People's Artist Thai Bao: I am a very rich person.

People's Artist Thai Bao conquered the audience with her soulful and touching voice. Her name is associated with songs that have stood the test of time such asRed flower season, Visit Nha Rong wharf, Round footprints on the sand...She breathed new life into these works, making them live forever in the hearts of many generations of audiences.

With over 40 years of dedication to art, People's Artist Thai Bao maintains her position as an icon, a monument in the revolutionary music genre. She is a testament to passion, relentless effort and deep love for music.

My mother was not happy when I dropped out of school to sing.

People's Artist Thai Bao was born in 1964, into an intellectual family in Vinh city, Nghe An. Her whole family works in the field of culture and arts; her father is the Director of Kim Lien Museum, and her mother works in the library.

Sharing with VTC News, Thai Bao said she is a ''god-given child'': "My mother said I was a gift from God. She went to the hospital three times wanting to abandon me but couldn’t. According to my mother, a few months after I was born, the war spread to the North. My family was separated, my siblings and I followed relatives and neighbors to evacuate to the countryside. Only my mother and I were left. My mother let me sit on a shoulder pole, with books on one side and me on the other, and she had to carry it for dozens of kilometers to avoid bullets and bombs.People's Artist Thai Bao recalls.

Although her childhood there was not long and lacked many material things, it left invaluable memories in the soul of People's Artist Thai Bao. She shared: “My father often told stories about Uncle Ho, his image has been engraved in my mind since childhood. That is what nurtured my emotions every time I sang songs about Uncle Ho.

At the age of 8, People's Artist Thai Bao followed her mother to Vinh. Two years later, an unexpected opportunity brought her to the path of music. During an admission session of the Vietnam Music School (now the National Academy of Music) in Vinh, she was accidentally accepted.

Recalling that fateful moment, the female artist said:“At that time, I didn’t understand anything about music or musical instruments. I was simply curious when I heard singing and playing coming from the hall, so I went in to see. Then, without any hesitation, I volunteered to sing the song ‘The Sound of Birds in Uncle Ho’s Garden’. The teachers were very surprised, asked me a few questions, and then I left without thinking about anything else.”

Almost a year later, a big surprise came to Thai Bao: she received a letter of admission. However, her parents were worried. As the youngest child in the family and small in stature, they feared that their daughter would face many difficulties living far from home. Her older brother was the one who convinced her parents to let her go to school.

"The day my brother and I said goodbye to our mother, we walked to the train station. Halfway there, I suddenly stopped, missing my mother, not wanting to leave. But then I thought about the train that was about to depart, so I suppressed my feelings and followed my brother on the way.People's Artist Thai Bao emotionally recalls the first day away from his family to pursue his passion for music.

At school, Thai Bao learned to play the monochord and was loved by her teachers. Later, although her name was associated with many famous songs, People's Artist Thai Bao still did not give up the monochord.

People's Artist Thai Bao said she still wanted to become a teacher, but fate chose her to become an artist. The person who had the most influence on Thai Bao's decision to pursue a singing career was musician Nguyen Van Thuong.

Listening to musician Nguyen Van Thuong, she gradually turned to singing. In 1984, Thai Bao joined the Central Song and Dance Troupe (now the Vietnam Music and Dance Theatre). Thai Bao said her mother was not pleased when she dropped out of school to sing.: “I was in my first year of university playing the monochord when musician Nguyen Van Thuong told me to join the troupe. He told me to perform for a while and then come back to study. When I first started singing, I was welcomed and loved by the audience for my new style. However, my mother wanted me to have a university degree. When I started singing, my mother was not satisfied.”

Thai Bao took the opportunity to learn basic vocal music with People's Artist Le Dung. After a while, People's Artist Le Dung realized that learning vocal music could make Thai Bao lose her characteristic hoarse voice, so she advised her to stop.

With perseverance, humility and constant learning, she gradually discovered and chose her own style, image, singing style and path. That is always accompanied by her two instruments, the guitar and the monochord.

Emerging as a phenomenon in the Vietnamese music scene with a unique voice, People's Artist Thai Bao has performed all over the country. In particular, her performances in the border areas have left her with many unforgettable memories, from happy moments to tearful farewells.

