HÀ NỘI – Cao Bá Hưng, an 18-year-old boy, was announced as winner of the reality talent show Sing My Song on Sunday night.

Hưng, a descendant of the 19th-century poet Cao Bá Quát, beat out eight other finalists, to win the contest which was held for the first time in Việt Nam after winning 17 of 31 votes from the judges.

In the finale, all the finalists were divided into two groups. The performers with the highest rating from the audience would advance.

Performing the song Có Vấn Đề (Problematic), Hưng led his group with 33.81 per cent of the audience vote. He then faced the only female finalist, Trương Thảo Nhi, who led the second group with 37.2 per cent.

The two finalists then entered a voting round, with the winner chosen by an artistic board consisting of 31 journalists, singers, and songwriters.    

When the MC announced the winner, Hưng, who was the youngest contestant on the show, was speechless.

“I am extremely happy and surprised. I never thought I could move so far in this competition, and of course, I never dreamt of winning. Before getting into the final round, I thought that Nhi would win,” Hưng said.  

The winner said he hasn’t decided how to spend his prize of VNĐ300 million (US$13,500) yet.

“But maybe I will spend it on my music productions,” he said.

Hưng showed ability in composing and choreographing since he was 13 years old. He also has passion for Vietnamese folk music, hoping to popularise the genre among young people, who are more familiar with modern Western music.

He can play Vietnamese traditional music instruments, such as đàn tỳ bà (four-stringed pluck instrument), đàn nguyệt (moon-shaped two-chord guitar), đàn đá (lithophone).

Before entering Sing My Song, Hưng and his four-member group Bốn Chị Em – a traditional music instrument band – competed in Vietnam’s Got Talent in 2014. – VNS