Many foreign bands in HCM City are improving their skills and performances in an increasingly competitive music environment (Photo: sgtiepthi.vn)HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Foreign bands in recent years have stepped uptheir efforts to “stay in the game” as Vietnamese bands appear to be regainingpopularity in the local music scene.
Though Vietnamese music is still vastly more popular, the number of foreignartists coming to the city to pursue their musical careers has increased.
Thai Huynh, director and event manager at the GEM Centre, said that mostevents, big or small, include music performances.
Depending on the nature and scale of particular events, either foreign or localbands will be selected to perform, he said, adding that most foreign bandsoften become more popular after performing at the GEM Centre or the AcousticBar.
The most important criteria to consider when booking a band includes “charmingappearance and ability to inspire and connect with the audience”, which mostforeign artists seem to be quite good at, according to Huynh.
The friendly manner, for example, of a British singer in the ‘The Lost Art’band, which often performs at the Acoustic Bar in District 3, has attractedmany fans.
Since most of them play for their passion for their art, they are willing toperform for only 700,000- 1 million VND (30-45 USD) for a three-hourperformance.
Though Asian bands are able to live on this paycheck, it is more difficult forthem. Bands that perform at Hard Rock Café Vietnam in District 1, for example,are required to sing in fluent English and in all genres.
As most of the audience are foreigners, it is even more difficult to win themover, according to the quality manager at Hard Rock Café Vietnam.
As a result, foreign bands are more likely to play as they meet most of therequirements.
Hard Rock Café is currently training a local music band that will perform formore than three hours in one show, he added.
Due to increased demand, more international music bands are expected to come toHCM City in the near future, but it is important that they improve theirperformance quality to be able to compete with others, according to a reportin Sai Gon Tiep Thi newspaper.
They should cover popular songs or produce and sing their own songs, expertshave said. Determining their music path is necessary so they can stand out fromthe crowd.
Some international bands are expected to make a serious career out of theirpassion for music, while many have begun to sing in Vietnamese to reach a widerrange of audiences.
The Lost Art, for instance, has been composing songs and translating them intoVietnamese for their upcoming album.-VNS/VNA
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