HÀ NỘI — The organiser of the Devotion Music Awards has launched official nominations in all nine categories in Hà Nội including producer of the year and music series of the year.

This is the annual music award launched by Vietnam News Agency’s Thể Thao & Văn Hóa (Culture & Sport) daily to honour the best music works and best artists of the year. This year, there are six nominations in the producer of the year category. Show of the year and MV of the year categories have seven each.

"Normally, each category has five nominations but some categories have big contenders and we didn’t want to take them off the short list," said Hữu Trịnh, an organisation representative.

Nominations for the producer of the year category are Dương Cầm, Slim V, Đỗ Hiếu, Rhymastic, Khắc Hưng and Quốc Trung. Four of them joined the first season of television gameshow Celebrity Battle which ended last Friday. Each of them produced about ten songs in 2017.

Dương Cầm also produced three other albums while Slim V emerges to renew songs with an EDM style at singer Thu Minh’s liveshow. The two musicians are also listed in musician of the year category.

MV of the year category has seven contenders from established and emerging singers such as Mỹ Tâm, Soobin Hoàng Sơn, Hương Tràm and Bích Phương. Singer Bích Phương’s MV entitled Nói Thương Nhau Thì Đừng Làm Trái Tim Em Đau (Saying Love Me, Don’t Break My Heart) has emotional feelings. Beautiful scenes in the MV introduce a wedding of Dao Đỏ ethnic people in northern mountainou province of Cao Bằng.

Soobin Hoàng Sơn’s MV Đi Để Trở Về (Going to Return) features scenery and landscape in Đà Lạt — the most romantic city in the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng.

Nominations in show of the year category are liveshows by singers including A-list pop Thanh Lam; Tùng Dương; Đăng Dương and Ngô Hồng Quang — Nguyên Lê. The liveshow entitled Đêm Hè Lam (Lam Summer Night) was held in Hà Nội in June on the celebration of singer Thanh Lam’s 48th birthday. Thanh Lam is one of the most popular pop singers in Việt Nam. She is favoured by many open-minded audiences because of her improvisational singing techniques.

Tùng Dương set a record with nine nominations in the categories of album of the year, singer of the year, liveshow of the year and song of the year. His liveshow entitled Trời Và Đất (Heaven & Earth) included Dương’s hits which were remixed in a futuristic style, a blend of experimental sounds inspired by machinery.

Đăng Dương got his first nomination for his liveshow entitled Mặt Trời Của Tôi (My Sun). The singer is known with his performances of revolutionary songs which praise patriotism and the beauty of the country and people.

Other categories include musician of the year; singer of the year, music series of the year, album of the year and new artist.

A ballot will be held in the middle of March in Hà Nội and HCM City. The annual Devotion Music Awards began in 2004 to promote Vietnamese music and honour artists who have made significant contributions to the music industry. — VNS