Anh Tho used to sing for 30,000 VND

The singer said her first salary was not enough to mend the 80,000 VND ao dai she had made for a performance.

On the afternoon of February 23, Anh Tho held a press conference to introduce the live show Tinh xa khoi 2 in Hanoi. The female singer said that this concert will continue the successes and overcome the shortcomings of the show two years ago. She affirmed that this is a new milestone in her more than 20 years of singing.

Singer Anh Tho.

Anh Tho cannot forget her youthful years. She said: "I did not have long hair and fancy dresses like now, I only wore jeans and had unruly hair. I was always one of the first to get into mischief, sometimes I would get angry and act like a 'gangster' to those around me."

The singer said she studied music at a college for three years in Thanh Hoa before moving to the capital for further training, instead of being trained for four years like her friends in Hanoi. Because she was too playful and had a year less training, Anh Tho had a gap in her knowledge when she entered the new environment. The singer confided that although she had received an education, compared to her friends, she was no different from an amateur.

"People record and sing to try to get 8 or 9 points, but I only hope to get 6 or 7 at most," she confided. Not satisfied with the results, Anh Tho tried to improve her knowledge. Every time she finished eating, she practiced in her dorm room. Every week, the female singer cycled to her teacher's house to study extra. Thanks to her efforts and luck, the female singer achieved a high graduation score, and no one said she was a poor student anymore.

Along with studying at school, Anh Tho also took advantage of every opportunity to sing, both to earn extra income and to hone her skills on stage. "I sang just to earn enough money to eat, without needing to dress well or buy expensive clothes. The first salary I received was 30,000 VND for a small outdoor show in 1996, 1997.At that time, I had a purple ao dai that cost 80,000 VND to make. While riding my bike, the skirt of the ao dai got caught in the bike wheel and tore it. The money I earned was not enough to mend the ao dai. However, thanks to my diligence in performing, after a while, my salary improved, to about 70,000 VND, and even higher, from 100,000 VND to 150,000 VND. Luckily, everything went smoothly. If I had been lazy or had thought a little wrongly, I might have gone in a different direction."

The female singer used to feel self-conscious when she went to Hanoi to study music.

Music itself is also a part that creates a big change in Anh Tho's personality. The female singer said that when singing folk music, from a rebellious girl, she gradually becomes gentler, softer and more mature.

This time, Anh Tho's live show includes familiar folk songs. The singer said that instead of handing over the entire program to the crew like before, she participated in every step of the preparation to ensure the music night went as planned. Instead of using stage effects like the first show, this time the singer and crew only used lighting for support, the rest of the focus was on sound and vocals.

The guests on the show include singers Quang Linh, Thuy Dung and Kieu Dung. The female singer said that Quang Linh had collaborated with her several times in music shows. The two brothers both like to sing together, so Anh Tho decided to invite the male singer to participate. Meanwhile, Thuy Dung and Kieu Dung are Anh Tho's students. They became known after the Sao Mai folk music contest in 2013 and 2015.

Distant Love 2 will be held in Hanoi on the evening of March 18.

According to VNE