, band Binh Van and close friends such as: Oplus group, Thu Thuy, Hong Duyen, Bich Ngoc, Le Minh Ngoc, Mai Trang, Thu Hien... participated in the program but no one discussed the remuneration...
Born in Vinh (Nghe An), Hoang Hong Ngoc showed her singing talent early and was a member of the Blue Bird Art Team.
Hoang Hong Ngoc tried her hand at many competitions such as Vietnam Idol, X-Factor, Sao Mai rendezvous… but all of them ended early. The turning point came in 2015, when she won the championship of the light music category of Sao Mai competition.
Joining the Army Music and Dance Theater after graduating, Hoang Hong Ngoc affirmed her name as both a singer and a musician. She won many major awards such as: Gold Medal at the Army Professional Art Performance Festival (2018, 2023), Silver Medal at the Army Games in Russia (2020)...
To date, she has composed nearly 80 songs, most of which are related to the themes of soldiers, revolution and political programs.
Besides, Hoang Hong Ngoc also wrote many songs such as: Khong say khong ve (Huong Giang Idol), Noong oi (Sèn Hoang My Lam), Tet oi con muon ve nha (Hong Duyen)...
In addition to being a singer, she also produces music for projects such as: Ngu Hanh (Nhat Huyen), Net Viet (Tuyet Nga), Moi Anh Ve Tay Bac (Sèn Hoang My Lam)...
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giai-tri/quan-quan-sao-mai-hoang-hong-ngoc-chon-theo-nghe-thuat-de-thoat-ngheo-20250808114644894.htm
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