Ha Quynh Nhu - smooth, profound folk song
Once a nationally and internationally renowned child folk singer with achievements in prestigious competitions, Ha Quynh Nhu (from Yen Thanh district) was praised with flattering terms such as "the folk singer with millions of views" and "sings folk songs so well it's like she's lip-syncing to a recording." Her singing career is now flourishing with serious and meticulous investment.
These songs touch people's hearts.
Lately, it has become common to see...Quynh NhuOn numerous music stages across the country and abroad, with songs imbued with the sweet and profound folk melodies of Nghe An province, this girl from Phuc Thanh, Yen Thanh, has had a long journey, from participating in prestigious music competitions in her youth to her professional music career throughout her youth.
Hà Quỳnh Như's naturally sweet voice has captivated fans with songs like "Điệu ví, giặm là em," "Khúc hát sông quê," "Về Hà Tĩnh người ơi," and "Neo đậu bến quê"... Even now, when performing on large stages, Quỳnh Như still says that being born in a land rich in cultural heritage, and being steeped in and practicing folk music from a young age, is a precious asset that has helped her achieve remarkable success.
Born into a poor farming family in Phuc Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, Ha Quynh Nhu knew how to sing folk songs from the age of 3. At 5, she sang "A Heartfelt Song of the People of Ha Tinh" by composer Nguyen Van Ty with such confidence, much to the surprise and admiration of many. "Back then, wherever I went, I would volunteer to sing, and I always became the center of attention because I sang folk songs so smoothly," Quynh Nhu recounted.
Over time, her love for singing and early-emerging talent developed through competitions and festivals at the commune, district, and provincial levels. Difficult folk songs like "Ten Virtues of Parents," "Mother's Song," etc., were performed by Quynh Nhu with a sweet, simple yet profound voice, captivating listeners unexpectedly. Through numerous folk singing competitions at the district and provincial levels, Quynh Nhu caught the attention of many renowned artists.
In particular, People's Artist Hong Luu once exclaimed that Quynh Nhu is the inheritor of Nghe Tinh folk songs in the digital age. People's Artist Hong Luu was also the first teacher to correct Quynh Nhu's intonation, pitch, and vocal range in the folk songs of her homeland. Quynh Nhu was also a young student whom People's Artist Hong Luu brought home to live and eat with her so she could teach her to sing. "It was Ms. Luu who ignited in me the flame of passion and enthusiasm for folk songs. She taught me the beauty, the essence, the resilient, generous, and deeply passionate spirit of Nghe An in the call-and-response folk songs of the people of Nghe An," Quynh Nhu said.
From those initial steps, Quynh Nhu boldly registered to participate in the "Future Idol" program on HTV7, and with her passion and rare talent from a poor provincial town, Quynh Nhu was repeatedly called to advance to the next round.
“When I went to the competition, my parents had to borrow money for travel expenses. I was still young at the time, so my mother handled all the arrangements for the programs and competitions. For some reason, she got the schedule wrong and my mother and I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City a week early. Luckily, the people from Nghe An here took care of us, providing food and accommodation, so I was able to win third place overall in the competition, filled with indescribable joy and overwhelming emotion at the kindness of the people and my hometown in a foreign land,” Ha Quynh Nhu recounted.
Identifying "Who I am, where I come from"
Following that success, in 2018, Quynh Nhu registered to participate in The Voice Kids 2018, a prestigious music competition for teenagers. From the preliminary rounds, Quynh Nhu had to compete with hundreds of musical talents from all over the country. With her seriousness and meticulousness, Quynh Nhu continuously won through many rounds. At the end of the competition, Quynh Nhu excellently won the championship of The Voice Kids 2018, much to the joy and excitement of thousands of fans nationwide.
In all the competitions, despite having a good voice and a wide vocal range, Quynh Nhu can sing many genres such as ballad, blue-jazz, dance… but in the important rounds, the main song Quynh Nhu chooses is still a song with the folk music style of Nghe Tinh.
Wherever I am, whether performing or competing, I am always aware that only folk music can fully convey everything I want to say.
Singer Ha Quynh Nhu
After graduating from high school, Quynh Nhu applied to the National Academy of Music and became a freshman in the Vocal Performance department. While studying, Nhu also performed in many places, receiving numerous invitations to participate in shows both domestically and internationally. On every stage, she was invited to sing folk songs or songs with the folk music style of Nghe Tinh.
Having been immersed in the folk songs of her homeland during many overseas tours, and seeing many people in the audience shed tears of emotion, Quynh Nhu cherished her native folk music even more. The most memorable was her tour in Japan with singer Le Thanh Phong. This program was organized by the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan (1973-2023). Through performances of various forms of Vietnam's intangible cultural heritage, the program conveyed stories of Vietnamese-Japanese friendship, while also introducing the unique beauty of Vietnam's three regions to the Japanese public...
On this new journey and at new heights, Quynh Nhu shared that she still wants to reinvent herself in music with a few different genres, but ultimately, the folk music style of Nghe An remains the best choice. Because for an artist, identifying and answering the question "Who am I, where do I come from?" is already a success.
