People's Artist Thai Bao: 'Visiting Ben Nha Rong' is a brilliant milestone in my singer's life.

Nghe An Newspaper reporter had a conversation with her to understand more about her emotions and the opportunity when musician Tran Hoan trusted her to be the first person to perform this song, a song that he devoted a lot of his heart and soul to.

PV: Hello People's Artist Thai Bao, I don't know how many times I've heard the song "Visiting Ben Nha Rong", composed by musician Tran Hoan, performed by you and I don't know why my heart still aches with emotion like the first time I heard it on television. May I ask what year you first performed this song, and what was the occasion that musician Tran Hoan chose you to be the "opener" for this extremely emotional song about beloved Uncle Ho?

People's Artist Thai Bao:That was in 1990, I was still in my early twenties, newly recruited into the Central Song and Dance Troupe with so much confusion. I still remember clearly the first day Uncle Tran Hoan gave me the sheet music of this song and showed his disbelief, he pursed his lips and joked "you sing this song like a Westerner singing cheo", but I don't know why he still gave it to me. I held the sheet music and listened to him talk in detail about the idea, the main idea of ​​the song as well as the singing style, the emotional requirements of the singer. And at that time, I asked him for a week to absorb the song and promised to bring it to the competition and win a high prize.

My promise is also my determination when I just hummed the first few lines and I felt that this song was the song that I wished to perform. Because it is the deep emotion of the singer who finds his feelings through the words and melody. And the difficult notes and the slurs of the song I have handled perfectly when it is no longer a song but the heart and feelings of a son of Uncle Ho's hometown singing about Uncle Ho, telling the story about Him.

This song has a Southern folk melody, I am from the Central region so initially handling it was not my forte. However, as I said, when you love it, are passionate and determined, nothing is impossible. You can sing with talent but if you do not have your heart in those lyrics, the song cannot be yours.

So you understand, when singing this song I cried, not only the first time but many times on stages, in different spaces and for different generations of audiences. Every time I tell the story of Uncle Ho through this music, it is filled with boundless love and respect, from then on it is like the voice in my heart.

That was probably an unexpected success when the song later won first prize at the 1990 National Professional Song and Dance Festival with a convincing score.

PV: So was musician Tran Hoan satisfied when he heard you sing this song? Would he like to take back what he said to you on the first day he gave you the song?

People's Artist Thai Bao:Musician Tran Hoan is a meticulous person, he also does not often give compliments to anyone. After I won this song, he only showed his satisfaction, through his eyes, gestures and especially whenever there was an exchange that needed someone to perform the song "Visiting Ben Nha Rong", he always asked me to sing. To me, that was his recognition, his way of showing that he trusted and felt proud when his song took flight.

It must be added that a musical work born on a musical score is like a beautiful piece of cloth. The musician needs to choose a singer to perform it so that the cloth has the most beautiful, unique, creative and satisfactory dresses and shirts. If the singer only follows the musician's ideas and messages without further research, without putting his own passion into it, the work will not have its own identity, will not necessarily reach the audience's heart, and will not necessarily have vitality over time.

Speaking of "Visiting the Dragon Wharf", when I was perfecting this piece, I wanted to convey the song in a different, more creative way. When I presented the idea of ​​singing with the monochord to People's Artist Chu Thuy Quynh, she agreed and staged "8 girls in the sixteenth" which created a very impressive performance at that time. And later, whenever people mentioned Thai Bao, they associated me with "Visiting the Dragon Wharf" and the monochord.

PV: So how many years have you been singing "Visiting Ben Nha Rong" and every time you go on stage with this song, are your emotions still the same as the first time or have your emotions matured?

People's Artist Thai Bao:Now, if we say that singing about Uncle Ho, singers can cry, cry on stage, cry when recording, it sounds unbelievable, it sounds like a cliché, but for us, the children born in the sunny and windy land of Central Vietnam, when we sing about Uncle Ho, we are singing about our relatives, our homeland, our parents, our whole childhood. So the image in the lyrics and the melody evokes in us a closeness, greatness and simplicity, the image of an old father who is willing to sacrifice his whole life for his people.

So, every time I go on stage, I sing with different emotions, because the space is different, the audience is different and my mood can also be different. But those differences have one thing in common: I am telling a story about my beloved Uncle Ho, a touching story with:I came to Ben Nha Rong on a sunny spring afternoon/ Through the coconut trees, my hair loose, I looked at the bustling river/ The sound of the whistle, oh so sad/ I thought the ship had left the dock years ago.The story is told with poignant emotions:Feeling sad and sorrowful about the past days, when the boat docked, who saw him off/ or was it just Uncle Ho alone packing his bags and saying goodbye.How can these words not make me cry, how can I not feel sad and sorry!

For over 30 years, not counting the days when the stage curtains were drawn due to the pandemic, I have been asked to sing this song almost every night by the audience, yet I have never felt bored or lost my emotions. Perhaps it is the song that has accompanied me throughout my life.

PV: Yes, many audiences say that you are the best performer of songs about Uncle Ho, what do you think about this?

People's Artist Thai Bao:I also do not dare to accept this title because there are many seniors who sing well songs about Uncle Ho, but I am sure that I am the one who conveys well the feelings of a son when thinking about the Father of the nation, and this has touched the hearts of the audience, who always want to see Uncle Ho's image through musical works.

PV:Thanks for this conversation!

Born into an intellectual family in Vinh city - Nghe An, Thai Bao left home at the age of 10. In 1975, Thai Bao studied both the monochord and culture at the Vietnam Conservatory of Music.

Later, she was discovered to have a special deep voice and at the age of 17, Thai Bao became an artist of the Central Song and Dance Troupe, sharing the stage with famous names such as: People's Artist Thu Hien, People's Artist Thanh Huyen, Kieu Hung, Ai Van, Le Quyen, Quang Tho... She was awarded the title of People's Artist in 2016.

Thai Bao is a singer who is always exploring, creating and renewing herself. Besides her special voice, she always creates her own singing style and image so as not to be confused with anyone else.

Many of her hits have entered the hearts of the public such as:City of love and nostalgia, Round footprints on the sand, Visiting Nha Rong Wharf, SeasonXWarm by the window, Red flower season… In 2018, People's Artist Thai Bao released the CD "Giác mơ vô thuong" including 10 songs.like:Across, Nameless Song No. 2, Autumn Sorrow, Wet Eyes, Nameless Song No. 4, SeasonDHis Grandfather, For the Missed Lover, Half a Sorrowful Soul, The Last Nameless Song, The Last Chant(duet with Tung Duong) was received with love by the audience.chiefI respect.