Son Tung's ambitions

For many years, Son Tung has pursued his dream of breaking into the American market by collaborating with international stars and singing songs in English.

Introducing the MV "Come My Way," released on the evening of May 28th, Son Tung's team stated that the project marks a new step in the singer's journey to expand internationally, where Vietnamese music , identity, and spirit are placed at the center of the creative process.

Sơn Tùng's ambition to break into the international market began many years ago, from the time he released the music video "Chạy ngay đi" featuring Mai Davika to when he spent a huge amount of money inviting Snoop Dogg to participate in the music video "Hãy trao cho anh" (in 2019). Since then, the male singer has gradually realized his ambition through various strategies.

The phrase 'Run away immediately'...

At the time of the release of "Run Away Now ," Son Tung M-TP shared that his biggest dream was to bring the Vietnamese language to the world . For Son Tung, that was his greatest source of pride.

For many years, the male singer has almost persistently pursued that dream with concrete steps. He has also invested large sums of money to ensure his music is as close to international market trends as possible.

Since the release of "Run Away Now " in 2018, Son Tung collaborated with a leading South Korean production team, bringing a modern and trendy musical style compared to the Vietnamese music market at that time. Not only did he invest in the sound, but Son Tung also attracted attention by inviting famous Thai actress Mai Davika to play the female lead in the music video.

In 2019, Son Tung continued to expand his international ambitions with "Hãy trao cho anh" (Give Me Your Love) . This product marked a collaboration between him and legendary rapper Snoop Dogg and female singer Madison Beer.

The male singer even filmed the music video in the Mojave Desert and Joshua Tree National Park in California (USA). This location has previously appeared in the works of numerous international stars such as Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Nicki Minaj.

Son Tung collaborates with rapper Tyga in his latest music video. Photo: Antiantiart.

In 2022, Son Tung released "There's No One At All ," a song performed entirely in English. This was considered the singer's clearest experiment in his journey to penetrate the international market. About a year later, the singer continued with the single "Making My Way," also performed entirely in English.

Over the past few years, the singer born in 1994 has consistently released a mix of Vietnamese songs, safe and familiar to the domestic market, and English songs that are experimental and have unique melodies.

With "Come My Way ," Son Tung continues to demonstrate his global direction by collaborating with an international team and rapper Tyga. The song features an afrobeats sound, combining hip-hop and contemporary pop. This genre is quite niche in Vpop but has been popular internationally for many years.

The song was co-written by Son Tung and producer Marvey Muzique, while the lyrics were written by Marvey Muzique and Tyga. Marvey Muzique is a Grammy-nominated producer with extensive experience in the international music market. He also served as the sound engineer for Son Tung's previous song , "There's No One At All ."

This producer previously worked on Davido's Grammy-nominated album, Timeless . Meanwhile, Tyga is also a familiar name to US-UK music fans thanks to a series of hits with hundreds of millions to billions of views, such as Taste, Hookah , and Ayy Macarena .

Son Tung takes a risk.

In terms of achievements, "Come My Way" has initially shown great appeal not only in Vietnam but also in the international market. The music video reached over 13 million views in just one day after its release. Notably, " Come My Way" also topped the trending charts in many countries and territories such as Japan, South Korea, Germany, and Singapore... This achievement shows that Son Tung is gradually reaching a certain international audience - something the male singer has persistently pursued for many years.

Speaking to Tri Thức - Znews , media expert Phan Vĩnh Phúc commented that Sơn Tùng wants to assert his international standing by collaborating with foreign artists. This is also an opportunity for him to affirm his stature, reach an international audience, and test the capabilities of his new team. It can also be seen as a chance for him to showcase his unique creative style, demonstrate challenging techniques, and chart a new course to shape his fandom.

While "Come My Way" has received many positive reviews regarding its achievements, it's still a long way from fulfilling his dream of breaking into the American market, as the song hasn't yet made it onto international charts, such as Billboard, or been played on international television and radio like K-pop artists have.

In the domestic market, Son Tung's products have also sparked some debate. Songs like "Making My Way," "There's No One At All," and "Come My Way " are aimed at the international market, and therefore may not suit the musical tastes of domestic audiences. In "Come My Way ," Son Tung's English pronunciation has been criticized for lacking smoothness and naturalness.

Images from Son Tung's new music video. Photo: Antiantiart.

Regarding this issue, Nigerian YouTuber Cee Jay, while reacting to Son Tung's music video, commented that the 1994-born singer was using a "half-English" style. The singer used a mix of English to be as close as possible to the singing style of African artists in the Afrobeats genre.

Meanwhile, Mr. Phan Vinh Phuc analyzed Afrobeats music, which is influenced by the folk music of the Yoruba people, characterized by its agglutinative language and phonetic repetition of vowels. Musically, this genre uses clave rhythms and characteristic variations, with continuous syncopation and extremely fast tempos. Therefore, this is a significant challenge for non-native artists. This further demonstrates that Son Tung and his team have dared to venture into many musical genres, and this is an important quality of an artist.

Experts believe Sơn Tùng's approach is encouraging, as it brings local elements and identity directly to the demanding and highly influential international market. By collaborating with foreign artists and incorporating traditional Vietnamese elements such as the Bronze Drum, the Lạc bird, and images of the bull racing festival into the music video through artistic expression and contemporary style, the project is expected to attract attention from international audiences, especially the fandoms of the artists featured in the project.

However, according to experts, Son Tung will need a more creative strategy to gain recognition in the international market, primarily in Asia.

"Breaking into the American market" or bringing Vietnamese music to the world is probably the dream of many Vietnamese artists. However, not everyone has the perseverance, long-term strategy, and especially the financial resources to pursue this journey for many years like Son Tung M-TP.

Source: https://znews.vn/tham-vong-cua-son-tung-post1655489.html