The story of the "Westerners" singing Nghe Tinh folk songs.

American singer's love for Vietnamese music

Appearing in the medley "Angry but still loving" - "Angry but loving," American singer Kyo York delighted the audience with his polished performance of melodies deeply rooted in the folk music of Nghe Tinh province.“I kept telling myself that he didn't love me, but he was so meticulous in his measurements…”, “When he was far from me, I heard the folk song, how intensely I felt both anger and love. Oh, this song, so full of love and meaning, was there ever a time when you waited for him…?”

However, this wasn't the first time Kyo York performed a Vietnamese song; nor was it the first time this American singer sang a Vietnamese folk song. For those interested in Vietnamese music, the name Kyo York is certainly not unfamiliar.

Born in 1985, Kyo York studied at Marymount Manhattan University, graduated, and worked at Apple in New York City. In late 2007, during a communication skills training trip on a cruise ship for graduating students, Kyo traveled to Vietnam on a ship that docked at Nha Rong Port in Ho Chi Minh City.

Two years later, Kyo York returned to Vietnam for a volunteer English teaching project in Hau Giang province. During his time there, Kyo was fascinated by Vietnamese culture and people and felt increasingly attached to the South. After the program ended, Kyo chose to stay in Ho Chi Minh City to live.

Through persistent Vietnamese language learning, the American man gradually understood and appreciated the lyrics of Vietnamese songs and decided to become a professional singer. He once impressed Vietnamese audiences with his renditions of love songs by composers such as Trinh Cong Son, Thanh Tung, Ngo Thuy Mien, Phu Quang, and Tran Tien… Besides singing, Kyo York also writes English lyrics for Vietnamese songs, contributing to bringing Vietnamese music closer to the world.

Regarding the opportunity to perform at the Opening CeremonyNghe Tinh Folk Song FestivalKyo York said that he had visited Nghe An several times to participate in cultural events as well as volunteer and charitable programs such as singing for underprivileged children during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and participating in cleaning up trash on Cua Lo beach…

"If you ask me how many times I've been to Nghe An, I can't remember exactly, but I'm quite familiar with this land and its specialties like banh gai (thorny cake), eel porridge, squid... as well as the folk songs with the melodies of Nghe Tinh's vi and giam, a form of folk art that I know has been recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. I also know that this North Central region faces unfavorable weather conditions, so the people of Nghe An are always full of resilience and unity in overcoming difficulties. Therefore, when director Truong Bac from the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet Theatre invited me to participate..."Artistic program at the Opening Ceremony of the Ví and Giặm Folk Song Festival"I was immediately excited to accept the offer," Kyo York shared.

Kyo York also stated that he specializes in classical and lyrical music. Although he has sung Quan Ho folk songs from Bac Ninh and Southern Vietnam, this is his first time trying his hand at Vi and Giam folk songs.

“When director Truong Bac allowed me to choose a folk song with the style of the Vi and Giam melodies that I knew, I immediately thought of 'Gian Mai Thuong' (Angry but Loving) because during a trip to Nghe An, I heard some locals sing this song and they taught me a few lines. Then, singer Huyen Trang – who was chosen to sing a duet with me – suggested adding 'Gian Thi Gian Ma Thuong Thi Thuong' (Angry but Loving) to sing as a medley. I was very excited when choosing the songs, but when it came to rehearsals, I encountered quite a few difficulties with the vocal embellishments of these two songs. I had to practice on my own for quite a long time, with the enthusiastic help of singer Huyen Trang, before I could sing both songs,” Kyo York confided.

Vietnam is a very small country, but it has many different musical genres from various regions. Ví and Giặm folk songs are one of the most interesting genres for courtship singing. UNESCO was right to recognize Ví and Giặm of Nghe Tinh as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Kyo himself feels very proud of this, and he's sure other foreigners will enjoy exploring this beautiful cultural aspect.”

- Singer Kyo York.

Nigerian YouTuber and his unique experience.

Participating in the Art Program at the opening ceremony of the Nghe Tinh Folk Song and Traditional Music Festival, Nigerian singer Cee Jay performed the song "Ai vo xu Nghe" (Who Goes to Nghe An) alongside two Vietnamese singers, Phuong Thanh and Le Thanh Phong, and continuously received applause from the audience as he sang the lyrics."Oh, the eggplant from Nghe An, the saltier it is, the crispier it becomes; the green tea from Nghe An, the more bitter it is, the tastier it is..."

Unlike Kyo York – a professional singer, Cee Jay's main job is an English teacher and YouTuber. Eleven years ago, the university Cee Jay was attending at the time had a partnership with a university in Hanoi, so he had the opportunity to come to Vietnam as a student.

According to Cee Jay, when he first came to Vietnam, everything was so unfamiliar, especially the language and food. At the time, he only thought about finishing his studies and staying in Vietnam for 4-5 months. But his love for a Vietnamese girl gradually made Cee Jay attached to the country. Even though he had to break up with his first Vietnamese girlfriend, went through a period of business failure, and wanted to return to Nigeria many times, by chance, Cee Jay fell in love with and married a girl from Hanoi and decided to settle permanently in Vietnam.

In recent years, besides teaching English to children, Cee Jay has become a prominent name in the YouTuber community. With his extremely fluent Vietnamese, Cee Jay continuously releases videos sharing his experiences with Vietnamese culture, food, and life in Vietnam. Viewers also enjoy his covers of Vietnamese songs such as "Sau tất cả" (After All) and "Về đâu mái tóc người thương" (Where Are You Going, My Beloved's Hair)... However, performing at an art program deeply rooted in Vietnamese folk music (ví, giặm) was a completely new experience for Cee Jay.

“Before this, I had never set foot in Nghe An, and knew almost nothing about the folk songs of the Vi and Giam genres. So when I was invited to perform at the opening ceremony of the Nghe Tinh Folk Song Festival, I was very surprised but also very excited. Because I had never been to Nghe An, the program director chose the song “Ai vo xu Nghe” (Who Goes to Nghe An) for me to perform with singers Phuong Thanh and Le Thanh Phong. It was a song with a completely new feel compared to the Vietnamese songs I had sung before, with very complex vocal embellishments, while I had never studied singing it before,” Cee Jay shared.

The Nigerian YouTuber also shared: "When I first came to Vietnam, I really liked the song 'Where Are You Going, My Beloved's Hair?' and thought it was the most difficult song to sing in Vietnam until I went into the studio, read the lyrics, and listened to the demo of 'Who Goes to Nghe An?' The first question that popped into my head was: 'Why is it clearly a rising tone, but the singer sings it as a falling tone?', which made the whole crew laugh. They explained that it's how people in Central Vietnam, especially Nghe An, speak. Then, singing with two amazing singers from Nghe An made me feel pressured."

For almost a month, I practiced at the theater during the day and continuously hummed the lyrics and melody at home every night. Before the performance, artists from the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet Theatre filmed and shared clips of me practicing the song "Ai vô xứ Nghệ" on Facebook and TikTok, receiving many positive comments, which gave me more motivation to perform the song well."

"Even though I've lived in Vietnam for over 10 years, I'm still always excited about experiencing my second homeland. Participating in the art program at the opening ceremony of the Nghe Tinh Folk Song Festival gave me a truly special experience. I'm sure that in the future, my YouTube channel will feature clips of my trips exploring and experiencing Nghe An, along with the folk songs I perform."
- YouTuber Cee Jay