Singer Anh Tho: 'I'm stingy but I invest in the right places'

The singer's nameAnh ThoYou always sing a duet with Trong Tan, but for the live show "Poetry" on June 23 at the Vietnam-Soviet Friendship Cultural Palace, you did not invite Trong Tan. Why is that?

We are the couple that everyone has always expected. We sing together a lot, but our live shows are not the same.Trong Tandid not invite me and my live show did not invite Trong Tan either. We both agreed that if we had our own live show, we would have to invite something different to create a new feeling for the audience. Maybe soon there will be our live show to perform the duet songs that made the two brothers famous. As for the showVerseThis song is a bit more lyrical so I invited Mr. Tan Minh to join.

The ao dai worth billions of dong that I wore on stage in the previous live show was designed by ao dai artisan Lan Huong. That ao dai was studded with many stones so it was expensive. I only wore that ao dai once, now it is on display at designer Lan Huong's house. This year, designer Lan Huong is still designing the costume for me but it is probably not as expensive as the previous one. I will wear about 7 or 8 ao dai but it will only cost a few tens of millions each. The costume I invested in this time will probably only cost a few hundred million.

After the epidemic, singers just hope to have shows to perform, but you organize a grand show. Are you really willing to spend money?

I'm actually a gambler, not a big spender. Playing here means I invest in the right place. I think I'll get my money back, I don't care about losses, I hope to make a profit. And whatever profit I make, I'll donate it all to charity. Before, even when I wasn't rich, I still did charity. Besides, the budget for the whole show was about 2 billion, so I could afford it.

Actually, I haven't performed much in the past 5 years, but I know I have a large audience. In the past 5 years, many audiences have texted me, hoping that Anh Tho will sing. Many of them love me very much. Sometimes, when I perform in remote areas, I sing 6 or 7 songs and they still want me to sing more. There are elderly people who hug and hold my hand. Therefore, the showVerseas my gratitude to the audience, to the profession.

I have never done any business because I don't know how to do business. Trong Tan has both because he sings and his wife does business, but I only sing. But I have known how to do business since I was 7 or 8 years old. At that time, my house was right next to the market so I did some business. At that time, I was still young but had money in my pocket. But I don't know why I was stingy, I didn't want to spend money on tickets, I always waded through ponds and water to go to the show secretly.

The amount of about 2 billion spent on this show is completely my savings from the day I started singing until now.

You are very private about your personal life. What is fun about your current life?

I am living a very happy life. I have two children, the first one just entered the National Economics University, the second one is in 6th grade.

I know the audience is always interested in the life behind the curtain, behind the glittering stage of the artists. But whether I share it or not, my life is still the same. I am just like any other woman, nothing strange. But saying I don't love is not true, I also have a little love to make life more poetic. I am a strong woman so I will never depend on someone to destroy myself. I always have to be beautiful. Of course, in front of everyone, but when I go home to my children, I am still like a maid.

I only talk about love with my children, but not with men, because it is only true in the present, even though I am very serious and loyal.

Being a strong woman, are you at a disadvantage?

Of course, a strong woman has to suffer many disadvantages. I am not pampered but always have to take care of others. When in love, I always pamper others and that is also my happiness. Be as generous and tolerant as possible. That person does not know but heaven and earth do.

I never want to look for perfection in the man for me. I have to know how to balance and accept in love, gain one thing then lose another. If I keep loving this person and then find they are not what I want and then stop loving another, that is not okay.

So strong must love you sober?

No, when you are in love, how can you stay awake (laughs). But I have to accept that life is not perfect. I earn money, and I am blessed with a singing voice, so there are some shortcomings that I need to improve to be more perfect. I cannot demand that everything is perfect for me. I know how to accept, be happy, and enjoy life.

How do you enjoy life?

I work hard all year, so it’s normal to reward myself with something sweet. But I never waste, maybe I do a lot of things in a day. In the morning I go to the market to prepare 3 meals, come home to teach my children, in the afternoon I teach, in the evening I record,… I don’t even dare to paint my nails because I’m afraid I won’t be able to do housework. I do everything very quickly, so even though I’m busy, I still have time to go out, not just revolving around teaching, taking care of my children or performing.

After all that work, I can enjoy myself by taking my kids on a 4-5 night vacation at a resort. Before the pandemic, I took them to 7 countries in a month. Wherever I go, I only go with my kids.

Anh Tho Live Concert 2022 "Poetry" will have 3 chapters edited and selected by Anh Tho herself and her editing team. Chapter 1 titled "I love my mother tongue" is a collection of songs about love for the motherland, chapter 2 "The days are long, the love is full" specifically recreates regions in music, familiar and poetic lands and people, chapter 3 "The woman looking for the sun" is the fate of women, a climax narrative chapter and Tho sings for Tho herself, as well as the women around her.

There will be songs familiar to the audience such as Xa Khoi, Khuc Hat Song Que, Ho Tren Nui, O Hai Dau Noi Nho, Tho Tinh Cua Nui, Chiec Khan Pieu, Tinh Ca, Don Vi Em La Bien,... This music night is also an opportunity for Anh Tho to pay tribute to talented musicians who have passed away: Phan Huynh Dieu, Nguyen Tai Tue, Nguyen Trong Tao, Pho Duc Phuong. These are musicians whose songs have contributed significantly to Anh Tho's reputation. In addition, there will also be a series of new songs, including songs released for the first time by musicians such as Ho Hoai Anh, Nguyen Vinh Tien...