Bui Le Man and the fate of singing folk songs

(Baonghean) -Singing with instinct, with breath, with a natural feeling of life, Bui Le Man has conquered the audience with her unmistakable sweetness and simplicity to stand firm in the folk music genre that is increasingly dominating life.

"Folk songs chose me"

Four years have passed since Bui Le Man won the first prize in the folk music category of the Sao Mai – Television Singing Contest in 2009. The shy girl has now matured a lot, from her singing voice to her way of perceiving life through the countryside paintings in the songs she performs. In addition to her sweet voice, she has a way of conveying emotions that is subtle, profound, yet rustic.

To achieve glory, to have the leisurely moments of singing and playing, playing and singing like today, Man had to work hard since the days when she was a little girl with her father carrying a "bag" to the Military Region 4 Art Troupe to ask to follow art. Singer Tien Lam was the first teacher who brought her to professional art, saying: "It is true that folk music chose Man, because when she entered the Military Region 4 Intermediate School, she was still very young. She already had a voice, but at that time I could not imagine that her voice would fly as far as it does now. I called her back when she followed her father out the gate. Was that the fate of a karma?"

It was truly fate, the more the teachers took care of Man, the more she revealed her natural talent in singing. Just by singing: "My mother gave birth to me on the banks of the Lam River, my hair was sun-bleached, the salty land of the sea", people felt that she was born to sing folk songs. Then teacher Le Hang, who had the talent to train young singers, realized that this was a singer who would win high prizes in prestigious competitions. She worked hard to train and instruct Man from the way she sang technically as if she was talking, from how to pronounce words to bring out Le Man's style. She was soon highly appreciated by experts, loved and expected by Nghe An audiences through the Sao Mai - Television Singing Contest 2007. But at that time she was too young, not experienced enough and lacked stage presence, so she only won the Promising Face award.

By Sao Mai 2009, people saw Le Man mature and passionate in performing folk songs on stage. A Love of the Land (Duc Trinh) was developed on the Vi Dam tune of Nghe Tinh folk songs, a Song Hat Que (Nguyen Trong Tao) was breathed new life into by Man, listeners did not find it similar to Thu Hien, Anh Tho, Phuong Thao or famous folk singers. Because Man had a way of handling songs that escaped school techniques, she did not need to try to pronounce words to "reveal Nghe quality". The lines of the song sounded like a confession, like her own heart. In the Sao Mai contest that year, Man was enthusiastically voted by the audience nationwide, the jury gave her the highest score. She was named champion in the burst of joy of her family and those who loved her voice.

A simple dream

Bui Le Man confided, “I am lucky to sing folk songs because this is a genre of music that is often performed on political stages. And I am even luckier when I am always invited to my hometown to perform on important occasions. That is what a folk singer always longs for, and it is also the stage that I always want to be passionate about.” When I asked if Man had any ambitions to branch out into other genres of music, she affirmed, “I can only do one thing well: Sing folk songs!” She also shared that she always felt lucky to be able to work in a favorable artistic environment, but later when she is older, she wants to become a singing teacher or be employed by the Radio and Television Station, so that she can have more conditions to take care of her family.

A famous singer of course cannot avoid temptation, especially for a provincial girl with beauty and a captivating voice like Bui Le Man. After her 6-year relationship with soccer player Duc Cuong broke down, there were times when Man received compliments from rich people. But for her, true happiness must come from sincere, simple feelings, from a man who truly loves and respects her. Man shared: "I just need a real shoulder to lean on when I'm weak. As a woman, with a stable job, family is a support for me to pursue my passion!" Man also said that everyone thinks that the singer's profession is busy and doesn't take care of the house and kitchen, but in reality, except for long tours, this is not a very busy profession. She also wishes to take care of her children herself and cook delicious meals for her family. Because for women, the most precious asset is still family, still a home where they are protected.

Thanh Nga