Ne Me Quitte Pas

A lot of singers tend to have a particular song that he or she is associated with.  For me, I've noticed it has been Ne Me Quitte Pas.  I find it a complete honor to be associated with this song.  In my opinion, there have been quite a few other Vietnamese singers who have recorded fantastic renditions of this song.  I am quite flattered to be considered among the singers whose names are linked to this classic love song.

When I first became truly engrossed with this song was after I heard Bach Yen's rendition on her album, Souvenir.  I had always liked this song in the past and had also enjoyed countless other versions recorded by the likes of other artists such as Don Ho, Ngoc Lan and Carol Kim.  It had also been one of the many songs I often had performed on stage at my live shows.  But after hearing Bach Yen being interviewed on the radio by Viet Dzung one day where she was plugging her latest CD, I was then really taken aback.  Something about what she had said about how a singer must really have gone through such pain and agony in his or her love life in order to sing this song with enough feeling.  Since I happened to be experiencing some personal sadness at the time with a heartbreak in my own life, that was what had prompted me to record this song for my first album.  

After Sy Dan had finished the arrangements for this song, my first intentions were to record it in all three languages:  French, English and Vietnamese.   After a few takes at Cong Truc's studio, I was still dissatisfied.  That was when I realized that I wasn't that crazy about the English lyrics that had been written for the English version, If You Go Away.  I started to listen more to Jacques Brel's original version and began to finally appreciate just how powerful his performance of the song was.  The original French lyrics were indeed deeper and way more heartfelt than the lyrics written in English.  And since Pham Duy's lyrics were written based on translation of the lyrics in English, the same could be said with the Vietnamese lyrics.  That's when I decided to re-record the song without the English version, and only in French and Vietnamese.  I then turned to Alan Nguyen to finish out the recording for this song.  I must say, I am forever indebted to Alan Nguyen.  He had helped me so much through the production of the album, Tiec Nho, and particularly with this song.  He is simply amazing.  He coached me step by step with this song.  I really couldn't have done it without him.  

After three weeks, I finally finished recording Ne Me Quitte Pas.  Before the album was released, I was already happy to hear that my two most difficult critics other than myself, Anh Tu and Julie Quang, were pleased with my recording of Ne Me Quitte Pas.  During the week before the album was finally out in the market, I had sent a copy to Pham Long of Little Saigon Radio.  After he played it, I remember him making a comment of how this was a rather difficult song to sing and how he was really impressed that a young singer such as myself was able to give such a heartfelt delivery.  A few days after that I had heard from Bien Tinh Productions that my recorded version of Ne Me Quitte Pas had been one of the most requested songs on both Little Saigon Radio on 1480 AM and Radio Saigon Cali Hai Ngoai on 106.3 FM.  And then to have Viet Dzung write an article on Hon Viet Magazine praising about the song and my recorded version of it, I was just overwhelmed with excitement and truly flattered.  

Since then, Ne Me Quitte Pas has been one of my most requested songs from audience members at my live shows.  I really enjoy singing this song.  It just never gets old for me.  I still find it an honor to hear how fans have associated my name with this song.  Afterall, it is one of my favorite love songs of all time.

Thien Phu

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.  

Julie and Me

I remember the first time I saw Julie Quang, the famous Vietnamese singer, was on a television weekly show called Vietnam Program which aired each Saturday morning on KSCI, channel 18.  I was about 14 years old at the time and hadn't really gotten into Vietnamese music all that much yet.   Having left Vietnam at such a young age and lived in the United States for so many years, I had been Americanized and like many typical Vietnamese-American kids I had found Vietnamese music altogether rather boring.  Each week I would see Vietnamese singer after Vietnamese singer appearing on television singing the saddest songs, wearing "ao dai" after "ao dai", our Vietnamese traditional dress for women's attire, and looking so lifeless as they each would stand still, almost motionless while lip-synching to the lyrics.  Not to discredit the following artists, but I had gotten really tired of seeing Huong Lan, Khanh Ly, and Thanh Thuy week after week doing basically the same thing over and over again as they appeared as the special guests during the music segment of the weekly show.  Just when I was about to give up on the possibility of acquiring any interest in Vietnamese music and performing arts, one day I saw Julie's performance on Vietnam Program covering a French popular song, Enrico Macias' classic, Paris, Tu M'as Pris Dans Tes Bras,  my perspective on Vietnamese entertainers changed completely.

Unlike the rest of the Vietnamese singers I had seen before, Julie stood out with a distinct look and sound of her own.  Instead of wearing an "ao dai", Julie appeared dressed as a French male waiter with a drawn-on mustache for the first half of the music video and then changes into an elegant evening gown for the second half.  I loved how natural her gestures were as she mouthed the words in French and Vietnamese.  She looked so beautiful and chic.  And then there was her singing voice, so likable, yet so unique.  But what really caught my attention about Julie was the fact that she really didn't look Vietnamese.  I remember asking my mother, what is she?  Is she Vietnamese?  South American?  Italian?  She can't be Vietnamese.  My mother answered to me, "She's just like you.  A mixed Vietnamese."

