The article, which was published on January 3, said the singer was one of the top names in Vietnam’s music industry today, possessing “a powerful voice and the ability to write and compose songs in styles from R&B to soul, blues and electropop, alongside emotional pop ballads.”
Besides her two albums Decode and Stardom, the US magazine also mentioned Tuong’s two sold-out concerts – the Birthday Concert in 2017, and Stardom in the following year, as well as her appearance in Forbes Vietnam’s Top 30 Under 30.
Her latest and first bilingual album Inner Me, released in November, is also mentioned in the story. The album marks a new milestone in Tuong’s career as it is the first time she has sung and composed in English.
“If her second album, Stardom, was meant to be gutsy, bold and strong, Inner Me reveals a softer, more vulnerable side. The eight songs on the album were carefully selected from a list of 30. The Old You, Ticket For Two and Yours are entirely in English.
“Singing in English is difficult; writing English music is even harder,” she shared.
In addition to transferring her own emotions in a different language, it is also the first time the singer has collaborated with international producers Benjamin James and Michael Choi. Having her album recorded both in Vietnam and Los Angeles, US, Tuong said she was willing to accept the challenge, push herself and prove her ability when presented with such an opportunity.
“Sure, there were difficulties and countless retakes. But I chose and decided I wanted to do this, to break out of my comfort zone and to work with this amazing crew to deliver the best product I could ever deliver,” Tuong said.
According to the article, the artist once shared that she wanted to be like a “free prince” in her very own world, and Inner Me a land of ambition, recklessness and full of new things for her to learn and experience, a land of new travels and adventures.
“She spent more time and effort than ever before to create the album, because she wanted to take the first step to reach an international audience with good songs that she wrote herself, that would get the attention of this new audience and hopefully start to build a new fanbase outside Vietnam,” Billboard wrote.
Music producer Michael Choi also had praise for the Vietnamese singer in the magazine.
“Vu Cat Tuong dares to engage and take risks. I see the potential and power of Vu Cat Tuong, and hopefully her music would be able to reach the world’s ears and take off from there, and I applaud her for wanting to take that first step,” he said.
On her Facebook, Tuong expressed her happiness on receiving the coverage.
“Sweet fruits at the end of the year. This is a great encouragement for me to continue the journey ahead. I pledge to make greater efforts so that my audience will never be disappointed in trusting and accompanying me in my new path.
“Thank you Billboard for letting me know I can do it. I will always try all my best no matter what,” she said.
Tuong began her career after finishing second in the Voice Vietnam contest in 2013. The singer has won two Dedication Award and was included on Forbes Vietnam’s 2018 30 Under 30 list, in addition to many other accolades.
Many of her hits have received millions of views on YouTube, like Mo (Dreaming) or Yeu Xa (Distance Love). The lead single from her latest album entitled Co Nguoi (Someone) has accumulated 8.2 million views./.
Source: VNA
