Grateful to be flying in the free sky

* Reporter: Can you share a few words about the song "Flying in the Free Sky", responding to the song composition campaign "The Country is Full of Joy" organized by the Newspaper Nguoi Lao Dong?

- Musician MAI TRAM: For the country to have the joy of unification, our ancestors had to pay with so much blood and sacrifice. Today, I am able to study, work, live in peace, live in love. The song "Flying in the sky of freedom" seems to express the common dream of the previous generation for a peaceful, free, and independent country.

* What are your personal feelings about the song "Soaring in the sky of freedom"?

- My father's generation, specifically my father's, in the mid-1970s, right in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) together raised their voices to sing amidst the smoke of bullets, amidst the peace protests of students. Today, my generation in Ho Chi Minh City is raising their voices to sing with confidence and pride. That is all the emotion throughout the song, that is gratitude to the previous generation who fell so that we young people can "soar in the sky of freedom".

* The city is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification. In your opinion, is this a golden opportunity for composers to express their feelings and emotions about the country's outstanding event through music?

- Being given the opportunity by the Newspaper of Laborers, the Organizing Committee of the songwriting campaign "The Country is Full of Joy" to contribute a song to the city in the time of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, for me it is a happiness and an honor. I would like to thank the Newspaper of Laborers for creating a motivation, also a challenge for me when writing about a topic that has had so many good works.

Biết ơn khi được vút bay giữa trời tự do- Ảnh 2. — Song "Flying in the free sky". (Photo provided by the character)

* Growing up with the city's development, you must have very special feelings about your beloved city?

- Our city is developing every day, this is certainly something that everyone can see and songs praising the new constructions and stature of the city have been included in many good works. This city also has private, warm and affectionate feelings for me that are difficult to describe because I was born and raised here.

Ho Chi Minh City is an indispensable part of my life because it contains my childhood, present and future; it is my hometown, my family. I love this city as I love my relatives. A line in the song also expresses the warm humanity of this city: "The city is full of love, its arms are always wide open, the warm eyes of love make strangers suddenly closer". Hopefully this song will be sympathized and welcomed by many people, in order to add more flowers to the musical garden of the city and the whole country.

* As a young musician, what recommendations do you have to make new revolutionary love songs - compositions of the young generation - more accessible to young audiences?

- I always hope that compositions about the homeland, especially new compositions by musicians, will be remembered and loved by many listeners. I also proactively write about my homeland with my own true feelings, softening the propaganda content with beautiful melodies and rhythms suitable for young people. I think there should be organizations and media units to bring these works closer to the audience.

* Regarding the song composition campaign "The Country is Full of Joy" of the Lao Dong Newspaper, what suggestions do you have to build a large-scale and effective campaign?

- In my opinion, good songs are the core of all problems. Hopefully this contest will select many good works, have many young authors participate and find many new factors for the city's young writers. We need to organize many playgrounds, many composition competitions, with multi-style musical orientations, high prizes to attract the attention of young writers to participate.

Biết ơn khi được vút bay giữa trời tự do- Ảnh 4.

The songwriting campaign "The Country is Full of Joy" organized by the Lao Dong Newspaper to celebrate and commemorate the 50th anniversary of the complete Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025), the Organizing Committee will select the 20 best works for the final round. The final round will take place in February 2025. During the time of receiving works and preliminary screening, the Organizing Committee will select good works to stage and introduce at the 30th Mai Vang Awards Ceremony (around January 2025). At the same time, the Organizing Committee will also post the works on the newspaper's social networking platform to introduce to the community.

Each author can submit up to 3 works. Works sent to the Organizing Committee must have full music and Vietnamese lyrics, and must be accompanied by a CD of the recorded song or an MP3, MP4 file. The works must be new, unpublished in any form and free of copyright disputes. The Organizing Committee will not consider or award prizes for works that copy or imitate the ideas, melodies, and lyrics of other authors at home and abroad.

The award ceremony will take place in April 2025. The award structure includes 1 first prize (100 million VND), 1 second prize (50 million VND), 2 third prizes (30 million VND/prize), 3 consolation prizes (10 million VND/prize).

* Location to receive entries:

- Event and Brand Development Department of Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper. Address: 123-127 Vo Van Tan, Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Phone: (028) 39301820; Email: [email protected].

- Form of submitting entries: Directly; by post or by email.