Thien Phu on My Favorite Vietnamese Composers

Pham Duy - the most prolific composer
 of Vietnamese popular music

Being a Vietnamese singer, I'm often asked who are my favorite songwriters and composers.  Well, I have to say that I can't deny the talents of Pham Duy and Trinh Cong Son.  Afterall, they are the legends among Vietnamese songwriters.  I especially enjoy listening to the compositions of these two whenever sung by such legendary singers like Julie Quang, Khanh Ly, Le Thu, Duy Quang, Thai Hien and Cam Van.  But for me, personally, I've hardly ever sung any songs written by these two.  Quynh Huong was one of the few songs I've ever sung on stage written by Trinh Cong Son.  I remember one time while I was performing on a show together with Y Lan, since it was set in a ballroom dancing atmostphere I had started to run out of songs to perform in the cha cha tempo and Quynh Huong was the only song left that I could think of.  I was quite hesitant of singing it that night, since I was fully aware of how Y Lan had made this song so famous with her fabulous interpretation back in the 1990s.  But what was I to do?  Just to show you what a great sport she is, when it was my turn to get up on stage and sing during the Da Vu, the Vietnamese term for ballroom dancing, segment of the show, she smiled at me and said to go ahead and sing it.  I still didn't.  I went ahead and decided on the last minute to do Besame Mucho in French, even though I hadn't memorized all of the lyrics yet.  But I improvised, and thank goodness, the audience didn't really take notice.  Anyway, back to Trinh Cong Son, I've been an obsessed fan of his music especially with songs like Tinh Nho, Nhu Canh Vac Bay and Diem Xua, just to name a few.  I particularly  love Trinh Cong Son's music whenever sung by Khanh Ly.  Mua Thu Chet is my favorite Pham Duy penned song, and in my book, that song must be sung by none other than Julie Quang, of course.

Duc Huy - Vietnamese Songwriter
 and Singer

I've sung a lot of songs written by Duc Huy.  Of course, he is one of my favorite composers, as well.  His music appeals to a younger generation.  When I first started out singing, I was then considered a young singer.  Of Duc Huy's songs, I've always loved Tieng Mua Dem, Nguoi Tinh Tram Nam, Trai Tim Nguc Tu, Duong Xa Uot Mua and Nhu Da Dau Yeu.  

One other Vietnamese composer I've always admired is Ngo Thuy Mien.  His music is like no other's.  I'd have to say the two songs I've liked the most from Ngo Thuy Mien are Mua Thu Cho Em and Tu Giong Hat Em, both of which have been recorded by another one of my idols, Khanh Ha.  In my opinion, her renditions of these two songs were the best.

Van Phung - composer of songs such as Tinh,
 Toi Di Giua Hoang Hon and Noi Buon

But the composer that has been my constant most favorite in Vietnamese popular music has always been Van Phung.  I've loved all of his songs from Tinh, Noi Buon, Chan Nan, Suoi Toc to Toi Di Giua Hoang Hon.  I had the pleasure of singing one of his songs while he was in the audience many years ago while in Washington, D.C.  Can you guess which song it was?  Yeu va Mo was the name of that song I had the utmost pleasure of serenading Mr. Van Phung and his lovely wife, Chau Ha.  To meet him and his lovely wife was just one of the biggest thrills in my singing career.  Oh, by the way, there is one very important individual I should not forget to mention pertaining to this particular Van Phung penned tune that I have included in my repertoire song list at my live performances all these years.  And that is, the legendary Thai Thanh, whom I deeply admire and in fact had been my voice teacher during my beginning as a Vietnamese singer.  It was she who had taught me this song.  I guess I should also give Thai Thanh more credit for having introduced me to and helped me appreciate the beautiful music of Van Phung, one of the most talented composers of Vietnamese popular music ever.  

