Vietnamese Showbiz: An 'easy' cake for foreigners?

(Baonghean) - Vietnamese showbiz is becoming more and more diverse due to the appearance of foreign faces. Although they are not Vietnamese citizens, not born in Vietnam, they have a period of time growing up and maturing in Vietnam. Facing an era that is always open like today, the entry of foreign artists into showbiz is indeed becoming easier and more exciting.

The winner of Vietnam Idol 2016 has chosen Filipino singer Janice to marry in Vietnam. This is the first time the winner of a talent show has been a foreigner.

That adds more attraction to Vietnam Idol and is also a great reward for talent, effort and above all, a beautiful passport for Janice to embark on the path of artistic activities in a dynamic music market.

Filipino girl Janice Phuong became a Vietnamese music idol in 2016. Photo: Internet

Janice is not a rare case of foreign artists working in Vietnamese showbiz. Before her, there were many foreign singers who made an impression on Vietnamese audiences. Male singer Kyo York started his singing career in Vietnam in 2009, when he returned to Vietnam from the US for the second time.

The first song Kyo sang was “Rieng mot goc troi”. At that time, Kyo heard singer Tuan Ngoc sing a wonderful song. He learned the meaning of that song and really liked it because it matched his mood when he broke up with his girlfriend. Kyo practiced singing that song and sang it to a few friends, everyone was surprised and introduced Kyo to many professionals.

That luck paved the way for Kyo to pursue a singing career. He chose to sing Trinh Cong Son, Pham Duy and folk songs. The audience was delighted and curious when a Westerner sang Vietnamese with a broken accent. In addition, Kyo York also won people's hearts by always appearing in music shows wearing the traditional Vietnamese ao dai.

He has participated in many TV shows such as Familiar Faces, adult and children versions, and won high positions. Not only that, Kyo is also the MC of a number of TV shows, actively doing charity work, so he has a fairly solid position. Recently, he has also started to "cover" his name by participating in game shows or being an MC.

As for the Korean singer, Hari Won, her fame is due to the noise, because her talent is less than the scandal. She started her career in Vietnam in 2007 but it was not until she participated in the Amazing Race 2013 that Hari Won became known.

With her cute appearance, Hari Won has quickly caught up with the K-Pop craze of many young Vietnamese audiences to build for herself an innocent, cute image. With a plain voice, nothing special, Hari Won still attracts a huge number of fans.

Just in early 2016, with the hit song “Anh cu di di”, with superficial, meaningless lyrics, with a slurred, flat voice, along with easygoing music, Hari Won became a name that was widely covered in newspapers. Her name rose like a kite in the wind, she became a new idol and began to expand into other fields such as MC, Gameshow judge, actress...

While many young Vietnamese people struggle to find a way to advance in showbiz, the opportunities for these young foreigners are very favorable.

That can partly be explained by the foreign-mindedness of Vietnamese audiences, or because audiences are quite bored with familiar things, so when there is a “new factor”, their curiosity, excitement and novelty are immediately satisfied. Receiving the attention of the audience, they easily create support and have a place in Vietnamese showbiz.

Singers working in Vietnamese showbiz have shared that the artistic environment abroad is highly competitive and the risk of being eliminated if you do not have real talent is always present. In Vietnam, the competitive environment is also high but the competition is very loose, when talent is not the first factor to evaluate a singer, while music variety shows are increasingly covered with a dense level on television, so the opportunity for many unknown young foreigners to become famous in Vietnamese showbiz is understandable.

Vietnamese showbiz will become more and more vibrant and diverse, but will the colors really shine, leave a lasting impression, or will they just blend into the current chaotic, scandalous, and easygoing stream?

Thuy Nguyet