People's Artist Thanh Lam: Singing is like the voice of the heart and life

People's Artist Thanh Lam

REPORTER: Famous as a female artist with a fierce and fierce style, a voice like a burning fire, but in the album Cuon phim, Thanh Lam is a very calm person. Is there any change?

* People's Artist THANH LAM: The album "Cun phim" (composed by musician Nguyen Vinh Tien) is the period of maturity in my awareness. I sing with my own compassion and philosophy. As the title suggests, "Cun phim" contains a range of emotions, like a "decade train" I have traveled through.

With each song, I don't want to make it too sad or stressful, but everything is conveyed appropriately and in balance. In this life, everyone has a burden to struggle with every day, every hour. Therefore, instead of being a heavy challenge, music should bring a peaceful atmosphere. In the past, my innovations and creations were often to satisfy my singing needs. Gradually, I balanced what I wanted and the audience's expectations to create products that penetrate deeper into the listener.

It's great to see the youthful energy in your new album. As artists, we're all afraid of losing our creative inspiration. How do you nurture your emotions?

* Many people think that artists have to suffer to be able to sing well, but for Thanh Lam, when her mind is at peace, she sings best. It is the small happiness in her current family life that motivates Lam to sing most naturally. I have listened, found a way to express myself through my own life experiences to sing warmly, lovingly, and intimately. Simply, just slowly feel the melody and lyrics, and it will naturally come out as a song. Singing is like the voice of the heart and life is expressed through the voice.

How did you find harmony when choosing musician Nguyen Vinh Tien as your collaborator?

* I chose to collaborate with Nguyen Vinh Tien because performing throughout the album with a musician is like going on the same journey of youth, sharing the same musical language, expressing the musical personalities of both. The 12 songs in the album were selected from hundreds of songs composed by Nguyen Vinh Tien during the period 2012-2022.

The songs are as diverse as our moods throughout the decade. Sometimes they are like the depths of nostalgia, sometimes they are as fresh as green tamarind branches, sometimes they flow as fast as the windows of a ship, sometimes they are as slow and calm as footsteps before the door of Zen... It is a flow, both of awakening, of pain of lost things, and of unanswered questions...

I always feel that Nguyen Vinh Tien's songs have something very compassionate and rich in life. The songs cannot be memorized after just one listen, and I like the mysteries behind the lyrics. The beauty of art is that it has many dimensions of thought, and each person will find it interesting from a different angle.

With over 35 years of singing, People's Artist Thanh Lam must be used to facing all kinds of compliments and criticisms, standing between the line of love and hate. How do you think an artist should face and accompany the audience?

* Whether someone loves me or doesn't understand me, I still find it valuable. Life is like that, even my family members sometimes don't understand each other, let alone the audience. I still listen and take note of all compliments and criticisms. I am a strict professional, truly trying and creating throughout a long journey, so I always believe the audience will understand.

In addition to criticism, I have received many positive words of encouragement that have touched me deeply. For example, many people said that they did not like Thanh Lam before, but now they have “turned the car around”. Throughout the long journey, I have had successes and failures, but I always have faith in my own choices. Giving up greed, anger and ignorance requires a long-term practice. I have been practicing to correct my own shortcomings.

How does People's Artist Thanh Lam evaluate the current music trends? Do you think you need to approach a new path like young artists, or will you still stick to your own path?

* It must be said that the current music market is extremely vibrant with young faces, famous programs, and constantly released products. This is an extremely wonderful thing, contributing to the development of Vietnamese music, which can reach even further in the future.

Of course, I will still follow my own unique path, with the image of a new Thanh Lam, deeper and more profound. I have experimented with almost every genre, expressing almost every emotion in music. Only when I have new inspiration, or new stories, that first attract me enough, then I want to introduce them to my fans.

I am a curious person, always wanting to fully exploit my creativity. As a contemporary folk artist, I always try to break through my own limits. Like everyone else, I also want to reach many lovely young audiences. I still have many dreams to reach.

During her 35-year musical career, People's Artist Thanh Lam has released 24 albums, from her first album Em di qua toi (1990) to Cuon phim (2025). Each album leaves a special mark, full of personality. With the album Cuon phim, in addition to solo songs, she also collaborated with Tung Duong, Ha Tran, and Ali Hoang Duong.

Performed by TIEU TAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nsnd-thanh-lam-tieng-hat-nhu-tieng-long-va-cuoc-doi-post788319.html