Vietnamese Music 2024: "Older Brother" Overcomes "Pretty Sister" Wave
Báo Dân trí•27/12/2024
(Dan Tri) - V-pop in 2024 recorded the success of a series of male artists in personal music products as well as concerts and reality TV game shows.
Concerts of the "older brothers" explode the market
According to the latest statistics from Google, Anh trai say hi concert and Anh trai vu ngan chong gai concert are the keywords with the highest number of searches in Vietnam in 2024. Along with the effects of these shows, a series of related keywords such as "dinh choc, tich tran, bay phap phoi" or HIEUTHUHAI, SOOBIN... are also of interest and discussed by users. The phrase "anh trai" is mentioned frequently in the media, showing the huge effect that these concerts bring. According to data from the production unit of the Anh trai say hi program taking place on the evening of December 7 and December 9 in Hanoi, the event attracted 90,000 spectators (data provided by Tiketbox). Meanwhile, concert 2 of Anh trai vu ngan chong gai in Hung Yen had 130,000 attendees (data measured by the FootFall system at Ocean Park 2,3). The above numbers officially broke the record of the Blackpink group at My Dinh Stadium in July 2023 (with about 67,000 spectators, revenue of more than 13 million USD (about 333 billion VND).
The concerts "Anh trai say hi" (left) and "Anh trai vuon ngan chong gai" exploded in the Vietnamese music scene this year (Photo: Producer, Nguyen Ha Nam). Although the ticket prices for the concerts "Anh trai say hi" and "Anh trai vuon ngan chong gai " are much "softer" than those of Blackpink's concerts, based on the average ticket price and the number of audiences that have been announced, each concert can still bring in at least more than 100 billion VND, not to mention revenue from sponsors. The effect of "anh trai" shows confirms the strong transformation of the performing arts industry in Vietnam. Not only bringing positive signals in the issuance of tickets and merchandise (attached items for fans), these events also demonstrate the change in the way Vietnamese people create/enjoy artistic products. As one of the artists participating in the concert of Anh trai vu ngan cong gai , rapper Ha Le said that this is one of the biggest shows and gathers the most audiences that he has ever participated in. "We invested a lot of effort and time to come up with the idea, then together with the production team turned that idea into reality. The success of the game show and concert partly shows that when artists make an effort and are accepted by the audience, the effect of a program will be extremely explosive," the male rapper expressed. Performance in concert 2 of "Anh trai vu ngan cong gai" on the evening of December 14 in Hung Yen (Photo: Nguyen Ha Nam). Besides the concerts originating from two popular reality TV shows Anh trai say hi and Anh trai vuon ngan cong gai , the Vietnamese entertainment industry is also bustling with a series of quality concerts by male artists. Vu. concert marking the career of singer Vu., took place in Ho Chi Minh City (October 12) and Hanoi (October 26) with the theme Museum of Regret . The two events attracted a total of more than 22,000 spectators, helping Vu. become the Vietnamese artist with the largest solo concert of the year. Meanwhile, Tung Duong held the concert Nguoi dan ong hat at the National Convention Center (My Dinh, Hanoi). Ha Anh Tuan brought the live concert Sketch a Rose to the Esplanade Theater complex (Singapore) in June and to the Sydney Opera House (Australia) in September. These two overseas concerts attracted about 6,000 spectators. On the female artists' side, Phuong My Chi also had a successful year when School tour - Co bay dance 2024 attracted more than 8,000 audiences in October. My Tam held a live show My Soul 1981 at Ho Tram beach (Ba Ria - Vung Tau) with the participation of more than 5,000 audiences... Uyen Linh shined with The Vocalist marking 15 years of operation. Although they all left obvious artistic marks, the activities of the "older brothers" are still stronger and more prominent in terms of media effects. Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, media expert Hong Quang Minh also commented that 2024 is a year in which Vietnamese music witnessed the rise of male artists, in personal products and also on major media platforms. According to Mr. Minh, this is not just a coincidence, but the result of a series of factors related to trends, tastes and methodical communication strategies. Mr. Minh believes that artists who come from "big brother" shows or independent artists all have one thing in common: They know how to tell their stories in a way that touches the audience's emotions. Vu. remains loyal to his poetic, narrative musical style, but the way he turns each product into an "attractive language combination" has always won over his own audience. Ha Anh Tuan with concerts at world-famous venues. Phan Manh Quynh is associated with film music and is constantly in demand at tea rooms. Mono - although a young artist - possesses appeal thanks to her unique image and bold approach... "Meanwhile, female artists seem to have slowed down. Partly due to the pressure from previous success, partly due to the lack of new elements to arouse public curiosity. Female artists' music products, although still well-prepared, sometimes fall into an overly safe zone. They still maintain a certain appeal, but their appearance is no longer as groundbreaking or surprising as before," said communications expert Hong Quang Minh.
