Thanh Lam - a 'volcano' that's still burning

At nearly 50 years old, Thanh Lam still lives and sings with intense energy, without trying to force herself into any rigid framework.

"Let me sing this part freely, don't just stick to the rhythm, don't get stressed out," the Vietnamese music diva told musician Quoc Trung as they prepared for her 48th birthday live show.

Thanh Lam said that in everything, to do well, you have to do it as if you're playing. "Artists who are too tense will find it difficult to achieve artistic expression," the singer confided.

Throughout her 44-year singing career, Thanh Lam has always let her instincts guide her. As a young girl of three or four, singing was an indispensable need, and she could "go crazy" if the audience cheered. Once, while engrossed in singing for the neighborhood girls, Thanh Lam didn't pay attention to her mother calling her home for dinner. She was punished with a spanking, even though she felt resentful, thinking, "Why am I being beaten for singing when I love it so much?"

When she entered the Hanoi Conservatory of Music (now the Vietnam National Academy of Music) to study the pipa, Lam was still haunted by the idea of ​​the stage. She wanted to sing. After 11 years of studying the pipa, Thanh Lam decided to ask her mother to let her switch to vocal music. Her parents were worried. They understood that their daughter had a tendency to get nervous before performances to the point of becoming ill. However, Thanh Lam remained determined, despite the school's warning: "After a year of trial, if you are not successful, you will be immediately expelled."

*Thanh Lam performed "Singing with the Little Cricket" when she first started her career.

With her innate artistic talent, Thanh Lam has created an unmistakable style. Her voice is deep and rich when low, and resonant when high. Combined with the enunciation and vocal technique she learned from her school days, Thanh Lam's singing style is mesmerizing and ethereal. In particular, her use of spoken-word singing has become a distinctive feature in her interpretation of musical works.

Singer Thanh Lam today.

In 1991, Thanh Lam conquered the second National Light Music Solo Singing Competition with a record six perfect scores of 10 for her performances of "Farewell to the Sunset" and "A Drop of Sunlight on the Threshold." Following this, she continued to achieve numerous successes, earning the love of her audience and the titles "Queen of Light Music," "The Singing Woman," and more.

At each show, Lam takes to the stage with a range of emotions, sometimes closing her eyes and writhing to the music, other times spontaneously humming without a microphone. Hong Nhung likened her senior colleague to a volcano. When she steps onto the stage, Lam is so passionate that she sometimes forgets about the audience.

"An artist who is too balanced and level-headed is useless; a sense of instability is what brings creative transcendence. We can see this lack of balance, this wavering, in Thanh Lam, manifested in her yearning, her rebelliousness, sometimes pushing joy to its extreme, and at other times allowing herself to sink into sadness. That's the beauty, the strength of Thanh Lam," composer Nguyen Cuong once remarked.

*Thanh Lam sings 'Beside You, the Sea Becomes Vast'

However, after decades of performing, Thanh Lam sometimes disappointed the public because of her overly instinctive approach. Around the early 2000s, her innovative interpretations of light music songs were not well-received. Composer Phu Quang – who had invited Thanh Lam to perform at many concerts – also had reservations for a time. The reason was simply that, in her art, Lam was too "crazy."

However, she has never regretted her choices. Lam said, "Instinct is very important. When I was young, my instinct was reckless. But the longer I live, the more experience I gain, and my instincts are regulated by reason so that they can be developed and become more refined on stage."

Over the decades, Thanh Lam herself admits that she has sometimes fallen into deep emotional pits, making creativity difficult. The "volcano" temporarily goes dormant, letting everything drift away. When she's tired of singing or lazy about creating, the singer takes a break; when she's sad, she goes out to have fun. For Lam, creative emotions temporarily subside, but don't die completely; they're just waiting for an opportunity to erupt even more powerfully.

*Thanh Lam sings 'My Sister'

Quoc Trung - the cool water that helps to temper the "fire" of Lam.

"This part can be sung freely, but to feel comfortable, you need to get the rhythm right," "Okay, now let's practice to get it right," "You're singing it wrong, it should be like this"... musician Quoc Trung repeatedly reminded Thanh Lam during rehearsal. Hearing this, the Vietnamese music diva mumbled along.

"I'm like fire, and Trung is as gentle as water. Our contrasting personalities, when combined, create balance. Quoc Trung helps to bring out my strengths," Thanh Lam said, looking at her ex-husband.

Musician Quoc Trung and singer Thanh Lam are close friends in music.

When Thanh Lam first met Quoc Trung, it was like finding the missing note in the melody of her life. According to Thanh Lam, Quoc Trung's "stream" didn't transform her musical personality. He simply accepted the "volcanic" instinct within her and found a way to make that fiery energy warmer and more familiar to the public.

The contrasting energy of the duo created the resounding success of "Magical Night" in 1996, followed by a series of programs such as "Thien Thanh" (1996), "Cho Em Mot Ngay" (1997), "Em Va Toi" (1999)... In terms of musical output, after the album "Tu Su" (2000), Thanh Lam and Quoc Trung reached their peak with "May Trang Bay Ve". This product combined the powerful vocals of the diva with Quoc Trung's World Music style. It also marked the point of their separation in both music and personal life in 2001.

*Thanh Lam sings 'Co Doi' (A Couple) - Le Minh Son

After "White Clouds Flying Back," she threw herself into experimenting with many styles and genres, such as contemporary folk music by Le Minh Son, and Trinh Cong Son's music with rock influences... However, Thanh Lam's innovative approach and interpretation were criticized by musicians like Duong Thu and Nguyen Anh 9 as "rebellious" and "lacking soul." Compared to her earlier collaborations with Quoc Trung, these experimental works still lacked sufficient substance.

"More than 20 years ago, I told Thanh Lam that if she suddenly changed her established style, the audience would react negatively. Taking risks to experiment with different musical styles can sometimes even cause an artist's signature to fade," Quoc Trung said.

Despite being level-headed and rational, Quoc Trung never encouraged Thanh Lam to choose safe paths. According to him, an artist who lacks creativity will only turn themselves into a "singing technician."

"I didn't threaten Lam to make her listen to me. Someone with good musical sense and a lot of experience like her sometimes just needs to be allowed to experiment on her own, then learn from what the producer said and improve herself later," Quoc Trung confided.

Now, returning to music with Quoc Trung, Thanh Lam is rediscovering herself. People are hoping that after the eruptions of Thanh Lam's "volcano" combined with the gentle, tranquil sweetness of Quoc Trung's "stream," the artistic landscape will once again sprout new growth.

The concert celebrating the singer's 48th birthday - "Summer Night in Lam" - was held on the evening of June 19th in Hanoi.

* Thanh Lam's current singing voice

According to VNE