Mỹ Tâm


Phan Thị Mỹ Tâm, whose stage name is Mỹ Tâm, is a Vietnamese pop singer.
Her best-known songs are "Hoạ Mi Tóc Nâu"

Life and career

Early life

Mỹ Tâm was born in Da Nang, Vietnam, in 1981. She started ballet at age of six, and continued for three years. She then tried guitar and organ. She enjoyed singing, but did not regard it as a future career. She won first prize in her secondary school's singing competition, and the Gold Award at Beautiful Voice Spring, the city's solo singing competition. She was chosen for the Military School of Art in Hanoi, however, because of her family situation, she enrolled in Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory where she studied vocal training.

1999–2000: Debut

Mỹ Tâm signed with Vafaco Record in 1999 and participated in many singing bands. She received many awards in various singing competitions. Her first demo song was "Nhé anh", written by Nguyen Ha, who helped her build image at the start of her career. She co-wrote a soft ballad, "Mãi yêu", with Nguyen Quang.
After her contract with Vafaco ended in 2000, she had her hair cut short and colored to a yellow-brown "Korean style"; she also dressed sexier. In 2000, she worked at the Music Center in Ho Chi Minh City. She entered the Asia New Singer Competition that was held in Shanghai, China, and won a bronze medal, which she considers pivotal to becoming a singer. She graduated in 2001 as a top student.

2001–2002: Early success

In 2001, Mỹ Tâm released her debut album Mãi Yêu . Her first major hit, "Toc Nau Moi Tram", was an uptempo dance song that inspired a hair dying fad. Her title track established her as a young songwriter. "My Love Candle" and "Yêu Dại Khờ" became popular in karaoke establishments. "Hai mươi", written by long-time musician Quốc Bảo, celebrated her twentieth birthday. It described her youthful energy that she brought to life, and became a popular anthem among university women. "Nhé anh" was a success, and was followed with a music video; however, the song was hampered by a copyright issue. Endless Love sold 54,000 copies.
Her first audio single, "Cây Đàn Sinh Viên", became an iconic song of the early 2000s among university students. It was used frequently by the media to portray the lives of students as warm, romantic, and artistic. It was the basis for her 2004 tour around various universities across the country.
In May 2002, she released her first video single, "Hát với Dòng Sông". The title song was successful but was criticized for having lazy and incomprehensible lyrics regardless of its catchy tune. The album also included packaged with "Cây Đàn Sinh Viên". A third track, "Quê Hương Tuổi Thơ Tôi", was initially not a hit because of the overshadowing success of the first two tracks, but eventually became a classic.
Her next audio single, "Dawn of Love", also released in May, was not as successful as "Singing with the River". However, one of its tracks, "Love If is Distant", became a karaoke hit.
Mỹ Tâm released her second studio album, Đâu Chỉ Riêng Em in May 2002. The album had more dance-pop than her first album, which was soft R&B, but still had some ballads such as "Khung trời mộng mơ", "Một lần và mãi mãi" and "Ánh Sao Buồn". "Búp Bê Không Tình Yêu" was a translation of France Gall's "Poupée de cire, poupée de son". "Khi xưa ta bé" was a translation of Cher's "Bang Bang ", but made in an uptempo manner. "Giấc mơ tình yêu" received airplay on radio and television, and was one of her biggest hits. "Hát Cho Người ở Lại" also charted well.