My mother would later on tell me about how she had known Julie from way back in the day in Saigon, South Vietnam prior to 1975.  You see, my grandmother back in Vietnam had owned a popular cabaret nightclub in Saigon called Au Ma Cabane where many famous Vietnamese singers performed there nightly.  Among the line-up of regular performers was a Vietnamese pop music group known as the Dreamers, which were comprised mainly of the children of the late legendary Vietnamese composer, Pham Duy. The group started out with two lead vocalists.  Duy Quang, Pham Duy's oldest son,  the group's male lead vocalist and his then girlfriend, a beautiful half-Indian, half-Vietnamese girl named Julie,  the group's female lead vocalist.  The Dreamers first found their success performing at clubs and music venues around Saigon which catered to primarily US military personnel and civilians whom were either stationed or working in Vietnam, respectively, during the years of the US involvement in the Vietnam War.  Upon becoming Duy Quang's bride, Julie would then become known as Julie Quang.

Julie Quang and Duy Quang during a performance in Saigon, 1970.

By the time of the Dreamers' collaboration at my grandmother's nightclub, Au Ma Cabane, Julie Quang had gone solo after she had achieved stardom with her recording of Mua Thu Chet, a song that had been penned by her father-in-law, Pham Duy, and was inspired by the French poem, "L'adieu", by Guillaume Apollinaire.  Julie Quang was then one of the headliners as a solo act at a larger nightclub in Saigon called the Ritz and only occasionally would appear with the Dreamers over at Au Ma Cabane, since the group's new female lead vocalist was now Duy Quang's younger sister, Thai Hien.  According to my mother, what she remembered of Julie Quang back in the day was that she was "incredibly beautiful', that she "looked like a French or Italian girl" despite of her being of part Vietnamese and part Indian mixed origin , and that "Duy Quang was one lucky man to have landed her."

My friendship with Julie would begin while I had already gone into the singing profession.  I had been a tremendous fan of her music for many years before we actually met.  From that moment I had first watched Julie on television, I was a die-hard fan.  From that French song she sang on television led me to many other of Julie's recordings I would come to love.  I started collecting all of the cassettes that Julie had appeared on, whether it be her solo albums or her recordings on compilation cassettes featuring various artists produced by Asia Productions, Kim Ngan, Da Lan, etc.  Especially on those compilation cassettes featuring various artists, I would find myself often taking a liking to the songs recorded by Julie the most on each cassette.  I loved the way she sang in French, particularly her cover renditions of  "Chanson d'Orphee", "Qui Sait", "Une Femme a 40 Ans", "Parlez Moi de Lui", "Cheri", "Tu Te Reconnaitras", "Une Femme d'Aujourdhui".  And the list goes on and on.  Among her solo studio albums that had been released during the 1980s, "Ngan Nam Van Doi", released in 1987, and "Vao Thu Nua Doi", released in 1989, I had loved so much that I had to buy several copies after they were worn out from being played and replayed repetitively on a daily basis.  After so many years idolizing Julie and her music, one could just imagine how thrilling it was when I finally got to meet her.

I'll never forget the first night I met Julie.  Actually, we had met a few times in the past whenever I had gone to watch her perform at her live shows.  At these shows, I would make it a point to come up and greet  her with compliments just like the rest of her fans.  But this would be our first meeting where we had an actual conversation.  It was sometime in the fall of 1995.  I was singing at bars, coffee shops, and weddings with a local band.  Occasionally I would fill in for more established singers at the bigger nightclubs such as the Queen Bee and the Majestic whenever they were out of town touring.  Every time I would get a call to fill in for one of the singers at any of the nightclubs, I would jump at the opportunity because I had been told that by singing at these places would give me better exposure that I needed to further my singing career than I would singing at bars and coffee shops.  One of those nights at the Queen Bee would also be an event held in honor of Viet Hung, the late legendary performer of Vietnamese opera known as "cai luong".  It was a star studded event, as all the famous overseas Vietnamese singers were in attendance.  Among them was Julie.

Huy Khanh, the late famous Vietnamese film actor and singer from back in the day in Saigon, was manager of the Queen Bee nightclub and also whom I had affectionately referred to as  "Dad" was the person who introduced me to Julie that night.  I was really nervous and really didn't expect her to be so warm and welcoming.  We immediately exchanged numbers that night.  From then on a close friendship between Julie and myself was firmly established and continues to this day.

We've gone through a lot during the years of our friendship.  She experienced the death of her mother.  I experienced the loss of my grandmother.  Together, we both experienced the loss of another performer, Anh Tu, whom was also a close friend of Julie's.  We've been at times like mother and son.  When I think about it, she has been like a second mother to me.  Julie was generous enough to have contributed a song on my debut album, "La Vie En Rose", in which she had sung beautifully in both Vietnamese and French.  One of the things Julie taught me, which I'll never forget was when I'm in the recording studio, I should sing from the heart while standing still rather than to act it in animation.  For those who know me personally, that's something I tend to do, which is I speak with my hands.  Three people I'll always hold dear to my heart for helping me during the production of my first album, the late Anh Tu, Alan Nguyen, and of course, Julie.

It's been a while since Julie has participated in the music industry.  For the most part, Julie is pretty much retired from singing.  Not because her fans no longer exist.  Believe me, her fans have stayed loyal to her.  I hear her music being played all the time whenever I'm at a Vietnamese restaurant.  I tell her all the time that her fans are waiting for her return to the stage.  Her response usually is, maybe someday.  All I can say is, don't make us wait too long. 

Thien Phu and Julie

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."