Thien Phu on My Favorite Singers

Ever since I started singing, I've been constantly asked by many audience members about what I like, in terms of my taste in music.  I guess that's a natural curiosity for people to have about singers.  I remember way back before I started singing professionally, I had the same curiosity about my favorite singers.  I wanted to know who were their idols, what made them want to become singers, and what were their tastes like in music.  In terms of some of my favorite Vietnamese singers, I've been blessed with having had the opportunities to ask some of them personally such questions.  But when I had been asked that same question myself in the past, I often froze and really couldn't give an answer.  My reasons for posting this today had to do with a few e-mails I've received from fans wanting to know just that along with recently watching an old television interview I had done way back on Little Saigon Television.  I found it to be rather odd how I had shrugged when Quynh Trang had asked me about who were some of my favorite singers growing up.  It was rather embarrassing now that I think about it.  How could such a simple question be so difficult to answer?

This posting might seem like an extremely delayed response to that television interview I did 16 years ago.  But like the saying goes, better late than never.  I guess one of the reasons why I had hesitated to reveal who were my favorite Vietnamese singers was because by then I had become a Vietnamese singer myself and therefore, some of the singers I had idolized for so long all of a sudden had become my colleagues.  I was worried about having to deal with the aftermath if I did reveal which singers I had preferred over the other.  I could just imagine how I'd have to apologize to this person and that person why I chose him or her as my favorite singer.  Believe me, that's very typical behavior in show business.  And especially in the Vietnamese entertainment industry where ego definitely is in full existence.  I've reached a point in my life now where I really don't care anymore, simply because I've realized there is absolutely nothing wrong with honesty.

There have been quite a few Vietnamese singers I consider as idols ever since I started listening to Vietnamese music.  Among the female vocalists, it's no secret that Ngoc Lan has been a singer I've idolized.  When I was a little kid, I remember listening repeatedly to a cassette of the great Thanh Lan singing popular French songs in both languages, French and Vietnamese. When I became a teenager, I was then living in the United States and Thanh Lan was still back in Vietnam.  Like many other Vietnamese-Americans during that time, Ngoc Lan's voice initially served as a comforting and nostalgic reminder of the iconic Thanh Lan.  There was a similarity in their voices.  But the more I listened to Ngoc Lan, the more I became immersed with her voice.  When I became friends with Ngoc Lan, she was everything I imagined she would be and more.  I guess you can say, Ngoc Lan was one of those idols that upon meeting her exceeded my expectations.  I do remember asking Ngoc Lan who was the singer she had idolized the most.  She told me that it was a toss up between either Olivia Newton-John and Diana Ross.  I can understand why she would say Olivia Newton-John. After all, she does sound a lot like her.  Like in the case of many singers, they often end up with a similar singing style to that of their idol.  That was the case with Ngoc Lan.

Ngoc Lan and Kieu Nga were two of my favorite
 singers growing up during my teen years.

On the contrary, another female Vietnamese vocalist I had idolized alongside Ngoc Lan was Kieu Nga.  I tremendously enjoyed the numerous duets that these two ladies had recorded and listened to them quite often during my teen years growing up.  But when I got to know Kieu Nga personally, she was quite the opposite of what I had imagined her to be.  I guess one of the things that we tend to do as fans of singers and other types of performance artists is that since we idolize them so much, before actually meeting anyone of them in person we already have this preconceived image of what they should be in our minds.  And at times, that can only set ourselves up for disappointment.  I did grow fond of Kieu Nga as a person.  However, her gentle singing voice that I had gotten so used to listening to had given me this preconceived image of her being this meek, mild-mannered and soft-spoken person.  Anyone who has ever met or gotten to know Kieu Nga on a personal basis will agree with me that she is anything but soft-spoken or mild mannered.  I say that with the utmost affection for her.  Although Kieu Nga might come off to be rather coarse when first meeting her as I had done so myself, after a short period time I would find her demeanor and straight-forwardness to be rather endearing.  However, to this day I've yet to overcome the contrast between Kieu Nga's singing voice and her actual persona.