2003–2005: Queen of V-Pop

In mid 2003, Mỹ Tâm released her third studio album, Yesterday & Now. It contained two of her biggest hits: "Ước gì" and "Họa Mi Tóc Nâu". The former became another one of her signature songs, and she performs the song in her television appearances and concerts. The album sold over 60,000 copies within the first few months, and received positive responses from audiences and critics, however, some critics complained that the album lacked coherence and had poor arrangements. The tracks were mostly common ballads, but there were some variants.
The other hits from the album included "Mùa hè thương yêu", "Tình Em Còn Mãi", and "Niềm tin chiến thắng". "Mùa hè thương yêu" described a student's feeling before the summer holiday period, that she was going to miss her friends, and regretted that summer came too quickly. It appealed strongly to teenagers. "Họa mi tóc nâu" was a reference to her earlier song "Tóc nâu môi trầm", but while the older song was a powerful dance track about an independent girl who feels how promising her love and her life is, "Nightingale" portrayed a young, innocent, but dedicated girl who is naive about love. In response to the gaffes she committed during her interviews for the first two albums, she changed her image for the third album, and grew her hair much longer than before. "Niềm tin chiến thắng" was a strong ballad that became a rally song for the Vietnamese team in the SEA Games. It is about a person who strongly believes in a day of victory, despite all the difficulties of the life around him.
In 2004, My Tam held a concert named "Ngày Ấy & Bây Giờ" in two big stadiums in Vietnam. The total expenditure for the concerts was about 3 billion đồng, the most expensive concert funding in the Vietnamese music industry at that time. However, she became the first Vietnamese music artist to have a sold out stadium and her album sold over 100,000 copies, which made it the highest-selling album in Vietnamese recording history. She was recognized as the "Number one pop star in Vietnam" and "Queen of V-Pop." In 2004, she also held a televised concert "My Childhood Hometown", and went on a tour called "Live With Your Best".
After releasing her third album, she released a VCD album for Mãi Yêu . It consisted of some of her hits before Yesterday & Now, and a bonus track called "Xích lô".
On 16 November 2004, she became the first Vietnamese singer to participate in the Asia Song Festival in Seoul, Korea. She sang "Ước gì" and "Nụ hôn bất ngờ", and received a Plaque of Appreciation and Best Contribution Award from the Korean Minister of Culture and Tourism. She would later collaborate with Korean producers in 2005.
In 2005, she released her fourth studio album, Hoàng Hôn Thức Giấc , where she composed many of the songs, such as: "Surprising Kiss", "Vì đâu", Untold Love, and "Nhớ...". Although it was less successful than her third album, "The Color of My Life" received critical acclaim for its coherence and for her creative control. It eventually sold 20,000 copies. She would later re-release the album with songs from her third album, and a bonus track called "Dường như ta đã", which gave the album more of a pop/rock remix feel and contains one of her biggest hits "Dường Như Ta Đã", composed by her. Then she went on a Power of Dreams tour across different universities

2006–2008: Vút Bay (Fly), Thời Gian và Tôi (Time and Myself project)

In 2006, Mỹ Tâm worked with Korean Record Narimaru Pictures for her fifth album, Fly. She stated that she was unsatisfied with Vietnamese recording and studio techniques. She also took more vocal training, dance lessons, and expanded her music genres. Instead of her usual pop and ballad style, she added uptempo R&B, hip-hop, and soul songs. Fly was released in December 2006. Many of its tracks were released with music videos: "Hãy đến với em", "Bí mật", and Untold Love? Mỹ Tâm also released a single that contained four re-recorded tracks sung in Korean: "Dường như ta đã", "Giọt sương", "Hãy đến với em", and "Ngày hôm nay", the last of which was influenced by a R&B track by Alicia Keys. In 2007, she endorsed her first perfume brand called "My Time", which consists of four scents: passionate, charming, manly, and stylish.
In 2008, as part of her project Thời Gian và Tôi, She created her own company named Mỹ Tâm Entertainment. "Time and Myself"'s project has been planned to have five albums and a live show, and "is about those who always look back to the past to live a better future". She released her sixth album, Trở Lại, on 17 April. Unlike Fly, the Korean producers were only in charge of recording and mastering the record. All the tracks were composed and handled by Vietnamese producers, including Mỹ Tâm, who produced "Như em dợi anh". The album title expresses her return to the pop ballad genre with slow-jam and emotional feeling, and has a similar sound to her third album, but with the Korean influence. Come Back brought Mỹ Tâm to a new level in her career: a more professional voice, significantly improved English, and more skilled singing techniques. Although the production is still Vietnamese, it contained a more international vibe, excellent quality, and characterized her as an evolving artist.
On 1 September, she released her seventh album, Nhịp Đập , which was also produced in Korea. She said that the songs have uptempo beats that "make you want to move and shake when you first hear it." She promoted this album and Come Back with a concert tour titled "Sóng Đa Tần". She started the tour with a concert in Tao Dan stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She won the "Singer of the year 2008" prize in the Devotion Award held by The Thao & Van Hoa newspaper with participation and voting of 97 reporters. She would later release the concert DVD for Sóng Đa Tần.

