HÀ NỘI — Singer Phạm Thu Hà, dubbed the 'Semi-Classical Nightingale', has announced her latest music project featuring 20 ballad songs by several famous songwriters of Việt Nam.

Entitled Live Studio Session, the project includes music videos, concerts, and vinyl albums. All will be released between now and the end of the year.  

According to the singer, who won the 2013 Devotion Award for ‘Album of the Year’, all the songs were recorded using high-end technology to produce vinyl, aiming to offer the best sound quality. 

The project is her biggest and most costly ever, but the singer has refused to reveal the spent figure. 

Singer Phạm Thu Hà recorded 20 songs using high-end technology to produce vinyl. — Photo courtesy of the artist

“For any Vietnamese artists who ever had vinyl releases before, they all had to master recordings in the US," Hà told Việt Nam News during a press conference in Hà Nội on Saturday about her project. "However, in my project, I am very proud to implement it right here in Việt Nam with a crew consisting of all Vietnamese members.”

Accompanied by a chamber orchestra, Hà performed 20 songs by Việt Nam’s most famous songwriters including Nguyễn Văn Tý, Trịnh Công Sơn, Nguyễn Thụy Miên, Đức Trí, Đỗ Bảo, Bảo Chấn, Quốc Bảo, and Việt Anh. 

The song list has been divided into four parts that will be released gradually this year on her official Youtube channel Phạm Thu Hà, her website https://phamthuha.com, and on the digital music platform Spotify.

The first part highlights popular pop ballad tunes such as Phố Mùa Đông (The Streets in Winter) by Bảo Chấn, Xin Lỗi (I’m Sorry) by Hồ Tiến Đạt, and Đời Có Bao Nhiêu Ngày Vui (Only Few Happy Days) by Châu Đăng Khoa.

The second part features the duo performance of Hà and two young singers Nguyễn Đình Tuấn Dũng and Phạm Anh Duy.

Singer Phạm Thu Hà (left) and Nguyễn Đình Tuấn Dũng on stage during a concert on Saturday night to launch her music project Live Studio Session. — Photo courtesy of the artist

When asked why she didn’t invite rising young stars instead of lesser-known ones, Hà said she doesn’t need another famous name to promote her reputation.

“I just want to work with young talents who have very beautiful voices. And I want the audience to hear and know them,” she said.

Songs by one of Việt Nam’s greatest composers, Trịnh Công Sơn, who also is Hà’s favourite melodist, have been presented in the third part of her project. She has performed his tunes Ru Tình (A Love Lullaby), Hoa Vàng Mấy Độ (Season of Yellow Flowers), and Tiến Thoái Lưỡng Nan (Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place).

“The records and music video of these songs will be released on the 22nd death anniversary of Trịnh Công Sơn on April 1,” Hà said.

Her soprano voice is emphasised through the songs arranged in classic crossover style in the fourth part.

The singer also revealed in the press conference that eight of 20 songs were selected to present in a vinyl album as part of the Live Studio Session project.

A perfectionist and caring for every small detail, Hà even asked to set up the studio as a green oasis with real plants and grass.

“This is my first time in a studio with decorations like a normal stage. That green space has enhanced our mood. We don’t feel that we were working but enjoying a space filled with beautiful melodies,” said violinist Khánh Linh, an orchestra member.

According to singer Phạm Thu Hà, like her launching concert, other next concerts of the Live Studio Session project will also be held for charity. — Photo courtesy of the artist

To launch the music project Live Studio Session, following the press conference, Hà held a concert on Saturday night in the National Museum of History garden.

The free-to-enter event called on the kind-hearted audience to donate to a poor Buddhist pagoda in HCM City, where the singer has been a loyal follower for the past 13 years.

Hà said other next concerts of the project would also be held for charity. — VNS