The Singing Farmer

Meritorious Artist Cao Minh has spent more than four decades singing revolutionary and folk music. He is also known as the golden voice singing about Uncle Ho and revolutionary songs. At the age of 62, he is still passionate about singing and teaching music.

However, Meritorious Artist Cao Minh spends most of his time on the eco-tourism area and the self-built theater in Dong Nai. He carried out this idea with the desire to bring people interesting experiences and enjoy real music.

In a conversation with VTC News, the male artist admitted that he is a "strange and eccentric farmer" who likes to do things that go against the majority. For him, working is to "cultivate the mind" and improve health so that he can pursue his passion.

No one thinks I'm an artist.

With more than 40 years of dedication to revolutionary music, Meritorious Artist Cao Minh has many remarkable achievements. Has becoming famous quite early brought you many advantages in your singing career?

In 1988, while I was a student at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, I won first prize at the first National Concours held in Vietnam (chamber music). After that, I won the prize for the best singer of a song about Ho Chi Minh, a folk song.

Winning many prestigious awards since I was a student made me very proud. At that time, I promised myself that I would continue to study, research and practice to become a professional singer, specializing in singing revolutionary and folk music.

I used to work for a while in the Bong Sen troupe, then separated and joined the Au Co music and dance troupe. After a while, I became a freelance singer, and it was thanks to the awards that helped me become more known.

Meritorious Artist Cao Minh said he does art because of passion.

- You became famous early and quickly, making many people think you were lucky?

When I won the prize, many people thought it was luck. However, I myself know how hard I had to try and make an effort.

I was born in a poor countryside where many people have a passion for art but never dare to dream. I consider myself a daredevil rather than lucky to have dared to enter this door.

According to Cao Minh, working is to "cultivate the mind" and train health to be able to pursue art.

My teacher once said I was "a country bumpkin who came to the city". When he discovered my singing voice, I decided to enter the Conservatory of Music and changed my life.

I had to study for 9 years before I could step on stage. During this time, there were times when I wanted to sing but I didn’t allow myself to step on stage. I wanted to be worthy of being on stage as a singer.

- Born in a poor rural area in the West, you chose revolutionary and folk music, especially songs about Uncle Ho. When mentioning these songs, people will think that this is a strength of Northern artists. What made you passionate and decide to pursue this music genre?

Ever since I started singing, I have loved revolutionary music. Because this music always shows the heroic spirit of our army and people, the pride of the nation, and the hope for life. And folk songs will nourish people's souls, helping them love and be more attached to their homeland.

I am proud to be the only person to win the award for "Best Singer on Ho Chi Minh's Theme". No matter where I am, in a cave or under the sea, my love for my homeland, my country and Uncle Ho remains unchanged. So it is impossible to say which region has the strength to sing songs about Uncle Ho.

In art, I learned how to create energy. So when you use sound to interact with this energy, it touches the soul. When the two are connected, we become a work of art.

- It seems that at this age, your passion for music is still as burning as when you were young?

I still sing regularly and built my own theater to satisfy my passion for music. My theater is open every Saturday. The audience loves me playing the piano and singing.

I don’t use electronic music because I feel it will drain the audience’s energy. For me, true art must come from the soul of the artist. I love art very much but I am also very angry because I feel like I have been deceived for too long. That is why I founded my own symphony house.

The lie I want to talk about is that today’s music is losing its essence. Many singers and musicians don’t even know a note but still confidently stand on stage. When singing like that, the works will no longer have emotion. Nowadays, there are even many singers who don’t even learn to sing but still accept to be judges on television.

Moreover, nowadays, many compositions also rely on electronic music. If we continue to abuse it, there will come a time when people will be exhausted in their artistic creativity.

- Many people say that thanks to singing, Meritorious Artist Cao Minh is very rich?

Many people also call me the richest real singer in Vietnam (laughs). I consider myself rich in spirit because I don't care about luxury. Since pursuing a musical career, I have had almost no scandal because I always like the simplicity and honesty of a farmer.

I once told my audience, don't call me a singer. I'm just an educated farmer who knows how to sing. Even if no one on the street knows who Cao Minh is, when he goes on stage and sings, the audience will definitely know.

I am not a rich singer, because if you want to be rich, you have to do something else. At this age, I feel I was right to be angry with art. Because of that anger, I decided to become a farmer. That is the reason why I am rich (laughs).

Even though I am a farmer, I still think about singing. This also helps me stay healthy so at this age I can still sing very normally.

- In your opinion, are today's singers really as rich as what the audience sees?