2009-2011: Melodies of Time project, Television and film activity

In April 2010, Mỹ Tâm released her compilation album, named after her project, Những Giai Điệu Của Thời Gian project. In a slideshow article by ABC News in August, she was listed among 12 "ABC's Global Pop Sensations You've Never Heard Of".
She participated as a judge on the fourth season of Sao Mai Điểm Hẹn, a biannual reality-television singing competition by VTV3. She judged alongside music producers Tuấn Khanh and Hồ Hoài Anh. She was noted for her frank and hard-hitting remarks, but displayed a sense of humor, and gave constructive feedback to the contestants. She received positive publicity for her fashion choices during the series as she matched her outfits to each theme in the competition.
She starred in the musical television drama Cho Một Tình Yêu, which was produced by BHD film studio, and directed by Nguyễn Tranh of Lê Hóa. She also served as the musical director, where she composed some original songs, and mixed in others. She would later release a single of the title track with eight different versions, each of which involved a different instrument, including guitar, piano, trombone and trumpet.
The series premiered on VTV3 on 7 October, and ran for 37 episodes. It was the first to star many contemporary Vietnamese singers including herself, Tuấn Hưng, Quang Dũng, Minh Thuận, and Minh Tú. After the first episode aired, Mỹ Tam's fans uploaded her songs which generated 50,000 hits overnight. On one forum, the series generated over 9,000 comments. The media considered the reaction to her work unprecedented. While the series received mixed reviews from critics regarding the plot and acting, the musical scenes were praised for their originality and congruousness.

2012–2015: ''Vietnam Idol'', ''Tâm'' and ''The Voice of Vietnam''

In May 2012, Mỹ Tâm performed at the MTV EXIT concert alongside Simple Plan at the My Dinh Stadium in Ha Noi for the purpose of propaganda against human trafficking. She was appointed MTV EXIT's representative in Vietnam. On 29 May 2012, Mỹ Tâm was announced to be replacing Siu Black as a judge for the fourth season of Vietnam Idol alongside remaining judges Quốc Trung and Nguyễn Quang Dũng. The season aired in August 2012. Throughout the competition, Mỹ Tâm praised Huong Giang, a top-16 contestant and a transsexual. "The thing that surprises me is not your voice, it’s your effort," she said. "Your singing is not absolutely excellent, but your effort makes us want to see how you can improve." The contestant had previously competed as a male, and the sex change gave her a second chance to compete.
From 2013 and 2014 Mỹ Tâm had been working on her eighth studio album, "Tâm". The album was officially released on 24 March 2013, including 10 original tracks composed by Mỹ Tâm herself and various Korean music producers. The album received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success overall, with 5,000 copies sold on its first day of release and reaching number one for weeks in a number of downloads on iTunes. In order to promote the album, many music videos have been produced on her official YouTube account, with high interactivity during the release.
On 24 August 2013, Mỹ Tâm set up an acoustic-styled music show called "Send to My Love" in Ho Chi Minh City. She continued to bring the show to Hanoi on 26 October, before hosting a charity event in Da Nang on 16 January 2014. Mỹ Tâm confirmed her return to Vietnam Idol for its fifth season on 21 September. In the celebration ceremony of 2 years MTV Europe Music Award's establishment on 27 September 2013, My Tam became the first representative of Vietnam to be nominated for the "Best Worldwide Act" award. After lost to Li Yuchun from China, she received the "Outstanding Southeast Asian Artist" trophy from MTV Vietnam representative on the Vietnam Idol stage on 23 March 2014. On 22 October 2013, Mỹ Tâm released a music video for the song "Em phải làm sao", which received 200,000 views on the day of its publication. After Vietnam Idol wrapped up its fifth season in May 2014, Mỹ Tâm guest judged Your Face Sounds Familiar for a week's performance show which was broadcast on 7 June. Mỹ Tâm won a VTV Award for the "Outstanding Artist" category on 5 September.
On 28 September 2014, Mỹ Tâm announced her first concert after 10 years- "Heartbeat", taking place in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, with free ticket. The two concerts attracted approximately 40,000 people at the Military Zone 7 Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City; and about 25,000 audiences at Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi. Her tour was positively received by critics, and brought her a nomination for the 2015 "Tour of the Year" category of the Devotion Award. A DVD which recorded the showcase of Heartbeat in Ho Chi Minh City on 20 April 2015, before the release of the two live shows in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi on 22 and 26 April 2015 respectively, to recreate the atmosphere of "Heartbeat" with highlight performances throughout the two shows, had sold 3,600 copies in just 4 hours of debut. The DVD gathered more than 1 billion and 80 million VND as well as reached the milestone of 10,000 copies in a month.
On 12 April 2015, Mỹ Tâm was the last to confirm to become a coach on the third season of The Voice of Vietnam alongside, and Đàm Vĩnh Hưng. Her final contestant, was crowned the winner on the finale broadcast on 20 September, making Tâm the winning coach on her first attempt as a coach. However, Tâm did not return to The Voice for its fourth season and was replaced by Tóc Tiên. At the VTV Award 2015 took place on 6 September, Mỹ Tâm won the "Artist of the Year" category for the second consecutive time.

