HÀ NỘI — About 100 reporters in Hà Nội and HCM City yesterday voted for the Devotion Music Awards at Vietnam News Agency’s offices in the two cities.

Reporters on the art beat from newspapers, magazines, televisions, radios and online newspapers voted for the best artists and musical productions of 2016.

The awards will be given in nine categories, including best song, best album, best singer, best composer, new artist, best live music show, and best television music show. For the first time, there will also be the best producer of the year award.

Nominees include both established names and new faces, such as musicians Phó Đức Phương, Trần Mạnh Tuấn and Hồng Kiên, and singers Trần Thu Hà, Hồ Ngọc Hà, Đông Nhi, Noo Phước Thịnh, and Soobin Hoàng Sơn.

Nominees for the new best producer of the year category include Khắc Hưng, Đỗ Hiếu, Hồng Kiên, Hoài Sa and Quốc Trung.

Hưng has been involved in many music projects in 2016. Hiếu is well-known to the public owing to the TV music show Dreams Begin; and musician Kiên is famous for his role in In the Spotlight 2017 and other major music events of 2016.

Other nominees are director of Sing My Song musician Hoài Sa, and musician Quốc Trung, the mastermind of the prestigious the Monsoon Music Festival.

Since 2005, the Vietnam News Agency’s Culture and Sports daily has been organising the awards every year to promote Vietnamese music, and honour artists who make significant contributions to the industry.

The awards ceremony will be held on April 25 at the HCM City Opera House with performances by the nominees. The award song, Tháng Tư Về (April Is Coming) by Dương Thụ, will be one of the highlights of the night.

The award ceremony will be broadcast live on Việt Nam Television’s VTV 9. — VNS