Diva celebrates career with City extravaganza
Renowed: Pop star Thu Minh will perform a concert tomorrow to mark her 20-year career at HCM City’s Nguyen Du Gymnasium. — File Photo
HCM CITY (VNS)— Pop star Thu Minh will perform at a huge live show in HCM City tomorrow that will mark her 20 years of singing and the beginning of a new series meant to honour singers who have contributed to the country’s music scene.
The series will be called Dau An (The Mark), and be organised by Viet Nam Television and the Thanh Nien Media Corporation.
“It comes to me at an appropriate time when I am happiest and my career is at its most successful,” Minh said.
The concert will see her sing remixed versions of 10 of her hits since the 1990s.
She will sing composer Phan Huynh Dieu’s folk song Bong cay ko-nia (The Shadow of Ko-nia Tree) with support from t-rung (bamboo xylophone) artist Ho Nga and a symphony orchestra.
Composer Vo Thien Thanh’s dance-pop songs Bong may qua them (Passing Girl) and Chuong gio (Wind Bell) will be sung in the acapella style by Minh, her friend Nathan Lee and singers from reality show The Voice of Viet Nam.
She will sing her 2010 hit Duong Cong (Curve) in jazz with famous jazz saxophonist Tran Manh Tuan Minh accompanying her.
The show will feature two new songs Minh composed together with musician DADA and singer Thanh Bui.
Hoang Thong and Buoc Nhay dance troupes will also perform at the concert.
Nguyen Minh Duc, a journalist, and emcee Nguyet Anh will host the show and Thanh Tam will direct the music.
The show will begin at 8.30pm at the Nguyen Du Gymnasium, Nguyen Du Street, District 1 and be broadcast live on HTV 9.
20-year career
Thu Minh was born the youngest daughter in a Ha Noi family in which no one was in the arts.
When she was five her family moved to HCM City, and there she began to take part in music activities at the Children’s House in District 5 and in competitions.
She attended the HCM City Dance School for six years.
In 1993 Minh rose to fame by winning HCM City Television’s Tieng Hat Truyen Hinh (Singing on Television) contest by singing Bong cay ko-nia.
She also won the top prize for folk music at the 2011 ASEAN Television Golden Melodies Festival organised by HTV for Southeast Asian singers.
The same year Minh became known as the “Queen of Dance” for wining the Vietnamese version of TV show Dancing with the Stars.
Last year she was one of four coaches in the first season of The Voice of Viet Nam, and her team member Huong Tram won the competition.
Minh has released dozens of albums featuring various genres of music like pop-ballad, dance-pop, folk, and popular English songs.
Last week she released her latest album titled Hot consisting of two ballads and nine dance-pop songs.
Before tomorrow’s concert there will be a photo exhibition that will trace her singing career over the years. —VNS