To me, an artist is someone who has experienced many jobs, not someone who is flashy. Artists suffer a lot when it comes to money. I know many of my students who have never made a single penny from doing live shows.

Many singers nowadays even like to show off their wealth. However, only when they get sick or encounter misfortune do they know if they are rich or not?

Build 2 tourist areas by yourself

Being a famous artist, why did Meritorious Artist Cao Minh decide to focus on being a "farmer" by building his own eco-tourism area and opening a theater?

I decided to change direction after the Blue Wave program. I think the audience has many choices in music so I want to open up a music space for my audience.

Up until now, I have never mentioned money when singing. It is not because I am rich, but because singing is just a passion. The purpose of me switching to building an ecosystem is not profit, but to practice more health, clarity, and comfort to protect my voice.

Meritorious Artist Cao Minh is simple and ordinary in real life.

Some time ago, I opened a tea room at home. Then I switched to building an eco-tourism area. When I came to Dong Nai, I saw that there were beautiful forests, rivers, lakes, and waterfalls, and the people were friendly and welcoming, so I bought 20 hectares of land to build the Cao Minh Eco-tourism Area to satisfy my desire, and occasionally sing for the people.

Currently, I want to turn this place into a "music garden". I will invite friends to come and do top-notch music shows. Many people will think I am arrogant and conservative, however, this arrogant personality has been in Cao Minh for a long time. I do not use music to make myself famous, but only want art to develop properly.

- How do you build your own eco-tourism area?

I was born into a poor family, so I had to do everything myself, with no one to support me. I earned a few million dong a month teaching singing, which I used to buy building materials. There was a time when my relatives discouraged me from working and only wanted me to sing because they thought it was too hard. However, the harder it was, the more interested I became.

I am like a farmer, I learn by doing and by myself, so even though I have not gone to any training school, I have still been able to build houses and invent many types of machinery and equipment to serve production.

Eco-tourism area of ​​Meritorious Artist Cao Minh

Many people may not believe it, but I built 2 tourist areas by myself in 7 years. I collected old bricks and stones, even some that were recycled to build. In addition to this tourist area, I also bought 5 more islands in the middle of Tri An Lake. I built and decorated the landscape by myself, without any assistants.

I was lucky to be able to build my own eco-zone without borrowing from anyone. At that time, land was very cheap, and in many places they even gave it away for free. I hated having to borrow money. Many people said it was absurd to do business without borrowing. However, I always thought that if I borrowed, I had to pay it back. If I couldn’t pay it back, I would have to carry that debt for the rest of my life. That was what I feared the most.

- It seems like your life at the age of 62 is still very busy?

At this age, I still work from 5am until dark. I am angry at the sky for getting dark so quickly that I cannot continue working. My work also changes every day. Sometimes I build runways, sometimes I modify cars, sometimes I explore antiques, and then I dig and build like a farmer.

In addition, because of my passion for airplanes, I am currently the Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Flight Federation. I also built my own theater to sing to my heart's content. I quietly turned myself into a farmer. A farmer who loves singing and wants to sing for his own audience.

Success thanks to wife

With so much work, how do you spend time with your family?

I currently live in Dong Nai to focus on my business, while my wife still lives in Ho Chi Minh City. However, I still travel frequently when I have work. My family is always happy. My wife is the former Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music. Now retired, she still spends a lot of time writing books.

Meritorious Artist Cao Minh admits that he has a "weird and arrogant" personality.

My daughter also pursues music and is currently studying piano in France. Recently, she has been honored to receive several awards. Currently, she does not want to stay abroad but wants to return to Vietnam to open a school to teach with her mother.

- Does having such a good wife ever become a pressure for you?

My wife has always considered me a simple farmer since we met. She said she loves me for this simplicity.

If you ask me if there is any pressure, there is absolutely none. My wife and I went to the same school, and she was a year my junior. She has a gift for speaking, so she was nominated to be a leader. To be honest, I don't want my wife to be a leader. I just want her to be a music critic and focus on writing books.

- Does your wife's work support the success of Meritorious Artist Cao Minh?

When we got married, my wife said a very nice sentence: "You are a public figure, when husband and wife get married, we will tie a red string. But tying it only for ourselves is too selfish, so I will let you go out so that it will be beneficial to society." Saying this is to understand that our work is not bound to each other.

However, I affirm that Cao Minh's success today is thanks to his wife "letting go" to gain strength in society. The strength I am referring to here is the love of the audience.
- Thank you for sharing!

Source: https://vtc.vn/nsut-cao-minh-nguoi-nong-dan-biet-hat-ar805450.html