2016-present: ''Tâm 9'' album and ''First Love'' concert

From 2016 to 2017, Mỹ Tâm focused on making her ninth album, and release not many music videos like "Đôi mắt màu xanh", 'Hãy về với nhau" and "Cuộc tình không may". On 3 December 2017, Mỹ Tâm released her ninth studio pop soul album, Tâm 9. In the first day release, 5,000 copies of Tâm 9 was sold out in 1 hour. Until now, more than 20,000 CD were sold in Vietnam and became the "best selling album in Vietnam". On the January 2018, "Tâm 9" has climbed to No. 10 on the Billboard World Albums Chart, making her the first Vietnamese singer to break into the top 10. Also, "Tâm 9" was listed as "best selling album" on ITunes and Amazon. On March 2018, Tâm was honored with the titles of "Singer of the Year" and "Album of the year" at the Devotion Music Awards 2018.
On 20 October 2018, Tâm's concert, titled "My Tam, First Love", was held at the Jangchung Gymnasium in the central of Seoul. It was an important landmark in her career because holding a concert in a foreign country meant meeting regional coverage requirements and having the financial resources to organize it. There were 4000 people attended. After that, she became the first Southeast Asia singer to hold a concert in Jangchung Gymnasium.

Charities

On 4 April 2008, Mỹ Tâm established the My Tam Foundation, a charity that operates on contributions from MT Entertainment, her fans, and others. "Nâng bước ngày mai" is a prominent, long-term project that has reached cities and regions including Ho Chi Minh City, Huế, Da Nang, Nghệ An, Gia Lai, Bình Định, Phú Yên, Cần Thơ, Đắk Lắk, An Giang and Hà Tĩnh. The project builds houses for the poor, and also has scholarships for the underprivileged. Every year, MT Foundation creates a lot of charity for poor people in the remote area.

Artistry

Voice

Mỹ Tâm has a three-octave vocal range. She is a mezzo-soprano with a deep, powerful and clear voice. that fits her into a variety of genres, including pop, dance and rock. Prior to her album Fly, she was criticized for her lackluster performances that tended to focus more on vocal mechanics than emotions. However, Fly was highly acclaimed by singer Mỹ Linh, as it "marked Mỹ Tâm's wise move with her voice becoming more subtle and emotional, which would do her good in the long run".

Themes and musical style

Mỹ Tâm has been praised for her live singing while performing complex dance moves. In her live shows and concert tours, she sings 20-30 songs, and maintains a strong, passionate voice.

Discography

Singles & EPs

We Seemed To Be...: Vol 4.5 - The Power of Dreams Reissue

Compilation Albums

YearTitleSponsorVenuesNotes
2002Tour: "DREAM ON: With Mỹ tâm" SunsilkHo Chi Minh City, Ha Noi Capital, Da Nang City
early 2004Liveshow: "Yesterday and Now" Pepsi, SunsilkHo Chi Minh City, Ha Noi Capital Budget: 3 billion đồng , first sell-out, 15,000 attendees per night
mid-2004Liveshow: "My Childhood Hometown"VTV, HondaDa Nang City TV Show: Music and Friends
late 2004Tour: "Live With Your Best" PepsiHo Chi Minh City, Ha Noi Capital
2005Tour: "The Power of Dreams" HondaHo Chi Minh City, Ha Noi Capital, Da Nang City, Da Lat City, Cần Thơ City.20,000 attendees per night
Sept-Oct 2008Live Concert Tour 2008: "TO THE BEAT" MT EntertainmentHo Chi Minh city, Ha Noi capital, Da Nang city, Buon Me Thuoc city, Cần Thơ city. 15,000 attendees per night.
2010Showcase: "Melodies of Time" MT EntertainmentHo Chi Minh City
2011Live Concert: "Ten Years Of Mỹ Tâm: The Anniversary Live Concert" MT EntertainmentHo Chi Minh City, Ha Noi City 700 attendees, 1000 attendees
Sept 9-2011Live concert "For A Love " MT EntertainmentHo Chi Minh City, Ha Noi City -
Late 2013- Mid 2014Liveshow LETTER TO MY LOVE MT EntertainmentHo Chi Minh City, Ha Noi City, Da Nang City
Nov 2014Live Concert Tour 2014: HeartBeat MT Entertainment, OPPOHo Chi Minh City, Ha Noi Capital 35,000 attendees per night
April-2015Dreaming Together in Osaka NHK Television NetworkOsaka 2,000 attendees
Jan-2016House of Blues Live Concert MT EntertainmentHo Chi Minh City -
Dec-2017"Tâm 9" showcaseMT Entertainment, Yakult, AcecookHo Chi Minh City, Ha Noi, Da Nang 10.000 attendees per night
Oct-2018First LoveMT Entertainment, YakultSeoul 4.000 attendees

