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Although best known for her vibrant and energetic stage presence and dance moves, ballads have always been a significant genre in Toc Tien's career. From her younger years, when she collaborated with songwriter Quoc Bao, Toc Tien was given the opportunity to sing songs with beautiful, bright melodies like "Ngoi Hat Ca Benh Bong" and "Yeu ." Upon officially becoming a professional singer, Toc Tien also made her mark on the market with ballads such as " Co Ai Thuong Em Nhu Anh" and "Em Khong La Duy Nhat ." Even in her debut album , "Cong, " which primarily featured EDM/dance, Toc Tien included a ballad, " Neu Anh La Em ," a song that was very popular with audiences.
In fact, Toc Tien previously released the EP "Yêu rồi yêu rồi yêu" in 2021, featuring four gentle ballad songs. While it didn't bring about a breakthrough in either music or career for the singer, the four ballads in the album were highly praised for their unique approach, fresh perspective, and non-cliché style. Toc Tien's vocal abilities, considered among the best in the market, helped all four songs stand out in quality compared to other ballads in Vpop.
Officially returning to music after more than a year since "Dam Da" was released on the "Chi Dep Dap Gio" show, and more than three years since her last ballad "Neu Anh La Em ," Toc Tien continues to demonstrate her sensitivity to this genre with the single "Nguoi Con Thuong Em Khong ," maintaining her unique perspective and vocal technique that made her famous.
The poetic imagery is the highlight.
The song "Does He Still Love Me?" was revealed by Toc Tien's team to have used lyrics from the poem "Let Go" by actor Minh Du. The poem is included in the anthology "Let's Sit Down and Tell the Wounds in My Heart ," which the actor has published as a book. The poem "Let Go" contains the line , "Should we wait until the earth becomes square? / Then you'll finally learn to let go of someone." This is the line that Toc Tien and her team directly inspired the song with, placing it at the end of the chorus : "Or when will this earth suddenly become square? / Then I'll finally learn to let go of him."
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Building a song around a poetic idea is a highlight of Toc Tien's comeback single. |
Borrowing poetic ideas from Minh Dự is a highlight. For simple, basic ballads, the lyrics often repeat familiar comparisons and imagery, with little variation to create immediate closeness and empathy for the listener. In "Do You Still Love Me? ", the song unexpectedly uses a rather unusual metaphor, suggesting that perhaps only when the earth becomes square will the girl in the song forget her old love. This is also an important premise for Tóc Tiên and her team to develop the content of the entire song.
Instead of vague, generic imagery, Toc Tien directly recounts her daily activities without her loved one, seemingly familiar things but concealing deep within them a sense of emptiness and pain : "Like a habit, I make coffee every morning / I tend the garden, watering it, only now his presence is missing / The movie we watched together is unfinished / The road to the office is filled with tears." This style of expression is rarely seen in mainstream music but is more common among indie musicians.
Tóc Tiên herself is familiar with this, arguably her "style," as she previously included the song "From Habits" by indie songwriter Trang in her EP "Love, Love, Love ," with lyrics quite similar to "Since you came with your habits/ You made me live as a better person/ Am I better or still clinging/ From the habits you created?" . These are all very fresh perspectives, where the pain of a breakup doesn't come from grand moments, but is hidden even in everyday habits, things the characters in the songs never had before, such as in "From Habits" it's folding clothes, watering plants, while in "Does He Still Love Me?" it 's making coffee every morning, watching a movie together.
The arrangement for "Người còn thương em không" (Do You Still Love Me?) is handled by musician Ngô Minh Hoàng, who has contributed to many Vpop ballad hits such as "Sao cha không" (Why Doesn't My Father) and "Nàng thơ" (Muse ). His strength lies in creating a vast musical space with a tight combination of piano and string instruments, and these are quite fully showcased in Tóc Tiên's single. The song's space is beautifully constructed, has depth, and the string instruments appearing in the middle of the song help elevate the track significantly.
Her singing voice is her strong point.
Tóc Tiên's singing voice has been a subject of much debate in the past. On one hand, her vocal technique is top-notch, with a wide vocal range, clear enunciation, and easy adaptation to many genres, from ballads and R&B to dance music, all of which she has had hits about. On the other hand, the polished and clean quality of her vocals has led many to believe it's somewhat "bland" and lacks individual personality.
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Tóc Tiên has always had a solid singing technique, and this is a noteworthy strength in a basic ballad. |
In "Do You Still Love Me?" , Toc Tien hardly shows any difference from her performances in previous ballads: her singing is still very "clean," very smooth and beautiful, almost without a single flaw: the low notes are clear, the high notes are sung comfortably without tension, and the harmonies are solid and rich. This "cleanliness" is often equated with excessive "technicality" and a lack of emotion.
However, upon closer examination, Toc Tien's meticulousness and attention to detail yielded more positive results. Especially considering the song's not-so-catchy melody, with almost no memorable changes throughout, Toc Tien's ability to utilize her wide vocal range and arrange the harmonies makes the song much easier to listen to and feel. For example, in the chorus, when the songwriter uses the 'o' sound at the end of the line "Outside, the rain is heavy / But it can't compare to the hurt you have / You're probably warm and comfortable with someone else now, don't worry," it sounds quite jarring and difficult to sing, but Toc Tien performs it skillfully, gently gliding each word and handling each word differently, making the whole section much more pleasant to listen to. Therefore, Toc Tien's "technical skill" in this song is essential.
" The song 'Người còn thương em không minh rõ' (The one who still loves me) isn't exactly a groundbreaking surprise in Tóc Tiên's career; in fact, many fans might be slightly disappointed after waiting a long time for the singer's official single. However, Tóc Tiên shows a fairly consistent perspective, from song selection and problem-solving to her performance style, all bearing a certain resemblance to her previous ballads. This is a suitable choice for Tóc Tiên, simply because it best reflects the singer's current situation.
Source: https://znews.vn/toc-tien-phoi-bay-chinh-minh-post1657613.html
