(VOVWORLD) - Singer Ha Myo has breathed a new life into Vietnamese music as she combines xam, a traditional Vietnamese singing genre, with rap and EDM in her songs. Ha Myo says she wishes to bring Vietnamese traditional music closer to the public.
 Singer Ha Myo (photo: VOV) |
"Xam Hanoi " has made singer Ha Myo better known to the Vietnamese audience for her new and unique musical style. After the success of "Xam Hanoi", Ha Myo released many other songs such as “Xam xuan xanh” and “Xam xuan chuc phuc” on the album “Xam xuan dat Viet”.
Hà Myo, whose real name is Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ha, is one of the most successful singers incorporating traditional music genres such a xam, xoan, and other folk melodies with contemporary pop, rock, and EDM.
Working at the Vietnam Music and Dance Theater, Ha first learned about xam when she attended a training course on traditional music. Her passion for this music genre grew after she won 2nd prize at the Hanoi Singing Contest 2020 with the song "Xam Hanoi". Ha Myo and the hit song “Xam Hanoi” brings xam singing closer to young audience.
 Ha Myo was honored with the 2022 Vietnam Outstanding Young Face Award by the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union. (photo: VOV) |
In addition to incorporating new, innovative music materials, Ha pays attention to preserving the soul of Vietnamese folk melodies in each of her musical projects.
“For me, a musical product should not only be good and beautiful, but also the value it brings about. My music videos help the audience know more about folk melodies, Vietnam’s beautiful landscapes, customs, practices, foods, and folk games. My products are not only for entertainment but also for understanding, feeling, and making people love their motherland more. It’s also one of the goals I wants to achieve in my music career,” Ha Myo said.
Ha said she also wants to inspire young ethnic people through the song “Dap nang khot” with a Muong melody and promotes the art of Xoan singing, a UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage of humanity, with the song “Tro choi… í a… Troi cho”.
“The more I travel and contact with more cultures, the better I understand that what makes us different is the Vietnamese culture. I begin with xam and love xam. I want to bring Vietnamese folk music closer to the young audience. Vietnamese folk music is like a fertile land and if we know how to exploit it, we will explore many interesting things. Besides xam, I will combine other types of folk music such as ca tru and chau van with modern music and perform them on big stages inside and outside Vietnam,” said Ha Myo.
 Singer Ha Myo (center) and researcher and composer Nguyen Quang Long (white vest) attend a program at VOV5's Station. (photo: VOV) |
Researcher and composer Nguyen Quang Long, who has been working with Ha Myo in many musical projects, said: “Ha Myo has the ambition to release more works that incorporate modern and traditional elements. Vietnam’s music industry needs more artists like Ha Myo to create their own musical color. It’s a hint for us to promote a popular Vietnamese music culture embracing traditional identity. So Vietnamese music will mark its ego in the world music scene.”
Singer Ha Myo is cherishing a project "Bringing heritage music to schools". She plans to invite experts of folk music genres to meet with students.
“I think that students are ambassadors who contribute to preserving and spreading traditional culture. The project is an opportunity for me to inspire them and listen to their wishes, interests, and perspectives on contemporary art, so I can create musical products suitable for them. More than that, we can together preserve and develop the national culture,” said Ha.
With her dedication, Ha Myo was honored with the 2022 Vietnam Outstanding Young Face Award by the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union. Ha Myo said she’s proud and motivated to work harder to devote herself to the Vietnamese arts.