Musician Le Minh Son: I compose music when stuck in traffic

-The audience wonders why musician Le Minh Son hasn't introduced any new compositions or music projects for a long time?

There is too much work, I always hold the brain position so I have to stretch myself to do it. My team is implementing a big project called Mien Lau Trang - The love song of the heritage land , a program combining reality TV and a music live show to introduce and spread the historical values, culture, and beauty of the people of Ninh Binh province; at the same time, stimulate tourism, economy and society.

-The name Le Minh Son is recently known not for his grand art performances but for protecting music copyrights online and finding musical talents like the contest 'Tinh Ting Tinh'? Is it possible that he no longer wants to "be famous" but prefers to "sink" to quietly carry out community projects?

I don’t care about the concept of “sinking” or “floating”, I was born to work, even working at a very high intensity. Up to this moment, nearly 2,000 musicians have participated in the Tinh Ting Tinh music composition and performance competition, and it is predicted that by the deadline of December 5, 2023, this number will reach nearly 3,000. The competition is fierce but no less attractive.

In fact, I have observed many talented and good young people, but if they are not oriented for long-term development, it is a huge waste! Nowadays, many songs, although popular, only “live” for 3 months at most. Do you know why? Because they have no soul, they are just trendy compositions, “imitations” of popular products in the world, sound familiar - look eye-catching, applaud loudly and then just fall into oblivion.

I want to preserve the soul of folk culture and nurture lasting artistic values, so I organize the Tinh Ting Tinh contest not to give flashy awards to young artists and then leave them to drift aimlessly without leaving anything behind. I and my dedicated collaborators such as musicians Giang Son, Luu Ha An... will support you to contribute many quality musical products to the community.

Playing with young people is also Le Minh Son’s way of “renewing” himself and taking risks! Only then would I dare to make a program with no ratings, broadcast every Monday and without commercials… Many challenges await, but I always have faith in success.

-It took you and your colleagues 3 years to create the MCM online music copyright ecosystem. How is this system working now?

When starting a new idea, we cannot avoid many eyes of scrutiny and doubt, but we accept all difficulties. Now, there are about to be nearly 3,000 more young musicians, which is a huge potential customer base for MCM. The problem to solve is how we nurture them and how we cooperate to develop together.

-Famous singers associated with Le Minh Son's name such as Ngoc Khue, Thanh Lam, Tung Duong... have not appeared with you in any projects for a long time. Did you "abandon" them, or were you "abandoned" by them?

My personality is to explore new elements, using music and my experience to discover, nurture and honor talent. But when artists have become famous, I step back to let them freely fly, create and develop their own path.

They are Le Minh Son’s close friends. How can we not love them when mentioning Ngoc Khue, we think of Chuon Chuon Ot , Tung Duong is Oi Que Toi , Thanh Lam is Nang Len … It is truly a blessing that Le Minh Son’s songs have “nailed” their names. And when there are good opportunities in our careers, we are always there for each other.

-Famous singers in the Vietnamese music industry such as My Linh and Hong Nhung both participated in 'Beautiful Sister, Riding the Wind and Breaking the Waves' and caused a lot of controversy. What is your personal opinion about divas participating in entertainment game shows?

I don't follow that game show so I won't comment.

-You once said that for 10 years, "I didn't read newspapers or watch TV. I stayed out of Vietnamese showbiz because I wanted to keep my head clean." Is it true that from your perspective, the entertainment world has a lot of impurities?

Until now I still maintain that habit, I only go online to read football information.

-If you “close the door” to such a diverse flow of information from the outside, where will you gain knowledge, life experience, and creative materials from, or from books? What kind of books attract Le Minh Son’s “head” with many compartments?

Actually, the best book is the one… that I haven’t read yet. There are some very thick works that I don’t dare to finish, I just save each page and absorb each word, such as the book Two Fates (Jeffrey Archer). Recently, I also liked the book The Wisdom of Eating in the East by researcher Ngo Duc Vuong, which introduces a healthy, positive way of living starting from eating and living habits. It’s very interesting, everyone should read it.

The way Le Minh Son acquires knowledge is mainly self-study. If I hadn't studied music for 16 years, I wouldn't be here today. I always follow the cycle: "listen" - "read" - "learn" but I have to "live" before I can "write" or compose! "Living" here means real-life experiences with a full range of emotions that must be accepted: sadness, joy, bitterness, pain...

People think Le Minh Son is brave when trying his hand at many new fields. That’s not true! I am filled with confusion and fear, but I have to find a way to overcome it. You ask how? Through my own failures and lessons.

-What is the first thing musician Le Minh Son teaches his students when he teaches?

I always teach my students to ask themselves: “Who are you?”. If they can answer this question, they will naturally know: “Where are you?”, “What are you doing?”. Le Minh Son also asks himself this question. For the past 20 years, I have been running every morning, rain or shine, asking myself: “Who am I?”. Affirming that my identity can do anything, I often tell my friends: “It is better to light a small fire than to sit and curse the darkness” (quote by Eleanor Roosevelt).

Learn how plants live. Everything in this world has its value, but everything turns to the sun. The sun is knowledge.

-Spending so much time and effort on community music projects, have you "forgotten" about composing?

I still compose according to each project. You may not believe me, but there are months when I write 18 works. When do I compose? When I am stuck in traffic! Le Minh Son never complains about this problem even though he spends 3 hours every day. Most of the ideas for big shows come from that seemingly deadlocked, stagnant time. I turn on the recorder to record all my words and thoughts, then filter and perfect them.

-Your son, the lovely Cu Noi, has now become a young man. Do you want him to pursue an artistic career?

I also want my son to follow the path of music, but he has to practice hard. Nothing comes naturally, God gives us the ability, people give us the emotions. We have to learn life skills first and then determine our direction. Even now, my father still has to learn life skills every day. I believe that most children who love art tend to live a good life.

For Le Minh Son, wherever music plays, there will be love.