Write about ordinary things...

Người Lao Động•06/09/2024

Reporter : What emotions inspired you two to compose the song "The Green City"?

- THU THẢO: From the love of environmental workers for Ho Chi Minh City in particular and the whole country in general, as well as for the work they are doing, it's similar to their love for clean, green streets. Environmental workers voluntarily love and are committed to the job of sweeping streets because of the practical benefits their work brings to the community.

- YEN PHUONG: Just look at where we live; if there were no dedicated sanitation workers, we would be surrounded by garbage. They work silently through the night, without expecting thanks. Inspired by that, we researched the lives of sanitation workers. "Green City" is a song we wrote to honor them.

Ca khúc — Singer Yen Phuong. (Photo provided by the subject)

It is known that both are students of singer Trieu Loc - the grandson of the late Meritorious Artist Cong Thanh. How did the process of finding material to write this song relate to their teacher?

- YEN PHUONG: We studied vocal music with Mr. Trieu Loc - the second prize winner of the 2008 Television Singing Contest. He always encouraged us to observe life to write songs. And we sought out and talked to sanitation workers. Through that, we understood the profession they are so passionate about. They said that whenever they see clean streets and people enjoying fresh air, they feel happy. They are truly the people who "bring greenery" to the city.

- THU THẢO: Regarding the music , we found common ground with Huỳnh Minh Quân, who composed the melody, while we wrote the lyrics.

Through this song, what message do you want to convey to young people and your colleagues?

- YEN PHUONG: We want to encourage everyone to be more conscious about maintaining environmental hygiene. Because people's awareness of not littering reduces the hardship and difficulties for environmental workers. The song carries the message: let's all work together to protect the environment.

- THU THẢO: One special thing is that everyone should put aside their condescending views towards sanitation workers. The song is our conversation about the dream of a city that always remains green, a homeland in the hearts of those who work as sanitation workers in the city, some of whom may have come here from afar to build their lives. To us, they are unsung heroes.

You 've chosen a style of writing that is poignant and touches the hearts of listeners. Is that your preferred style of songwriting?

- YEN PHUONG: The song's emotions promise to touch the hearts of city dwellers as they think about sanitation workers. We hope the song will convey the feelings of each sanitation worker when they think about the city. The song is short, with a gentle, emotional melody and simple lyrics—these are the genuine emotions we want to spread...

What are your expectations for participating in the writing contest organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper ?

- THU THAO: The great victory of Spring 1975 has gone down in history as a glorious milestone, opening a new and bright future for the country. This event has been a great and powerful source of inspiration for musicians, especially since the campaign to compose songs titled "The Country's Complete Joy," aimed at celebrating the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country.

Since childhood, we have listened to impressive songs composed by musicians, evoking intense emotions such as "Springtime in Ho Chi Minh City" (Xuan Hong), "The Country Full of Joy" (Hoang Ha), "As if Uncle Ho were present on the day of great victory" (Pham Tuyen)... and we believe that the campaign of the Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper will achieve great results with compositions stemming from everyone's passionate love for the city.

- YEN PHUONG: The image of Ho Chi Minh City overflowing with green due to its clean and beautiful environment, with flags fluttering in the spring of great victory, is a time when the people of the city and the whole country share an boundless joy and excitement, with radiant smiles. Our hope is that this campaign will spread and be promoted so that everyone can sing and do many good things to contribute to building a civilized, modern, and compassionate city.

The very title of the song we wrote clearly expresses a joy shared by everyone that our city has remained green. From this 50th anniversary, all Vietnamese people will rejoice and be excited because the entire nation has together moved from one victory to another.

We believe that the songs submitted to this songwriting contest will be heartfelt melodies, embodying love and aspirations for the reunification of the country, and contributing to building a more prosperous, modern, and compassionate city named after President Ho Chi Minh.

The songwriting contest "The Nation's Complete Joy," organized by the Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper, aims to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of Southern Vietnam and National Reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025). The Organizing Committee will select 20 outstanding works for the final round. The final round is expected to take place in February 2025. During the submission and preliminary screening period, the Organizing Committee will select the best works to be staged and presented at the 30th Mai Vang Awards ceremony (around January 2025). Simultaneously, the Organizing Committee will also share the works on the newspaper's social media platforms to introduce them to the community.