The vicious cycle of the boy band model in Vietnam

The boys are struggling.

Vietnamese music has seen many groups debut with the ambition to change the music industry in the same way Kpop has taken over the world. Previously, in the 2000s, the music group model had a prosperous time when a series of groups were established and actively operated such as: May Trang, Tik Tik Tak, 5 Dong Ke, MTV, 1080, The Men...

However, that success cannot be repeated, even though the music market is developing strongly and the audience is open to new forms of entertainment. Many boy bands such as D1Verse, Zero9, TAS, Uni5... were trained and invested in systematically but all disbanded before being known to the public.

Vietnamese audiences were curious about the group Zero 9, introduced as a Kpop group in both vocals and choreography, with an investment of 1 billion VND in their first MV. They followed the dusty, aggressive fashion style of Block B and BAP. In the end, their debut song was criticized for being too imitative, with loud music that did not suit the tastes of Vietnamese audiences.

Another unfortunate case is Monstar. The group debuted with a 3-member lineup including Erik, Nicky, Key. Their debut song “Baby Baby” was noticed for its catchy melody and bright style. Both Nicky and Key became familiar to Hanoi youth through their dance covers of famous Kpop songs. After 5 years of operation, Monstar still struggled to find a foothold, changed lineups several times, and disbanded in 2021.

A rare bright spot is 365 - a group that was professionally trained according to the international model. The group has been active for 5 years under the leadership of "manager" Ngo Thanh Van, is the representative face of many brands, and has a large fan base across the country. The members all have successful solo careers, acting in movies, working as MCs, participating in game shows... In 2016, 365 disbanded to the regret of fans.

There are few exceptions.

Many audiences believe that Vietnamese singers are not attractive enough in appearance, and their dancing and vocal abilities are limited due to only a few years of training. Therefore, when forming a group, they do not create a sense of uniformity, connection, and professionalism. In fact, the difficult problem lies in the budget. Mr. Cao Thang is the "father" of two music groups Lip B and Uni5. He has to admit that in the Vietnamese music market, spending on a music group is too expensive and complicated. Maintaining a cumbersome apparatus from managing the group, organizing meals, practicing, traveling, costumes... is much more expensive than a singer working.
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It can be seen that the success of 365 is an exception to the boy group model in Vietnam. Now, the members of 365 continue to participate in the boy group selection programs "Anh trai vu ngan cong gai" and "Anh trai say hi". However, looking at the silence of the group coming out of "Chi dep dap gio rou song", we can somewhat imagine the ending for the upcoming boy groups.

Issac is a prominent name in “Anh trai say hi”, while ST Son Thach and Jun Pham have the opportunity to reunite in the playground “Anh trai vu ngan cong gai”. The members of 365 are highly appreciated by their colleagues for their experience in practicing and performing as a team. Not only 365, two members of Monstar, Erik and Nicky, also met again in “Anh trai say hi” after nearly 10 years since the time they were active in the same group.

“Anh trai say hi” is also the playground where Huynh Hung sought opportunities after many years of “diving”. Huynh Hung spent 3 years as a trainee for a Korean entertainment company based in Vietnam, then registered for the survival show “Asia Super Young”. He made it to the Finals, stopping at 17th place but could not debut with the final lineup.

As the group model is not popular in Vietnam, the more than 60 faces participating in “Anh trai vu ngan cong gai” and “Anh trai say hi” probably do not aim to make it to the debut top. What they can get back from these programs is the opportunity to warm up their names, increase recognition and challenge themselves with a new image.

Source: https://laodong.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/vong-luan-quan-cua-mo-hinh-nhom-nhac-nam-o-viet-nam-1367896.ldo