HCM CITY — As many as 2,000 concert tickets were sold within a minute for two live concerts by pop star Mỹ Tam in Đa Lạt City this weekend.

The concerts, held on March 26 and 27, are titled “My Soul 1981”.

Tickets were snapped up as soon as sales opened on March 16.

Tam, known as the Vietnamese Queen of Pop, will perform new songs like Nưoc Ngoai (Overseas) and Hẹn Ưoc Từ Hư Vo (A Promise from Distance Days) composed by Phan Mạnh Quỳnh, and several of her previous hits like Sự Thật Ta Yeu Nhau (The Truth).

The singer has invited leading Vietnamese composers and singers to join the concerts.

 “The first show will highlight composer Khắc Hưng and singers Vũ and Thịnh Suy, while the second will have music producer and composers Đuc Trí, Phan Mạnh Quỳnh and Khắc Hưng,” said Tam.

 “The concert is an opportunity for my fans and I to meet face to face after a long time. That will be cool,” she added.

The two shows will be streamed live on pops.vn for audiences outside Đa Lạt.

“My Soul 1981” in Đa Lạt is an offline version of a virtual concert series called “Unstaged Music Shows: My Soul 1981” released on streaming platform NEThub in January. 

The series included six shows featuring Tam’s popular pop songs performed in an acoustic and lo-fi style.

The event was warmly received by audiences, prompting the singer to hold its offline version.

 “My fans’ love for me is great. I’m very grateful. Their love motivates me to continue to move ahead.”

Tam, a Đa Nẵng native, studied at the HCM City Music Conservatory. She became a professional singer even while she was a student. 

In 1999, she signed an exclusive contract with Vafaco, the city’s leading music producer. Her first single album, Nhe Anh (You), became a recording phenomenon in the local market. 

Her top hit, Mãi Yeu (Love Forever), helped the singer bring home the Bronze Medal at the Asian Golden Singers Festival in Shanghai in 2001. 

Tam, who sings in Vietnamese and English, also works as a songwriter and music producer. She has released nine albums to date. 

Her latest album Tam 9, which includes 13 songs in pop soul, was released in late 2017 and sold 5,000 copies in the first hour of its release. It has sold more than 20,000 copies since.

The album ranked 10th on Billboard’s World Albums chart in the third week of January 2018, according to sales data compiled by Nielsen Music. 

Tam was the first Vietnamese singer to sign a contract with the South Korean entertainment company Nurimaru Pictures.   

She was selected as one of "Global Pop Sensations You’ve Never Heard Of" by ABC News in the US in 2010.  

She became the first Vietnamese singer to participate in the Asia Song Festival in Seoul in 2004 and received a Plaque of Appreciation and Best Contribution Award from the South Korean Minister of Culture and Tourism.

Tam was also the first Vietnamese singer to receive the Best Asian Artist at the Korean Mnet Asian Music Awards in 2012 and MTV Europe Music Award’s Best Southeast Asia Act in 2013.

She was awarded the World Music Awards’ World's Best Selling Vietnamese Artist in 2014, and the Big Apple Music Award’s Best Selling Artist of Asia title in 2015.

Tam has won many top prizes in the country’s leading music competitions, including the Cống Hiến (Dedication) Award in 2015 and 2018.

The Mỹ Tam Foundation that she launched in 2008 has supported many poor children and students.  — VNS