Musician Hoai An confided: "When writing "How Dear Is My Beloved City" - I wanted to tell about some images (among many images) and memories of the city - the place where I and my friends have been attached to since childhood until now, when we are already... middle-aged".
Musician Hoai An. (Photo provided by the character)
.REPORTER: Can you share the message you put into "How dear is my beloved city"?
- Musician HOAI AN: The song "How Dear Is My Beloved City" also talks about the city, as dear as home, as family, a place I always think about and want to return to after trips... Before writing "How Dear Is My Beloved City", I had to review some of the songs I had written about the city, to avoid duplication, find new ideas, and/or new ways of expression. Youthful lyrics, ambitious aspirations, vibrant music, full of energy... are what I aimed for when writing this song.
What do you want to convey in this song?
- Ho Chi Minh City is modern, civilized, friendly, and affectionate; the new super city is always at the forefront and "with the whole country, for the whole country"... that is the general image of the whole city.
For the people, beautiful images of helping each other in times of trouble and difficulty; as well as living a meaningful life, contributing to life, beautiful as flowers... those are the things I thought of when writing "How dear is the city I love".
The city is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country. Do you think this is a great opportunity for creatives to release meaningful works?
- I think each musician has his own strengths, adding to the sublime emotions will create works for life. As for me, I was born and raised when the country was at peace, half of my life was spent in Ho Chi Minh City, so when I wrote about the city, the emotions were very natural. In my first compositions (1992-1998), I used to borrow the image of Nguyen Hue flower street and many other images of the city to write "Flower Street", "Spring Street", "Spring with You"... Writing about the city where I studied and grew up, lived and worked, and had many memories, is a joy for me.
What are your personal feelings about the song "How dear is the city I love"?
- I have written a few songs about the city, but with "How Dear Is My Beloved City" the feeling is so strange, as if I am seeing something very different, very new about the city. Maybe in recent years I have traveled a lot, and the city has developed very quickly, so in just a short time, a familiar street corner can appear with a new look, with new constructions... When writing this song, I considered a lot about the words, the melody... hoping to convey the emotions from the writer to the listener.
Having lived in the city for decades, you must have witnessed many changes in the city. Will that be reflected in your new works?
- I came to Ho Chi Minh City from Hue when I was 4-5 years old and have been here for 43 years, so I have heard and seen a lot. Songwriters like me often collect images and emotions from everywhere, so that when the time is right, they can be displayed and have a ready "idea" to write.
I often joke that writing is "labor that requires conditions", meaning that there will be times when I can't write, write slowly... due to lack of emotion. But luckily, I've lived in the city for decades, so in my mind the city is always full of love and emotion.
Of course, in my new songs, whether it's a street, a shop, a bridge... the city of love is still there, still a young, dynamic city, always at the forefront.
.On the happy day of the city and the country, surely everyone has their own feelings, emotions and expectations, each person will have a way to express. As a musician, he expresses that through his compositions. Will the audience see a musician Hoai An release more songs about the country in the near future?
- I love the country and people of Vietnam and I have my own way to express that love. Since 2001, I have dedicated a part of my time, effort and even... money to make the album "Hon Viet" which includes many historical epics, heroic epics, legends, fairy tales... Although sometimes I encounter difficulties in writing, producing music and in life, up to now I have nearly 20 songs for "Hon Viet". In the past few months alone, I have written: "Ly Trieu Danh Tuong", "Duc Thanh Tran", "Hoang De Ao Vai"...
Besides, I have many songs about provinces, cities and localities thanks to the practical composing sessions organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Music Association. Some popular songs are "My Homeland", "Song Market", "Life of Rice, Life of Farmers", "Bac Lieu Land and Sky", "Bac Lieu Song of Love", "Remembering the Sound of the Kim", "Vinh Long Love of Land and People", "Ngan Ngo Cau Ho" (Bitter Melon)...
With the theme revolving around the country, how do you make the song easily reach people's hearts?
- For me, to make a song popular, many factors are needed, which can be divided into main parts: composition, arrangement, singer, promotion.
As for the author, how can the listener feel the sincerity, emotion and pride in the lyrics; the familiarity and closeness in the music (folk material); sometimes it needs modernity... All influences interact with each other to create a good work.
Personally, I often "borrow" the words of folk songs and proverbs; "borrow the breath" from folk music, adding the rhythm of modern music when mixing and arranging the work. The singer's part is very important, matching the song with the right voice, exploiting the singer's strengths in both expertise and image, as well as the singer's appeal to the audience... will help the song spread quickly.
This is the first time that Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper has organized a creative writing contest as a response to the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the city's liberation and national reunification. What are your beliefs and expectations for the contest?
- I think there will be many works participating in response, expressing love for the city, for the country and people of Vietnam, many new works will be widely distributed after the creative campaign of Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper.
With the advantage of being the organizer of the Mai Vang Award, a prestigious annual award for culture and arts, and a bridge between the public and artists, Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper has many conditions to help works fly high and far, such as staging some songs in art programs organized by the newspaper.
What do you think needs to be done to make this genre of writing more popular and widespread?
- Usually, to popularize a work, people often mention media channels: newspapers, social networks. Personally, I think it is necessary to add intimacy, emotion... to the work. Usually, if a song wants to be widely popular, listeners must see themselves in the story that the song tells, from there listen to it a lot and sing it again, then share it with friends...
However, each contest has its own criteria, the best song that meets the criteria will win the prize. So the solution lies in the contest criteria, the campaign, the coordination between the organizers and the judges.
If you talk about your feelings and emotions for this city, what are they?
- If it were the shortest, it would be "How dear is the city I love". I love the quietness of the city at night and the hustle and bustle of the city during the day. I hope that each person lives like a flower, each generation like a flower season, so that the city has many beautiful flower seasons, radiant with smiles...
The songwriting campaign "The Country is Full of Joy" is organized by the Lao Dong Newspaper to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 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.
The award ceremony will take place in April 2025. The total prize of the campaign is worth 240 million VND, of which the first prize is 100 million VND.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/nhac-si-hoai-an-luon-dong-day-yeu-thuong-thanh-pho-196240319205950012.htm
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