Giang Son's mark in the flow of contemporary Vietnamese music

Musician Giang Son (real name Ta Thi Giang Son, born in 1975) is a musician and singer who made a name for herself with the band 5 Dong Ke. She is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Hanoi Music Association, a member of the Association of Composers 21, and a member of the M6 composer group.

Her father is People's Teacher Hoang Kieu, who is deeply attached to Vietnamese folk music, perhaps because of that, Giang Son had a special passion for traditional theater since childhood. However, People's Teacher Hoang Kieu's wish at that time was to guide his daughter to the piano.

Musical Journey

Graduated from the Hanoi Conservatory of Music, Giang Son began his composing career with songs full of lyrical and emotional qualities. His first works such as "Rain", "Grass and Rain" quickly won over the public thanks to their soulful melodies and profound lyrics.

In 1999, Giang Son joined the 5 Dong Ke music group with four other members of the Hanoi Conservatory of Music. This was the first music group to perform only their own compositions, in which Giang Son was the only musician responsible for composing.

Also in this year, she met poet Nguyen Thuy Kha and musician Nguyen Trong Tao. From the poetry collection “Nursery songs for adults” that Nguyen Trong Tao gave her, the short poem “Grass and rain” inspired Giang Son to write a song of the same name, with a blues vibe – a genre of music she loved and researched herself.

“Grass and Rain” was later supplemented with developed lyrics by the poet himself, carrying philosophical colors about love and life. The song quickly became the mark of the group 5 Dong Ke, winning an award in the VTV program Song I Love in 2004.

It can be seen that, unlike many musicians who often choose a complete poem to set to music, Giang Son has his own approach: from a poetic idea or a verse, Giang Son develops the melody first, then collaborates with the poet to complete the song.

Sharing about her composing style, musician Giang Son said that she always puts the musical element first. According to her, a song must first be complete in structure and form, then the lyrics are developed to match the melody. Therefore, Giang Son's compositions often have a clear, balanced structure, with the A section starting gently, the B section creating a climax and a strong chorus before calming down, creating harmony for the overall work.

Musician Nguyen Tien Manh commented that each song of Giang Son can be seen as a diary, recorded with love and private feelings. It is this sincerity that has touched the hearts of the public, creating connection and spreading - also a measure of success in composition.

Shining in contemporary folk music

Later, Giang Son's compositions became increasingly diverse, spanning many genres such as Pop, R&B, chamber music and contemporary folk.

Especially in contemporary folk music with typical songs such as "Giac mo noon", "Chut nang vang bay"... musician Giang Son has truly conquered a large audience of music lovers.

In his compositions, Giang Son often uses pentatonic music with 7th and 8th intervals with strong Vietnamese colors, combined with simple harmony to make the melodies easy to listen to and easy to access.

More successful with the song “Hanoi 12 seasons of flowers”, Giang Son shared that she was born and raised in Hanoi, and from the age of 7 she studied elementary piano at Hanoi Art School. Her childhood was associated with walks around Trang Tien and Hoan Kiem Lake – memories that nurtured her love for Hanoi.

However, writing about Hanoi is a challenge, because previous musicians have written so well. Therefore, Giang Son always struggles to find a different perspective.

The opportunity came when Giang Son read an article about the flower seasons in Hanoi. That idea awakened her, because Hanoi’s flowers are an aspect that has not been exploited much. And so “Hanoi, Twelve Flower Seasons” was born.

According to Giang Son, composing this song requires flexibility, keeping musical principles in mind, and creating a natural feeling. The biggest challenge is how to encapsulate 12 months – each month with a typical flower – into one song while still ensuring balance in melody and structure. Therefore, Giang Son had to choose the most representative flower, she shared.

At the discussion, musician Truong Ngoc Ninh shared that he considers Giang Son as a relative in the profession. For him, composing has no boundaries between old and young, what matters is the work.

Giang Son carries a very musical name, born into an artistic family, imbued with folk music since childhood. Although she loves jazz, blues or R&B, in Son's compositions, folk material is always the root. Songs such as "Giac Mo Noon", "Ha Noi Muoi Thap Hoa", "Khat", "Co va Mua"... are all concise, rich in emotion, have a tight structure, and easily enter the heart. It is this conciseness and unique folk color that has created a unique mark, helping Giang Son become one of the few female musicians to maintain a firm position in the contemporary Vietnamese music scene, musician Truong Ngoc Ninh affirmed.

Giang Son's contributions have been recognized through many prestigious awards, including the Dedication Music Award and many other composition awards.

Musician Quang Vinh, Chairman of the Hanoi Music Association, said: “Today’s discussion is very meaningful. What remains in the end are emotional musical experiences, where artists and audiences can listen, understand and learn from each other.”

He also emphasized that Giang Son is a composer who is always strict with himself, respects the audience and carefully filters his emotions - factors that have created a sustainable career. From there, he expressed his wish to have more meetings and professional exchanges like this so that the musician community - both professional and amateur - have the opportunity to share and spread creative inspiration.

In the cozy atmosphere of the talk show "The Path of Music - Musician Giang Son", the audience and colleagues listened to sincere sharing about the emotional journey of composing, thereby once again affirming the mark of the talented female musician of contemporary Vietnamese music.