Mai Tien Dung has not escaped the Deer God

Entertainment

Format-Lifestyle

Sunday, April 23, 2023 08:37 (GMT+7)
08:37 April 23, 2023

From the single "Nguoi nhu anh" to the recently released "Du khoc mot dong song", Mai Tien Dung has pursued ballads but he has not been able to overcome the shadow of mascot Huu Than.

In 2022, Mai Tien Dung wore the mascot Deer God in the TV show The Mask Singer , receiving the attention of the audience. Immediately after leaving the show, he released the song Nguoi nhu anh and the song quickly became the best-performing single in the male singer's career.

In 2023, Mai Tien Dung continued to release the single Du Khoc Mot Dong Song with almost the same color. Can miracles come a second time?

Show off the best part but sing blurry

Mai Tien Dung is not a weak singer. Appearing on The Masked Singer Vietnam and reaching the top 5 has proven the singer's inner strength and stability. He has a way of singing that tells stories and is full of emotions.

However, in both the singles Nguoi nhu anh and Du khoc mot dong song , Mai Tien Dung showed that his ability to handle low notes was not really good. The verses he sang were quite blurry and sometimes the notes were completely lost. There were parts where the listener could not hear what he was singing because the notes were completely blurry.

The purpose of leaving the verse so low is to push the chorus into Mai Tien Dung's most beautiful range. In Nguoi nhu anh , Dung took advantage of this quite well when expressing quite bright high ranges and sometimes he belted strongly to show off his voice and somewhat evoke the listener's emotions.

However, Mai Tien Dung's way of handling the song in Even though he cried a river is confusing. The chorus still has some commendable points when his high range is still quite bright. However, instead of performing strong belting parts, he sings restrainedly and evenly from beginning to end. When the song enters the bridge, Mai Tien Dung pushes the climax a bit higher but does not create a "satisfying" feeling for the listener, the song immediately returns to the familiar restraint.

Possessing a good voice, Mai Tien Dung's performance in "Even though I cry, I still can't fully exploit his strengths."

In a very basic ballad, reaching a climax is an important factor for the song to leave an impression on the listener, surpassing many other ballads on the market. However, Mai Tien Dung has not been able to do that with Du Khoc Mot Dong Song .

Not to mention, Even though crying a river is not a new idea. “Crying a river” was a trending phrase on social media a few years ago, not many people use it anymore.

In music, the lyrics "crying a river" have also been exploited and used by musician Duc Huy since the 90s of the last century. When Mai Tien Dung used it in 2023, the novelty factor was not there and the trending factor had passed a long time ago. Other meanings in the song such as "If you lied to yourself, even if I was right, it would be nothing" "The ending is too clear, I just don't want to believe" have also been used so much in ballads that they are familiar to the ear.

Highlights in the air-conditioning

Musician Hoai Sa is in charge of arranging the song Du Khoc Mot Dong Song . With his extensive experience, a basic ballad like this is not difficult for him. Listeners can clearly see the meticulousness and investment in sound when right at the beginning, Hoai Sa used quite invested string sounds to create a large space.

When it comes to Mai Tien Dung's rather faint low vocals, Hoai Sa also delicately placed only a few gentle piano sounds so as not to overshadow the singing. The song continues to develop into the next verses with the drums increasing to create a climax for the song.

Musician Hoai Sa's arrangement is the highlight of the song.

Although the song does not create the necessary explosive segments, in the final segment, the production team cleverly added a chorus to make the sound thicker than just Mai Tien Dung's solo voice. The chorus was used at a volume that was not too loud, pushing Dung's main vocals while still having enough weight to create a difference compared to the previous segments, showing the skillful hands of the production team.

However, those things are not enough for Du Khoc Mot Dong Song to step out of its comfort zone. It is only enough to make the song sound neat, professional and clean. The product is already in the comfort zone right from the composition as well as Mai Tien Dung's handling, so no matter how well the production is, it is difficult to pull the song up.

Mai Tien Dung's position in the market is not yet stable, he needs more hits to establish his name, so choosing to stick with ballads is understandable. However, to have another hit, the composition needs to be more novel and climax than it is now.

Nam Tran

Mai Tien Dung Even though crying a river Hoai Sa music review