Vietnamese singers join Indie?

VietNamNet Bridge – Mentioned for the first time in the UK in the 1980s, the term “Indie” has recently appeared in Vietnam as a new genre of music.

Indie – stimulus for music circles

Indie is an abbreviation for independent. In music, Indie is contrary to mainstream and popular music. At first, Indie had a narrow meaning, connoting “underground” or artists who don’t participate in the mainstream music market.

But Indie is different from “underground”; Indie singers often produce and distribute their own albums without the assistance of recording companies. Indie has developed along the DIY (Do it yourself) line and become a cultural symbol. Indie has expanded from music to movies and literature.

In music, Indie is more often understood as a music genre, not an indication of the nature of singers’ activities. However, many still don’t agree with viewing Indie as a music genre because it can go with rock, folk or ambient, etc. to become Indie rock, Indie pop, Indie dance, and so on.

There is no standard understanding about this term but talking about Indie music products, one can understand that these are creative and highly individual products.

In the past, Indie artists accessed audiences through the radio. Thanks to the development of information technology, Indie artists can easily advertise their music through the Internet. Many music blogs and websites are available to bring Indie music to listeners.

The borderline between mainstream and Indie music has nearly been erased. Indie has become a new trend in the world and in Vietnam, as well.

Conditional choice

Singer Tina Tinh.

Vietnam doesn’t have a developed showbiz industry so it is difficult to differentiate between Indie and mainstream music.

A nameless singer can easily become famous though he/she has never released an album. Some artists have gotten fame through only one song broadcast on TV, like the case of Nguyen Duc Cuong. Some bands have become famous through forums and music blogs, such as M4U. In such a primitive environment, artists have many roads to follow to pursue their music career.

Indie music products have appeared in Vietnam and attracted audiences’ attention. Singer Tran Thu Ha’s Dialogue 06 album is a typical example. Thu Ha made some trials with this album and this album was produced as an Indie album. However, it was widely advertised and distributed.

In 2007, song writer Tuan Khanh produced the Bui Duong Ca album not for sale, but for free uploading on the Internet. This rock album is an Indie product in nature because it didn’t aim at popular listeners and it was not distributed in the mainstream market. However, this album didn’t catch the attention of the media.

Some other singers who have practiced Indie methods are Luong Bang Quang, Mai Khoi and Tina Tinh. These singers have written songs, sung and produced albums themselves.

2008 was believed to be a year for Indie products when many independent albums were released. Thanks to the creativeness and flexibility of Indie music, this genre of music is expected to have a positive influence on the local music market in the near future.

Cine Khang