This year, Tung Duong is one of the male artists who left an impression with the concert "Singing Man" at the National Convention Center (My Dinh, Hanoi) (left) and Vu. and the band with 14,000 spectators attended the concert with the theme "Museum of Regret" in Hanoi (Photo: Organizing Committee).
When the "beautiful sister" fights the storm of the "older brother"
While the two game shows Anh trai say hi and Anh trai vuon ngan cong gai both attracted a huge number of fans, Chi dep dap gio season 2 lost its appeal and was no longer discussed much by the public, even though it had been more than half way through. According to Mr. Hong Quang Minh, the decline in the effect of Chi dep dap gio season 2 is directly related to the way the show failed to adapt to the change in audience tastes. "Season 1 of Chi dep dap gio rou song was a big hit, because it hit the right audience psychology: admiration for mature, confident female artists but still very soft and delicate in the way they expressed their personal stories. In season 2, the way the show built the story line and exploited the characters repeated this formula, without many breakthroughs. This made it easier for the audience to predict situations and reduced the feeling of surprise or curiosity - which is a vital factor of reality TV shows", Mr. Minh commented. This expert also believes that while the "beautiful sisters" in season 1 all had distinct personalities and compelling personal stories, season 2 was somewhat overshadowed as the contestants had not yet created a strong emotional connection with the public. Fierce competition from other programs, especially shows for male artists, is also overshadowing the "beautiful sisters". The "beautiful sisters" of season 2 struggled to compete with the charm of the "older brothers" (Photo: Organizers). In terms of music products, the "older brothers" also have the upper hand in terms of viral effects. In October 2024, Son Tung M-TP's MV Dung Lam Trai TimAnh Dau officially reached 100 million views on YouTube, becoming the first MV of Vietnamese music released in 2024 to reach 100 million views. Quang Hung MasterD created a series of hits, becoming a music phenomenon of the year with hits such as: Thuy Tieu, Tinh Dau Qua Tat, Catch Me If You Can... Low G's MV Hop In Da Show exploded on the social network TikTok. Tung Duong has the album Multiverse this year, continuing to be highly appreciated for its professional quality. Young male artists such as Vu., Da LAB, Karik, SOOBIN, Tang Duy Tan also have albums in recent times, showing a music market rich in color and material. Meanwhile, female artists have outstanding albums such as Cam'On by Orange; The sister of singer-songwriter My Anh… Overall, these products all have their own unique qualities, showing the personalities of female artists in music.
Why did the "big brothers" win?
Speaking to Dan Tri reporter, Ms. Nguyen Ha Linh - lecturer at the Diplomatic Academy, Master of Arts and Culture Management at Chung Ang University (Korea) - also affirmed: "In 2024, male artists in Vietnam have made many great impressions with grand concerts, carefully invested music products, attracting a large number of fans. This shows the strong development of male artists, not only in terms of talent but also in terms of personal branding strategy. However, this should not be considered as "overtaking" but should be recognized that both female and male artists are contributing to the diversity and quality of Vietnamese entertainment". According to Ms. Linh, the strong effect that male artists have on the public may come from the following reasons: First, male artists often have a strong, close image. They often build a masculine, attractive or approachable image, suitable for the diverse tastes of the audience. In addition, the "chemistry" or "chemical reaction" between artists also creates a good reaction from the audience. They like to see the interaction from the artists, the way the artists are comfortable and happy with each other in common activities. Second, is the support from the fan community. Many scientific studies show that most fans who are willing to spend money on activities to support artists are usually female. Female fans tend to be more active in activities than male fans in general. And in particular, they are often loyal fans, for idols, artists in general, not just male or female artists. The fanbase of artists is often very loyal and willing to spend money, creating a strong influence. Male artists always create great attraction with fans, especially female fans - the audience who are willing to spend money on artist support activities (Photo: Producer). Similarly, this phenomenon also occurs in other entertainment industries, especially Korea, where boy bands like BTS or SEVENTEEN often have great influence with strong fandoms, always ready to support all artistic activities of their idols. Agreeing with this point of view, media expert Hong Quang Minh also believes that the "yang prevails, yin declines" situation is not only a problem of the V-pop market, but also reflects a transition period in the way audiences consume music. Mr. Minh assessed that at present, the public seems to give more favor to journeys of rising up and conquering difficulties - something that male artists often do better when they know how to build their image as a companion in the audience's life. "However, to balance the game, I think female artists need to go deeper and boldly tell more personal stories. Instead of just focusing on perfection or traditional feminine beauty, they can exploit more thorny, more intimate aspects, even daring to go against the norm to create a difference. The music market in 2025 still has great potential, but the story does not stop at who leads but how artists make a lasting impression in the hearts of the audience. "Brother" overcoming "beautiful sister" is a phenomenon worth pondering, however, this could also be the time for "beautiful sisters" to realize that this challenge will help them find themselves in a completely new way," said Mr. Minh.
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