"Trendy" music: A fleeting phenomenon!

Nguyen Minh Cuong was once as sought after as Dong Thien Duc. This was because Nguyen Minh Cuong had quite a few hit songs. These included "Ca mot troi thuong nho" (A Whole Sky of Memories) sung by Ho Ngoc Ha, "Hoa no khong mau" (Flowers Bloom Without Color), and "Buon lam chi em oi" (Why Be Sad, My Dear?) performed by Hoai Lam.

Hứa Kim Tuyền also had a period of dominance in the Vietnamese music scene with a series of songs such as "If One Day I Fly to Heaven," "You Are My Precious Jewel," "Come Home and Listen to My Mother's Lullaby," "Fragrance," etc.

In addition, names like DTAP, Phan Manh Quynh, Khac Hung, Tang Nhat Tue… were once familiar names in the music industry. They not only produced individual songs but also released albums.

A musician's popularity depends on the number of hits their songs achieve. This is almost an "unbreakable" rule in the Vietnamese music market from the past to the present. This means that the more hit songs a musician has, the greater their popularity. Of course, the assessment of a musician's popularity differs from the past and present, depending on the somewhat different tastes of their respective audiences. While in the past, musicians were famous based on their songwriting style, today's musicians are famous based on the number of hits their songs have that are measured and counted in the market.

Undeniably, the creativity of young musicians, in keeping up with global music trends and bringing freshness, has significantly transformed Vietnamese music. It's easy to see the rapid rise of young songwriters in the music market. This is entirely understandable, given that music is produced according to fashion trends. When a song becomes a hit, its songwriter naturally becomes more famous. But when another hit song emerges, the former phenomenon is quickly overshadowed by another name. This is almost a self-evident rule, and young songwriters don't seem too bothered by it.

You must know how to improve yourself.

Contemporary music is hardly immune to the rules of fashion , as is the case with the current global music scene. However, to ensure the longevity of a song isn't determined by listener preferences, young songwriters need to consider defining their own songwriting style instead of simply following trends.

"High artistic merit" is a major difference between old and new hits. This also means that many older songwriters became famous because of their distinctly defined songwriting styles. Regardless of style, their songs were composed based on artistic merit. Meanwhile, most contemporary songs lean towards entertainment. It would be inappropriate to use old values ​​to judge and compare them to the present, but it's clear that a work of art must necessarily contain a sense of reflection, and its lyrics must be rich in imagery. Ultimately, it should have a poetic quality in its composition, not simply a blatant copy of the raw truth as many young people do today. Even farewells and sentimental songs should be beautiful and poetic, not just insults and blasphemy.

Composer Tien Luan expressed: "Today's songs are composed to please the listener. And everything has two sides. What easily reaches the public is also easily forgotten. Therefore, it's natural that many songs have a short lifespan."

Young songwriters also face their own challenges. Most are aware that a trendy, entertaining song is quickly forgotten. But the economic aspect also causes many young people headaches. Some musicians choose to seize opportunities, composing rapidly when their time comes, and accept the possibility of being forgotten sooner rather than later.

According to musician Giáng Son, the longevity of a composer's work depends heavily on their own knowledge base. Young people have enthusiasm and talent, but sometimes they are too hasty. Once they have a successful product, coupled with the ability to compose quickly, they easily become formulaic, while the market is constantly changing and audiences always demand something new. Not to mention, artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly developing and assisting in songwriting, so if overused, it can easily produce songs that are too similar and lack individuality.

"Technology only plays a supporting role, making the work of a musician easier, but technology has no soul, and a song without a soul cannot move the listener. To have beautiful emotions, musicians must cultivate their life experiences and should not be overly dependent on technology," said musician Giáng Son.