Awards

YearsAwards-
2000
  • Bronze Award, Asia New Singer Competition, Shanghai, China
-
2001
  • Exemplary Model of 2001, Vietnamese Television
  • Top 5 most promising singers, 1st Hoa Học Trò Music Awards
    		• -
    2002
  • Favorite singer, Thursday Evening Youth Club Bến Thành Theatre
  • Talented Young Artist, Đẹp magazine
  • Golden Apricot Award, Working Class magazine
  • Best artist of the year, VTV Songs That I Love
  • Best artist, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
    		• -
    2003
  • Talented Young Artist, Đẹp magazine
  • Golden Apricot Award, Working Class magazine
  • Best music video clip, VTV Songs That I Love
  • Best music video clip, Judges Panel, VTV Songs That I Love
  • Best artist, Vietnamnet
  • Best dressed artist, Fadin Fashion Academy
  • Heart of Vietnam award
  • The Platinum Award Best female artist, Stage & Cinema magazine
  • Best artist, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
    		• -
    2004
  • Maple Leaf Award, Chief Embassy of Canada
  • Gold Medal for the "Community Devotion" Award, Hanoi Culture Corporation and the Community Newspaper
  • Best artist, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
    		• -
    2005
  • Best artist, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
    		• -
    2006
  • Golden Rose award, VTC audiences
  • Best artist and composer, Blue Waves Music Ceremony
  • The Platinum Award Best female artist, Stage & Cinema magazine
  • Best composer, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
  • Best artist, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
    		• -
    2007
  • Best Female Artist, HTV Awards
  • Best artist, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
    		• -
    2008
  • Best Female Artist, HTV Awards
  • Golden Apricot Award, Working Class magazine
  • Singer of the Year Contribution Award, The Thao & Van Hoa newspaper
  • Best artist, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
    		• -
    2009
  • Singer of the year, Devotion Music Awards 2009
  • Best composer, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
  • Best artist, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
    		• -
    2010
  • Best Female Artist, HTV Awards
  • ABC's Global Pop Sensations You've Never Heard Of, ABC News
  • Best artist, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
  • Artist of the year, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
    		• -
    2011
  • Best Music Video, MTV Awards
  • Best Artist, MTV Awards
  • Best composer, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
  • Best artist, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
  • Artist of the year, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
    		• -
    2012
  • Best Asian Artist Award, 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong
  • Best artist, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
  • Artist of the year, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
    		• -
    2013
  • Singer of the Year. Devotion Music Awards 2013
  • Best artist, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony
  • Best Music Video,Yan Vpop 20 award
  • Best Southeast Asia Act at MTV Europe Music Awards 2013
    		• -
    2014
  • Best-selling Vietnamese Artist, 2014 World Music Awards
  • World's best Vietnamese live act, 2014 World Music Awards
  • World's best Vietnamese entertainer, 2014 World Music Awards
  • World's best Vietnamese artist, 2014 World Music Awards
  • Best artist, VTV awards
  • Asia's Music Legend, Top Asia Corporate Ball
    		• -
    2015
  • Singer of the Year, Devotion Music Awards 2015
  • Best Vietnamese Artist, Big Apple Music Music Awards
  • Best Selling Artist of Asia, Big Apple Music Music Awards
  • Best artist, VTV awards
    		• -
    2018
  • Singer of the year, Devotion Music Awards 2018
  • Album of the year, Devotion Music Awards 2018
  • Best artist, VTV awards 2018
    		• -
    Other
  • Best artist over ten years, Blue Waves Musical Ceremony