Indie artists do not write music for the audience
Following the Indie music trend that has brought success to music by BUD and Gotye, Vietnam’s indie music scene is growing with bands like Ca Hoi Hoang Band (Wild Salmon Band), The Bao and others
Indie — a rising trend in Vietnamese music industry
Indie is the common name for a music trend created by independent artists who compose, remix, and record their own songs. The entertainment industry today is operated by a sophisticated system that involves strategy, management, image and communication. In contrast, Indie music is only about the music.
The establishment of an Indie band is simple. Music lovers gather together, one member or everyone will be able to compose. People meet to rehearse, record and upload those songs to music websites such as Soundcloud, Youtube, Spotify, etc. They practice in their free time and release their songs when they feel satisfied. Everything does not have a specific plan. Even when they are becoming famous, they also consider it as “an unexpected reward.”
Ca Hoi Hoang: A flood of Salmon is very “wild”
Ca Hoi Hoang (Wild Salmon Band) has been established since September 2013 with two members Nguyen Viet Thanh (frontman, lead singer) and Nguyen Thanh Minh (leader, guitarist, and vocalist). Earlier, with a love for music, these two young men and their friends formed the student group named Slipper Honeycomb (2007). After 5 years of operation, this band disbanded due to conflicts among the members. Thanh and Minh have continued their music activities under the new name Ca Hoi Hoang (Salmon Wild) and had their debut album titled “Chuong II” (Chapter II) in 2014. Currently, the group has 3 members, in addition to Thanh and Minh, there is also Bui Khac Dat (playing guitar bass).
Explaining the name of the Wild Salmon, the group said the image of salmon swimming upstream evokes the personality and strength, when combined with the wild word (evoking loneliness but full of energy), the name, which described something “very crazy, very tough”, is both suitable for the style of music that the group pursues, and reminds them of all the ups and downs the group has experienced.
All the songs that Thanh (Ca Hoi Hoang) wrote are free and liberal. I feel that Ca Hoi Hoang behaves with each other not only as partners and colleagues but also as friends who share their passion. Behind the youthful appearances, there are three men whose musical souls are a bit childish and naughty. Day by day, they don’t need to think about anything in advance.
Many times, Linh Nghi, a hardcore fan, shared that she had asked about the schedule of the Wild Salmon at Yoko Cafe (The coffee shop where the group often performs), but the admin sent her this message: “CHH is the Indie group, so it is up to them to decide when they perform. The shop doesn’t know it. ”
These guys play music whenever they want. They don’t see music as a tool to earn a living. They see their performance as a way of satisfying their creativity, and share these creations with the general public. They don’t want to indulge the audience. When asked: “Do you guys not need an audience?” Dat (bassist for Ca Hoi Hoang) said: “Even one listener, ten listeners or a thousand listeners, we are still us. At first we didn’t think of anything, we just thought about music. We have to like it first, then people will like it and share it.”
The Bao — The ballad prince gave up Engineering to follow music
The Bao is an indie artist who plays and composes his own music. He is famous for composing gloomy love stories and many people sympathize with his songs, including a number of songs such as: Ve phia mua, Ca phe thuoc la va nhung ngay vui, Ngo ngac…
As a student of Software Engineering Faculty, The Bao never thought he would follow the path of art, and even his family objected. But after all, the love of music still makes The Bao a passionate Indie artist. The Bao explained: “Actually, my father do not want to worry about me. Following this path is precarious. My father said that even if you are an artist and you can earn a lot of money, it is not equal to being an engineer and earning a little money ”.
In a recent meeting with The Bao, the prince of the Indie ballad, the owner of the song Ve phia mua shared this: “Usually the mainstream artists have their fans. They will write along the tastes of the audience, written according to the trend. Different from them, we write for ourselves, absolutely not giving in to the audience, writing according to the things we like, those are our stories, our own lives or even the stories we imagine out again.”
What do they get back?
Emotions are what are most cherished to these musicians: “When I sing, people sing along with me and I think it is one of the most wonderful feelings of an artist,” The Bao said.
On the road of making music, Indie artists have never let money command them. For Ca Hoi Hoang, self-affirmation is what is needed: “Passion for music is one thing, but making money to live is another. At this point we don’t think we will make money from our music. We still play it in the most passionate, free, most comfortable way, no matter what happens tomorrow. As for making money … it is a question of the future,” Minh (the leader of the band) said.
Indie bands begin with nothing, just perform freely at bars, pubs, art fairs and outdoor theater, as long as those places fit their music personality. The audience should not think that an Indie artist steps on the stage to get money to perform. Their independence is reflected in the music itself, the way it is expressed and the way it is brought to the listener. Music always needs to be spread. It is important that in the end they can keep their original quality or not.
If one day you get bored with the music you are listening to, explore the indie world, because the music here doesn’t come naturally to your soul. Listening to indie music is self-traveling every corner and giving yourself a charm. Names never even appear on Google, but you know, they have and will always have their own stage, a stage that is not for everyone.
Nhu Phuong Ly