Khanh Ha

Several other Vietnamese female vocalists are certainly on my list of favorites.  Bach Yen was a singer whose music I hadn't been introduced to until much later on and have since grown to deeply admire.  I've been very privileged to have met Bach Yen on several occasions. And from what I've gathered based upon our few encounters, she truly exemplifies what really is a true artist and a classy lady.  Of course, I can't forget to mention Khanh Ha.  She is an incredible talent and definitely is one of my idols.  Like the similarities in Ngoc Lan and Thanh Lan's voices, I have also felt that way with Khanh Ha and Thanh Ha's voices, which is why I started to like listening to Thanh Ha when she first came onto the scene.  By the way, it isn't much of any surprise that Thanh Ha has said that Khanh Ha is her idol.  When I became a singer, I was introduced to Ngoc Huong's music by another fellow
singer by the name of Anh Tu.  From the first time I heard one of her CDs, I was just floored with her tremendous voice.  I idolized her so much that I had to personally invite her to be a guest vocalist on my album, Ngay Em Di.

Luu Hong is one Vietnamese female vocalist with a rather peculiar voice.  Growing up I was always

Luu Hong, My "Mother"

surrounded by her music during the 1980s here in the United States.  To be honest, I never paid much attention to her voice back then.  It wasn't until after I entered the singing profession and had gotten to know her that I started to really listen to her music.  How we became acquainted was rather odd.  There had been a rumor floating around when I first started singing that Luu Hong was actually my mother.  I think it was singer Cong Thanh that had introduced me to Luu Hong the first time we met at the old Majestic Nightclub in Huntington Beach, California. Since then, I've turned into an avid fan of her music.  Well, what can I say except why shouldn't I idolize my own mother?

My Constant Idol, Julie Quang

But there has always been one constant idol among Vietnamese female vocalists for me and that is Julie Quang.  I've been a major fan of hers for as long as I can remember.  Since I love singing in French, myself, one of the reasons why I idolize Julie so is because of  how beautifully she sounds when she sings in French.  I also love the way she sings in Vietnamese, in English, and even the few songs I've heard her record in Chinese.  For me, listening to Julie Quang sing is as relaxing and enjoyable comparable to the feeling of a gentle cool breeze on a hot summer day.  At times, I have to pinch myself for how fortunate I am to have Julie as a close friend in my life who also happens to be my idol.  But would you believe that Julie has told me that her music idol is Janis Joplin?  I found that a bit surprising since she doesn't sound anything like Janis Joplin at all.

As far as who my favorite American female vocalist is, that's easy.  Hands down, it has always been Diana Ross.  She's the only American diva in my book.  There were a number of years that I had also idolized Whitney Houston quite a bit.  But I've never been much into Mariah Carey or Celine Dion. I've never been a fan of singers who scream or wale.  I just like singers who simply sing.  That is why Francoise Hardy is my favorite French female vocalist.  Another European female vocalist I really like is Dutch singer, Laura Fygi.  In terms of Vietnamese female vocalists today, I've noticed how so many of them tend to sing as if they were screaming from the top of their lungs.  I find that so annoying whenever I hear the likes of Siu Black and Phuong Thanh.  It can be exhausting listening to these divas go overboard as they not only belt out but literally scream note after note.  The only two Vietnamese female singers of today that I enjoy listening to are Ho Ngoc Ha and Le Quyen.  I love Ho Ngoc Ha's interpretation of  Noi Long.  Her voice is extremely likable and pleasant.  The same could be said for Le Quyen.  But there are times I've found her to sound a bit too much like Luu Hong, which is not a bad thing.  I just prefer singers who have an original sound.

Are there any male vocalists that I idolize?  Of course, there are.  In our Vietnamese culture, despite how female vocalists have traditionally always outnumbered male vocalists with a ratio of two to

Tuan Ngoc

one, there definitely isn't a deficiency of talented male vocalists.  From when I first started listening to Vietnamese singers, the first two Vietnamese male vocalists whom I idolized were Elvis Phuong and Duy Quang.  I don't listen to any old compact discs recorded by either of these two gentlemen

Don Ho

today for whatever reason.  Perhaps it's because I've outgrown listening to them.  When I became an adult, my favorite Vietnamese male vocalist for many years was Don Ho.  There is something irresistibly charming about his voice.  I've never been able to place my finger on it, but I'm just in a complete daze each time I hear a song recorded by Don Ho.

