By Thu Anh

HCM CITY— After a year of taking the industry by storm, three pop bands in HCM City have become new music icons for young audiences.

The girl band Lip B includes Mei, Annie, Yori and Na Whan, a Taiwanese-Korean dancer and singer who lives in HCM City. 

The young women were selected from more than 2,000 candidates from various cities and provinces. They spent several months of training provided by their producer, Sixth Sense Entertainment, a music agency owned by pop star Đông Nhi and her manager Ông Cao Thắng. 

The band made its debut early last year and has quickly attracted the attention of music producers and impresarios. Its K-pop style is making waves in the southern province as well.

On its first album, Love You Want You, the group mixed a catchy pop style and light lyrics with electronic music. The album, released in May, was a hit with young people and attracted nearly one million of viewers on YouTube.

“We are trying to bring a Vietnamese identity to our music,” said rapper and dancer Annie, leader of Lip B.

“We’re in our mid-twenties, so we have plenty of time to make our dream come true,” she said.

Lip B was one of three finalists competing for the year’s best music bands at the 2016 Mai Vàng (Golden Apricot) Awards, presented annually by HCM City-based Người Lao Động (Labourer).

Its biggest competitor, the boy band Monstar with its three members, Erik, Nicky and Kay, often practice 10 hours a day to improve their vocal music and dance skills under professional artists from the HCM City Music Conservatory.

Their first music video, #BabyBaby, attracted more than 900,000 viewers after just five days of release on YouTube.

Their song, Sau Tất Cả (After All), performed by Erik, won the Most Impressive Song of 2016 at Blue Waves Awards, presented by the Voice of HCM City last month. 

“We have our critics. But this hasn’t deterred us, and we’ve gained recognition and have many young fans,” said singer and songwriter Erik.

“Each member of Monstar sings and dances well. This makes their music different from other bands. I believe they’ll be a hit phenomenon this year,” said music producer and composer Dương Khắc Linh.

Rapper Phúc Bồ, leader of the boy band FB Boiz, said: “We’re trying to create music  ourselves.”

Established in 2011, FB Boiz has left a very strong impression on fans. All of the band’s five members were solo artists before deciding to work together.

They compose, play and sing pop, hip hop and R&B in both English and Vietnamese.

Many of the band’s songs have been big hits, including Để Em Ra Đi (Let Me Go), Party All Night and Cho Anh 5 Giây Thôi (Give Me Five Seconds), on music online forums. 

The band’s new projects include a live concert and two MVs expected to be completed this year.

Young pop stars such as Tóc Tiên and Noo Phước Thịnh are still dominating the industry, but increasingly, girl and boy bands are receiving enthusiastic responses from young audiences.

“I think 2007 will be the year of pop bands,” Bồ said.— VNS