Le Phuong Linh - fly with the melodies

(Baonghean) -Le Phuong Linh - the girl who came in second place for light music on the stage of 'The Voice of Nghe An 2017' with her intense explosion captivated me with her story of passion.

In some art programs in Vinh city, I often saw that little girl sitting in front of the piano in a small corner of the stage. Her piano sounds resounded, under her diligent and passionate hands, entwining and supporting many voices.

Then suddenly, I met that little girl who exploded with passion when she sang on the stage of “The Voice of Nghe An 2017” (a contest organized by Nghe An Radio and Television Station in collaboration with Muong Thanh Group). Le Phuong Linh - that girl came in second place overall for the light music category with the song “Homeland” (Duong Nhu Phu), and I was completely “conquered” by her talent and the story about the passion she shared…

Pursue your passion

Her father was a technical teacher, her mother a German teacher, but they were both art lovers. Le Phuong Linh said that perhaps she was lucky to inherit that love from them, and thanks to it, she truly found the meaning of her life.

Le Phuong Linh performs on stage at "The Voice of Nghe An 2017". Photo: NVCC

Since the age of 2 or 3, Phuong Linh has loved dancing and singing. She studied at the Viet Duc Children's Cultural House and always dreamed of becoming a famous person on stage. First, she dreamed of becoming a musician. And then she dreamed of becoming a singer.

At the age of 7, Phuong Linh was accepted into the Hanoi Conservatory of Music after a convincing violin performance, but on the day the bus carrying the selected candidates left for school, Phuong Linh had a high fever. She had to stay behind and continue with her dream of “becoming a star” in her hometown of Vinh.

Not long after that, Phuong Linh lost her mother. At that time, Phuong Linh was 9 years old, a third grader. Too young to feel all the pain and emptiness in her life, Linh said, she did not have many memories of her mother to keep, but just a little, was enough to help her remind herself to be steadfast, to be braver in life.

“It was my father who shouldered both responsibilities after my mother passed away. He took care of me and cherished me so that I would not feel deprived. And most importantly, he has the soul of an artist, he understands me from the perspective of an artist,” Phuong Linh shared. However, he also advised Phuong Linh, “You should learn a profession, do a normal job like everyone else, consider art as a “side job”, and find joy for yourself.”

Phuong Linh listened to her father, but she always kept the dream of standing on stage and burning herself out with music. After finishing high school, Phuong Linh studied Finance - Banking at Hanoi University of Business and Technology. During her time studying here, Phuong Linh was not only an artist of the school, but she also participated in many competitions such as "Vietnam Idol" or "Vietnamese Star".

After retiring, Phuong Linh's father also taught music at the Viet Duc Children's Cultural House. He is his daughter's music teacher and also the one who shares with Phuong Linh the joys and sorrows in work and life. In the photo: Phuong Linh's father came to congratulate his daughter on organizing a Gala night for children who love piano. Photo: NVCC

With the contest “Vietnamese Star”, Phuong Linh entered the top 12 and was sent to Korea for 3 months of training in skills, vocal techniques, choreography, stage performance… Those were truly valuable lessons, helping her understand how professionalism is different from “just following inspiration and passion”.

After graduating, following her father's wishes, Phuong Linh returned to Vinh. Unable to find a job, she had days of disappointment and frustration. But then, another opportunity opened up for the young girl, starting from her being invited to teach piano to a child of a family she knew. Why, why not start from it - her passion, her aspiration?

It was also Linh's "great father" who comforted his young daughter, who was feeling depressed and confused at that time: Who knows, this might be an opportunity, a destiny for you to return to the things you have always cherished. Linh boldly thought about opening a music class.

“And I think, teaching music is not only a profession to earn a living, but also a desire to pass on passion, a desire to pass on love of music. Compared to cities like Hanoi and Saigon, it is true that Vinh city does not have a “playground” for children, and even adults, about music.

There are many other shortcomings that make artists here feel discouraged. To be honest, everyone dreams of big cities, where the doors of opportunity are always open. I also intended to leave many times, when I pursued national music competitions and also made it to the next rounds. But in the end, I stayed in my hometown…”

When “music is life”

Among the many things that kept the determined, stubborn girl in her hometown Vinh, there was one thing that Phuong Linh was proud to mention, that was when she found love and had a small family of her own. Her husband, a familiar face on the music stages in Vinh, played the guitar and sang very well. It was music that connected them, allowing them to have more sublimation.

Hoang Son (her husband) told me: “Phuong Linh is a girl full of personality. Personality in life, personality in music. That is what attracted me. When she loved Linh, she still had a thirst for victory, a thirst to shine on a big stage, to be known by many people. I cherished Linh's dream, followed her to big competitions, encouraged her to keep going, even though there were times when I knew, very likely, I would lose her in that halo of light, very close”.

Le Phuong Linh and her husband - guitarist Hoang Son. Photo: NVCC

In one of Phuong Linh’s music textbooks, she wrote her slogan: “Music is my life.” That’s right, no one knows that since the age of 4, Phuong Linh had been able to play the piano with her father’s guidance, then play the violin, play the organ… After that, she studied and explored on her own by buying CDs of world-famous musicians to listen to and… play along.

When she ventured to open the LynkNa Art Training Center (teaching piano, organ, guitar), Phuong Linh also believed that teaching students is passing on passion, teaching with her own experience and knowledge. Phuong Linh always told her students: "When you sit in front of the piano, let go of all your frustrations and worries. Let your soul soar with the melodies."

For Phuong Linh, the first lesson is the lesson of “loving the instrument, loving music”. Music will give people kindness, and kindness will lead to love. Learning music will also teach you to be calm and confident when standing in life - Phuong Linh asserted. And she said, she did not receive formal training, but in return she has diligently studied on her own to improve herself. When teaching, she is always close to each student, she understands where to start, she understands what each student’s eyes are longing for…

Phuong Linh in the role of a "musician" playing the piano on stage. Photo: NVCC

I asked Linh: “Surely you have always found a support in music?”. Linh shook her head: “No, the love for music has always been inside me, it is my flesh and blood, accompanying every breath I take. It is not something outside of me that I can rely on it.”

Confirming this with me, Hoang Son - Linh's husband smiled. And Son added: "When sitting in front of the piano, Linh does her job as a musician very well. Linh devotes herself to giving the best performance. But, only when holding the mic, I feel Linh can truly be herself, explode, and speak her heart out...".

Indeed, when Linh holds the microphone, she is always a different Phuong Linh from the sitting angle I know. “When I sing, I always forget everything around me. I always think that I only have this one chance to sing, like it is the last time I get to be on stage.”

And I saw Phuong Linh transform into each melody. She was the wind, she was the fire, she was a bird's cry or a flower opening its petals... The stage at that time was her own planet, where she was painting with her wings of passionate love for this life.

For Phuong Linh, "music is life". Photo: NVCC

“I have absolutely no regrets about missing out on opportunities to shine in faraway places” - Phuong Linh said, she is grateful for life, grateful for her parents, grateful for her husband’s parents. Her mother-in-law loved her as if she were her own daughter to make up for losing her mother too early. A husband who understands, loves and sympathizes with her. And also, her 2-year-old son babbled his first words.

Linh confided that her dream had never abandoned her, just as she had never abandoned it, but she accompanied it, along with her loved ones. In one way or another, she was still able to touch it, and she was satisfied with what she had. Has life favored you too much, she told me with all sincerity?

Her eyes sparkled with love and faith. Her forehead was stubborn but also full of determination. I believe that the girl born in 1993, although young but very profound, will have more successes on the path of art because she knows how to nurture her passion and appreciate the gains and losses in her life.

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