“There was one night that I will never forget and it was probably my best memory. It was the night I returned from a performance to the camp to rest. It was midnight and I heard a knock on the door. When I opened the door, I saw a group of soldiers wearing raincoats.

Standing in front of me was a wounded soldier. At that moment, my emotions were overflowing. I hugged the guitar and sang “Round Footprints on the Sand”. He asked me to copy this song. He used his back as a table for me to copy, saying he wanted to see the words of me – the person in the rear. Following the command, the soldiers returned to their units. I watched them walk in the pouring rain, and my tears also flowed., People's Artist Thai Bao said.

Since then, she has always tried her best on the artistic path. A voice with its own identity has conquered not only domestic but also international audiences.

One of the memorable memories for People's Artist Thai Bao was when he participated in the April Spring Friendship Arts Festival in Pyongyang in 2012 with artists from the Vietnam Music, Dance and Singing Theater.

“I have sung many Korean songs, so learning the language is not a big problem for me. However, Korean music is mainstream, classical, mostly for sopranos, so I am worried about whether I can develop my abilities or not,” People’s Artist Thai Bao shared.

At that time, People's Artist Thai Bao spent a month researching not only the music but also the language to express the song praising leader Kim Jong-il most accurately and emotionally. People's Artist Thai Bao said that she proactively sought out the North Korean community to listen to their daily communication, to absorb their language to convey the Korean song in the most emotional way.

“Speaking a foreign language and singing a foreign language are two completely different things. Just like with Vietnamese, when singing, artists can swallow words a little, or release sounds a little more according to their emotions. When you sing, you have to touch the hearts of the listeners.”– People's Artist Thai Bao shared.

The meticulousness and meticulousness of People's Artist Thai Bao was rewarded with applause and tears from the audience as soon as she sang the first verse at the April Spring Friendship Arts Festival in Pyongyang 2012. At the end of the song, the audience clapped and asked her to sing it again. Afterwards, People's Artist Thai Bao won the Silver Prize at the Festival.

With his continuous contributions to the country's music industry, Thai Bao was honored by the State with the title of Meritorious Artist in 2001 and the title of People's Artist in 2015.

“The title of People's Artist is not the final milestone, achieved and then stopped. I will continue to contribute while I still can because art has no end. Each performance is a lesson to learn from. As society develops, the demands of the audience become higher and more demanding. Therefore, artists must always strive, explore and be creative to meet those requirements."People's Artist Thai Bao shared.

Tormented for wanting to have more children

After the sublime moments on stage, People's Artist Thai Bao always wishes to return to a warm family home with his partner, Meritorious Artist Anh Tuan. Few people know that, in the early years of her singing career, despite being pursued by many people, the passionate and individualistic female artist was conquered by a gentle, quiet man.

After three years of dating and falling in love, the two officially became husband and wife and had a son. All three family members work in the arts, and music has become a strong emotional bond between them.

People's Artist Thai Bao married Meritorious Artist Anh Tuan.

Loving her job and devoting herself to her art, Thai Bao also made sacrifices that still haunt her. She said she wanted to have more children, but she was not lucky enough.

“Every time I planned to have children, there were business trips, tours or competitions. I gradually gave up with the thought that my artistic career was too short. I only needed two children. When I felt stable and had a solid position in the music industry, I would have another child. But man’s plans are not as good as God’s. That is something that still haunts me to this day.”, People's Artist Thai Bao added.

However, she believes that she must overcome all hardships, sacrifices, and happiness to fulfill her mission. Thai Bao said that without her husband's support and encouragement, who wanted her to shine, she would hardly be able to live her passion to the fullest.

Talking about his marriage of more than 35 years, People's Artist Thai Bao shared: “35 years together, sharing joys and sorrows on a difficult and arduous journey. Gains and losses are not calculated, even in stormy days we try to overcome them. That is respect, trust and infinite gratitude.

Although we don't say many beautiful words, we still bring each other a positive spirit, a strong support, a peaceful life and a warm family. No one can predict anything and there is not much time left. Let's walk slowly and hold hands tightly to go all the way to the end of the road."People's Artist Thai Bao shared.

People's Artist Thai Bao considers himself a rich person, not in terms of material things but because of the love of his family, friends, audience, and love for art, passion, and desire to contribute.“I know enough is enough, I am satisfied with everything I have and am having”, People's Artist Thai Bao said.