HCM CITY – Young composer Khắc Hưng won the Musician and Music Producer of the Year at the Cống Hiến (Devotion) Music Awards, organised by Vietnam News Agency’s Thể Thao & Văn Hóa (Sports & Culture) Newspaper. 

“I’m very proud to receive the awards. I want to express my gratitude to my soul mate, singer Trung Quân, who encouraged me to follow my producing career,” said 24-year-old Hưng.

The musician, a graduate of the Việt Nam National Academy of Music, became a sensation in 2015 when his production Khởi Hành (Departure) for singer Nguyễn Trần Trung Quân won the 2015 Devotion Award for Album of the Year.

He has produced tracks for numerous pop stars such as Mỹ Tâm, Thu Phương and Nguyễn Ngọc Anh.

In 2016, Hưng was involved in many projects. He impressed critics and audiences with his own songs, including Sau Tất Cả (After All), Đến Bên Em (Come to Me) and Yêu (Love), which became popular songs on local music websites.

Violinist Hoàng Rob, whose music video filmed at some of Việt Nam’s most famous tourist spots has drawn hundreds of thousands of views on Facebook, was named New Artist of the Year.

The 25-year-old musician released his newest album entitled Hừng Đông (Dawn) in 2016, featuring 10 tracks, mostly pop and world music style, composed by Khắc Hưng.

The Singer of the Year award went to pop star Noo Phước Thịnh, one of the four coaches from Voice of Việt Nam 2017, a Vietnamese version of US reality show The Voice.

This year, the 29-year-old singer hosted the live show Funring Day 2016 - Noo Phước Thịnh Live Concert and two fan meetings in South Korea and Singapore, which attracted several thousands of adoring fans.

Young composer and singer Lê Thiện Hiếu was presented with the award for Song of the Year, for Ông Bà Anh (My Grandparents). 

The song has simple lyrics about love arranged on top of a joyful melody. Its music video attracted more than 43 million views on YouTube.

“My song is inspired by my grandparents’ love. I wanted to dedicate my awards to them,” said 22-year-old Hiếu.

Leading Vietnamese songstress Hà Trần received the award for Album of the Year for her indie rock album Bản Nguyên (To the Core) released in 2016.

Hà and her peers, young songwriters Dominik Nghĩa Đỗ (lyric) and Hoàng Quân (music), took nearly a decade to finish the album of ten songs.

“I am quite choosy in selecting songs for myself. As you can see, all the songs that I’ve ever sung contain philosophical lyrics. Songs by Nghĩa Đỗ and Hoàng Quân have satisfied my ‘standard’ as they also bear philosophical meanings," Hà said to the media at the release of the album.

The Music Video of the Year award was given to the HCM City-based boy band 365 Daband’s Bống Bống Bang Bang, a soundtrack from director Ngô Thanh Vân’s movie Tấm Cám which is based on a fairy tale best known as the Vietnamese version of Cinderella.  

The song was first written for children by Only C, one of Hà Nội’s young music producers, but was later remixed for an adult audience.  

In the video, four members of 365 Daband perform the song in traditional costumes, leaving a strong impression on audiences, both young and old.  

“We wanted to sing in a different way than other young singers. So, we decided to sing Bống Bống Bống Bang, a folk song, instead of a pop or dance number. We hope our video provides fans with a new taste,” said 28-year-old Issac, the band’s leader.

 Đôi Bàn Tay Thắp Lửa (Fire Hands), a tribute concert dedicated to singer and songwriter Trần Lập – the late frontman of rock band The Wall, won the Live Show of the Year.

The concert took place in Hà Nội last January, two month before Lập’s death.

The show featured Lập and members of The Wall, leading Vietnamese singers such as Tùng Dương, Phạm Anh Khoa, Tạ Quang Thắng, and rock bands Microwave and Pentatonic.

The Music Programme of the Year award was given to Sing My Song, a TV reality talent show where singers and composers can introduce and perform their own songs.

The annual Devotion Music Awards began in 2004 to promote Vietnamese music and honour artists who have made significant contributions to the industry.

About 100 journalists on the art beat from Hà Nội and HCM City were invited to vote for the best artists and musical productions of 2016 in nine categories on April 18. — VNS