Sometime in the late 1990s, I can't remember the exact year but, I had been given a CD of a new male artist in Vietnam by the name of Lam Truong.  I remembered how I had instantly taken a liking to his voice after hearing the CD for the first time.  That was probably around the same time that I started hearing comments from others that I sounded a lot like him with certain songs.  The first person that told me that was the late legendary music arranger, Tung Giang.  I was really taken aback when he said that to me during one of my recording sessions at his studio because I had never thought that I had sounded like anyone else before.  Now that I think about it, I should be flattered to be compared to someone of Lam Truong's caliber.  However, my fascination with Lam Truong would only be a short-lived one after I had gone to Vietnam and attended one of his live performances.  It was not that he sounded bad at his live show, because in fact he does have a very nice voice.  I even found him to be rather cordial with a pleasant personality when we spoke briefly after we were introduced by a mutual friend on the night of his performance.  I just couldn't get into his performance wholeheartedly since, for whatever reason, he had decided that night to perform a great deal in his set of songs in a language he apparently did not have even the slightest grip on.  I'm referring to the English language, of course.  Throughout the concert, I had to sit there and listen to this talented vocalist butcher the English language in one American song after another.  I have no idea why so many Vietnamese singers in Vietnam have this voracious obsession to sing in English, yet apparently don't make the conscious effort to practice enough so that they will sound at least coherent.  From that night at his live show on, it all just ruined it for me with Lam Truong.

Nguyen Khang

Among Vietnamese male vocalists of today, my favorite would be my good friend and former colleague, Nguyen Khang.  I really do like his voice.  It's rare that I would idolize someone who is among my peers, but in Nguyen Khang's case I'd have to make an exception.  Nguyen Khang and I have known each other for many years long before either one of us had gotten established as
Vietnamese singers.  Although they say that fame changes people, I haven't seen that with Nguyen Khang.  Despite how we don't keep in touch much these days, every time he and I do run into each other we still address one another as "may" and "tao", which is how Vietnamese close friends informally address one another in conversation.  To me, he is still the same old guy I've known from way back.  I've just never told him how much I now idolize him as an artist.  By the way, who do you think Nguyen Khang's idol is?  Tuan Ngoc.  I know. What a shocker! Surprise!  Surprise!

Just like in the case of my favorite Vietnamese female vocalists, there has also been one constant idol for me with Vietnamese male vocalists.  That would have to be none other than the one and only, Mr. Tuan Ngoc.  There is no other Vietnamese male singer like him.  His voice, in my opinion, is the most soothing and warmest I've ever heard.  I do believe that he is probably the only Vietnamese male vocalist out there who is qualified to take on the genre of jazz music.  This was probably the main reason why I had chosen not to reveal who my favorite Vietnamese male vocalist was when I was interviewed on Little Saigon Television back in 1998 since at the time I was very close to his brother, Anh Tu.  I could only imagine the sibling rivalry I would cause if I had disclosed on television how his older brother was my idol.

Anh Tu and I had one thing in common which was we both idolized Elton John deeply.  I've loved Elton John's music ever since I was a kid.  In recent years, I've found myself listening to several other American male singers such as Marc Anthony, Jason Mraz, and most recently, a new artist by the name of Spencer Day.  I can't deny it, but I'll admit that I do sound a lot like Spencer Day.  Many people have told me so and I'm not even bothered by that the least bit.  If I had to choose who my favorite French male singer is, I'd say that it would either be Herve Vilarde or Enrico Macias.  Even though I do cover a lot of Christophe's famous songs, I've never really been much of a fan of his singing voice.  Perhaps that is why I don't even remotely sound like him.

Now that I think about it, perhaps it was rather wise on my part not to have answered this question when I was being interviewed by Quynh Trang on Little Saigon Television back then.   It was only a half-hour program.  There just wasn't enough time for me since I would give such a long and detailed answer. I'm sure if Quynh Trang was reading this post now she would be relieved that I didn't go ahead with giving her an answer during the interview.  As you can see, I always have a lot to say.

