What a pity for Bui Cong Nam.

Bui Cong Nam is a rather peculiar case in recent years. As a singer-songwriter who has proven his talent and possesses a large fan base ready to support his new projects, he still can't be considered a major name in the Vpop scene. Aside from his Lunar New Year music projects, time and again, the male artist's releases have faded into obscurity, failing to make a significant impact on music charts.

"I Love You ," Bui Cong Nam's new single, also faced a similar situation. In fact, this represents a rather different direction for the male artist compared to before, as he chose to explore themes of romantic love, family, and art, rather than a product intended for the Lunar New Year at the end of the year. The song shows investment in both visuals and arrangement, delivering a fresh musical experience.

However, after a promising start thanks to the support of its loyal fanbase, "I Love You" quickly stagnated in terms of listens, making it unlikely to break through and become a hit.

Bui Cong Nam's meticulousness

Previously, Bui Cong Nam was known for his easy-to-listen, pleasant melodies and relatively simple arrangements, primarily focusing on highlighting the catchy hook. This approach made his compositions particularly suitable for the lively and joyful atmosphere of Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year), rather than complex experiments in structure or harmony.

With "I Love You ," Bui Cong Nam takes a different approach. The melody is somewhat simpler, but this is compensated by the layering of harmonies, creating additional layers of sound. The song's structure is also not overly complex, prioritizing the exploration of feeling and energy in each line, rather than concentrating everything in the chorus.

"I love you" has a rather safe melody.

After a short, slow opening that evokes the quiet pace of life without love, the song gradually picks up speed. A pop/R&B soundscape unfolds, creating a bright yet poignant and emotionally rich feeling. The repeated hook serves as the central theme of the song, and its constant repetition makes the melody memorable.

The arrangement for " I Love You" was handled by TDK and Shube – a top-tier production team in Vpop today. Recently, this group has shown a preference for utilizing elements from previous decades, and they are fully capable of creating high-quality products. For example, " Kho Bao " by Trong Hieu has the ballad R&B feel of 2010s Kpop, while "Uot Long" features a soft blend of pop and bolero.

With "I Love You ," TDK delivers a remix heavily influenced by US-UK pop/R&B ballads from the 2010s. Despite using classical instruments like strings and timpani, the overall track maintains a modern pop spirit, easily accessible to today's audience. The string section is incorporated just enough to evoke a poignant feeling without being overly ostentatious.

The lyrics of " I Love You" are relatively simple, without many metaphors or interesting expressions. However, this is not a drawback, as the song is quite tightly structured and focuses consistently on its theme. As a result, the work is relatively successful in opening up many perspectives on love, encompassing familial love in the memories of those left behind, romantic love, and the artist's love for music and their audience.

In terms of vocal performance, Bui Cong Nam doesn't possess a powerful or dramatic voice. However, his voice is bright, intimate, and easy to listen to, enough to convey emotions naturally.

Bui Cong Nam is a very talented singer-songwriter.

Too safe

In terms of results, "I Love You" has only achieved relatively modest success, failing to create a significant impact. After 3 days of release, the song garnered over 900,000 views on YouTube, despite being an easy-listening pop ballad with a well-produced music video. This number is quite good compared to Bui Cong Nam's previous releases, but still only average within the general Vpop landscape. Given its current rate of spread, the chances of the song becoming a hit are very low.

In fact, this is somewhat regrettable, because through what he showed in "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Thorns," Bui Cong Nam demonstrated himself to be a rather talented singer-songwriter. His music is easy to listen to, polished, and professionally produced. Bui Cong Nam also has quite a few big hits as a songwriter.

Being too cautious has prevented Bui Cong Nam from breaking through.

However, in the context of the Vietnamese music market, which increasingly emphasizes individuality, novelty, and experimentation—exemplified by Phung Khanh Linh's rise after years of ups and downs with a unique album in Vpop, or Wren Evans' rapid advancement thanks to blending various genres—Bui Cong Nam has chosen a rather safe path.

His music is often built on familiar formulas, prioritizing smoothness, listenability, and a safe emotional impact. Furthermore, Bui Cong Nam's melodies and song structures are quite familiar, rarely creating excitement or curiosity from the outset. This puts the male artist at a disadvantage in the music industry.

Most of Bui Cong Nam's compositions also lack moments of explosive intensity or clear climaxes. Instead, the songs are guided by a steady, gradually building emotional flow. This creates a pleasant listening experience, but lacks strong enough highlights to create trends, especially on short-form content platforms.

In terms of arrangement, Bui Cong Nam often prioritizes minimalism and restraint. His arrangements support the melody and lyrics well, but rarely create a distinct and interesting sound. While many young artists are constantly experimenting with new materials or bold sound treatments, this safe choice makes it difficult for his music to stand out and easily blend into the mainstream of the market.

From "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles" to "Haha Family," it's safe to say Bui Cong Nam has had a boost in terms of his image. However, the products released over the past year have still garnered a relatively modest number of listeners, indicating that his music career hasn't made significant progress.

In fact, Nam still has a relatively large fanbase and can be perfectly satisfied with his current position. However, if he wants to go further, attract new listeners, and establish himself as a major singer-songwriter, the artist still needs to change a lot.

Source: https://znews.vn/tiec-cho-bui-cong-nam-post1625128.html