Thien Phu

  

Thien Phu Biography Part Two by Anonymous Contributing Author and Myself

With the encouragement from several Vietnamese singers he had befriended, particularly Julie (Julie Quang) and the late Anh Tu, Thien Phu decided to record his first CD sometime in the mid 1990s. What would take a total of almost 2 years to produce in which Thien Phu had collaborated with some of the biggest names among Vietnamese musicians including the late legendary, Tung Giang, Alan Nguyen and Sy Dan would finally be released under the label, Bien Tinh Productions, in the spring of 1998, entitled Tiec Nho (Missing). This album would also feature tracks recorded by 3 other contributing fellow artists:  Julie, Anh Tu, and Thai Thao. This debut album for Thien Phu sold quite well within the overseas Vietnamese communities worldwide. Part of its success had to do with the heavy rotation of airplay that had been given to several of the tracks Thien Phu had recorded on the album, in particular a cover of a Jacques Brel penned, timeless classic, Ne Me Quitte Pas.  Pham Long, a well known radio personality for Little Saigon Radio Broadcasting Network, had taken an instant liking to Thien Phu's version of the song, in which Thien Phu had recorded in both the original lyrics in French, as well as the translated Vietnamese lyrics written by the late legendary Vietnamese composer, Pham Duy. Soon after, other Vietnamese language radio programs would also began giving airplay for Thien Phu's recorded songs from this debut album. The airplay would reach Vietnamese audiences in the 3 major regions with the highest Vietnamese populations of the United States; Orange County in Southern California, San Jose in Northern California, and Houston, Texas, giving Thien Phu a much wider exposure to the Vietnamese music scene. That along with a series of radio interviews and several appearances on Vietnamese language produced television shows to further promote the album greatly enhanced Thien Phu's popularity as a singer. Among other tracks on the album included covers of French popular songs such as Aline, Magic Boulevard, both of which were recorded by Thien Phu and the Edith Piaf signature classic, La Vie En Rose, recorded by Julie (formerly known as Julie Quang) in an upbeat, modified new up-tempo arrangement by Sy Dan.

After the release of Tiec Nho, Thien Phu embarked on a busy touring schedule performing at live shows for Vietnamese audiences throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Europe and Australia. The success of this debut album was what prompted Bien Tinh Productions to put together a sold-out show held at the Majestic Nightclub in Orange County to formally introduce Thien Phu to the Vietnamese audience of the Little Saigon community. It was during the night of that performance when Thien Phu first accepted the invitation from New York Night Productions to make his debut appearance on music video.

As a follow up after his debut album, Bien Tinh Productions had planned a duet album with Thanh Ha for Thien Phu. For a recording artist recently introduced onto the Vietnamese pop music scene such as Thien Phu, to be paired up with another artist of Thanh Ha's caliber at the time would be a highly anticipated opportunity. However, due to scheduling conflicts, the project was ultimately cancelled. This was a major setback for Thien Phu. On an interview for VOV Radio on 96.7FM, Thien Phu said, "I was really looking forward to working with Thanh Ha. Think about it, a duet album featuring two Amerasian singers together. But I understand that she was under contract with Thuy Nga at the time and couldn't commit to another production label. It would have been a great experience since not only was [Thanh Ha] one of my favorite singers, she was also my friend."

Several offers from various Vietnamese labels would pour in for Thien Phu to make his next album toward the end of 1998. But Thien Phu had turned each one of them down because he had wanted complete artistic control. During this time, Thien Phu was mourning the loss of one of his closest friends, singer and owner of Empire Nightclub in Dallas, Texas, Michelle Diem My, who had died mysteriously in a fire during the summer of 1998.

"Losing Michelle [Diem My] was like losing a sister. We were so close, like brother and sister. Everywhere she and I travelled to together to do our live shows, because we were so close, we often shared the same bed. It was shocking to lose such a good friend that unexpectedly.

"I remember the day I received the chilling news that she had just died. I was in Vietnam on a trip with singer Julie Quang and Bébé Hoang Anh, Viet Dzung's wife. Michelle had originally planned to go with us on this trip. But just three days before we were all supposed to meet up in Los Angeles to board the plane together, she called me on the telephone to say she wouldn't be able to make the trip. And then the next thing I knew, early one morning while in Vietnam we receive a telegram from Viet Dzung saying Michelle had just been killed in a fire", said Thien Phu.

"I couldn't believe it. I thought, this must have been some joke. But when Bebe looked at me and said that since Michelle was Viet Dzung's cousin, he of all people would know and that this was no joke, I just started to cry helplessly."

In mourning over the untimely death of one of his closest friends, Thien Phu managed to turn the devastation into inspiration for his next studio album, Ngay Em Di, literally translated to "The Day You Left". Thien Phu's second album would be released in the fall of the following year to round out the decade. Like his debut album, the release of Ngay Em Di would also be followed by a sold out show held at the Majestic, hosted by Viet Dzung.

Unlike the previous album with all the backings from Bien Tinh Productions, Thien Phu's sophomore effort was a project he decided to produce and release himself. Sales of Thien Phu's second album failed to match the success of the previous debut album. Nevertheless, he would continue to tour extensively for the next couple of years.

The beginning of the new millennium for Thien Phu was met with a series of tragedies in his personal life. In 2000, Thien Phu experienced the death of his grandmother, Marie Nguyen, to whom he was rather close to.

"My grandmother was very influential in my life. She was very strong. When I think about it, it was probably she who had given me the encouragement and mental support that I needed to become an entertainer," he said.

Marie Nguyen, Thien Phu's grandmother, had been a well respected businesswoman from Saigon, South Vietnam. She had been owner of the famous Au Ma Cabane Cabaret Nightclub in Saigon that featured nightly live entertainment from some of the biggest names among Vietnamese singers. Among the list of regular performers at Au Ma Cabane were Thai Thanh, Thanh Lan, Jo Marcel, Duy Quang, Giao Linh and the late Jeannie Mai, who was also Thien Phu's aunt at one point by marriage. In a sense, it can be said that Thien Phu had come from a showbiz family.

Following the death of his grandmother, Thien Phu was met with yet another blow the following year with the passing of one of his idols, singer Ngoc Lan. But another tragedy would be in store for Thien Phu, less than 2 years after when singer Anh Tu suddenly passed away on December of 2003. Anh Tu had been one of the most influential people in Thien Phu's life, as well as in his career. It was all too much for Thien Phu to take, and consequentially prompted his decision to leave the singing business.

"I really don't deal well with death, I've noticed. Some people can do it. But for me, I can't just pick up the pieces after the loss of someone dear to me and just move on like nothing has ever happened. When Anh Tu passed, I felt as if I was all alone in the world. For so long, I had relied heavily on his guidance with my singing career. Since his passing, I felt like nobody was there to critique me each time I got on stage. It was if I no longer had a purpose to sing," said Thien Phu.

Thien Phu then decided to leave his singing career and focused into returning to college. He found work as a bartender at a high end sushi restaurant in Newport Beach while he successfully completed his studies earning a degree in English at Cal State Lon Beach. Although he was content with his life away from the spotlight as a singer, momentarily Thien Phu would find himself reminiscing of his past in the field of entertainment. There was definitely something missing in his life.

After a 7 years hiatus, Thien Phu would make his return to the stage. This came about after meeting up with a former colleague, singer Randy, while Thien Phu attended the funeral of another colleague and old friend, singer Luu Quoc Viet, in the spring of 2008. After an exchange of phone numbers, Randy telephoned Thien Phu with an invitation to perform at a sold out show for Amerasians in Oklahoma City. A series of other live performances would quickly follow including a successful engagement in Paris, France during the summer of 2009. And Thien Phu, once again, had been caught with the singing buzz.

Recently, Thien Phu has completed shooting a pair of music videos for Viet Star Productions. He is currently also working on a new solo album that should be out later in 2014.

"It's great to be back after so many years away from the spotlight. I've realized one thing, and that is... I really love to sing. It's such a rush how I get to wear beautiful clothes and perform on stage for people everywhere. I just love it. Come to think of it, there's nothing else I'd rather do than sing. Without it, I'd probably be dead."