Dai Trang Featured on Viet Celeb

Dai Trang has definitely been one of the most successful overseas Eurasian Vietnamese singers ever since she first came onto the scene back in the early 1990s appearing on a string of Hollywood Night videos produced by May Productions.  She had started to make an impact in the overseas Vietnamese entertainment industry representing the Amerasian/Eurasian Vietnamese community before the likes of Thanh Ha and Phi Nhung had made their way.  It is my honor and privilege to feature Dai Trang on VietCeleb.BlogSpot.com.  For the tribute and bio of Dai Trang featured on Viet Celeb, click on the link below.  Our next Amerasian singers to be featured on VietCeleb will be Lilian and Randy.  Look for their upcoming bios and tributes that will be published at the beginning of next month.

Link:  

Dai Trang Bio on Viet Celeb

Amerasian Show in Seattle, Washington

If you happen to be near the Seattle, Washington area during the weekend of July 11th, don't forget to attend this event that has been put together to honor and support causes for Amerasians and their families from the Vietnam War.  The event has been named as Tinh Lai Khong Bien Gioi, which is also the name of an organization founded by our fellow Amerasian and singer/songwriter Jimmy Miller AKA Nhat Tung.  Come out and support our fellow Amerasian/Eurasian performers that will be present that night such as Quoc Anh and Lilian and a gala of many others.  This gathering is a great opportunity for many of our Amerasian friends to reunite with one another, some of which we might have not seen in years for those who had resettled here from Vietnam under the Amerasian Homecoming Act.  As for other Amerasians, like myself, who had come to the United States prior to the Amerasian Homecoming Act, events such as these are a way for us to get more in touch with the culture of Amerasians/Eurasians from Vietnam and also helps us learn about the plight of our own people.  All proceeds will be going directly toward a charity cause known as the Amerasian DNA Project.  This show is definitely not to be missed, especially by any Amerasian or Eurasian from Vietnam.

The First Amerasian Singer in the US

Tuan Kiet

Ever since the Vietnamese music industry has been established here in the United States, Amerasian and Eurasian singers have definitely played a viable part.  Among the Eurasian singers worth mentioning, of course, are Luu Hong, Julie Quang, Marie Louise, Quoc Anh, Christiane Le, Dung Thanh Lam, Pauline Ngoc, Jeannie Mai and others.  Among Amerasian singers, we have Thanh Ha, Phi Nhung, Randy, Lilian, Dai Trang, Jenny Trang, Phuong Thao, Danny Tuan and Thien Phu, myself even, and countless others.  But there had to be someone that was the very first, or the true pioneer Amerasian singer that really started it all for us in the Vietnamese music industry here in the United States.  That person happens to be a good friend of mine, an Amerasian singer based out of Minnesota by the name of Tuan Kiet. 

I first met this lad about a couple of years ago when he traveled to Southern California to perform for a show put together by my friend, Thanh Le, to benefit the disabled.  But we had become friends years before that.  It was kind of unusual how we became friends.  Sometime back in 2009, both he and I had been invited to perform for some show in Memphis, Tennessee.  Somehow the show never came to fruition.  That happens in this line of business.  Every once in a while we run into show promoters that can be rather flaky.  They'll call up a bunch of singers, print up the posters and then cancel on us right before the day of the show.  Like I said, it happens.  That's just the way it goes. 

Another singer that was supposed to perform on that particular that never happened in Memphis, Tennessee was my good friend, Jenny Trang.  It was through Jenny that I got to know Tuan Kiet.  We were on the phone one day and she put Tuan Kiet on and the three of us were talking on three-way calling.  Soon after, Tuan Kiet and I became friends as we would contact one another often.  I later found out that his aunt is the legendary Vietnamese singer, My Hang, whom I adore and have met quite a few times through Julie Quang.  Actually, I even worked with My Hang once at some show put together by Linda Go-Go and her husband down in San Diego.  I also would learn through the course of our friendship about Tuan Kiet's impressive long resumé as a Vietnamese singer.  Since he had first arrived to the United States in 1979, one of the first Amerasians to come over under the Amerasian Homecoming Act, he became the first Amerasian singer for the Vietnamese community here in the United States when he started his singing career way back in the early 1980s during his years in college.  That's another accomplishment of his, Tuan Kiet is also a college graduate with a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota.  As a Vietnamese singer, Tuan Kiet has worked with an impressive long list of some of the best among overseas Vietnamese singers including Huong Lan, Khanh Ly, Ngoc Lan and Cong Thanh and Lynn, just to name a few.  I just couldn't wait to meet this guy.

Tuan Kiet and I had developed a strong friendship through our telephone conversations through the years but had yet to meet.  We both had tried on several occasions to meet up.  It was either I would have to meet up with him over in Minnesota or he would have to travel over here to California and meet up with me.  Of course, we could also meet up during a show if we were to be both booked to perform together.  Tuan Kiet was sweet enough to try to get me booked on a few shows in Minnesota, but through no fault of his own those bookings didn't end up happening.  I also did the same for him, vice versa, on shows that I had been booked on for Gia Dinh My Viet to benefit Amerasians in Vietnam.  We also had no such luck through my attempts. 

It got to the point that we both realized just how awkward it was how we both had considered ourselves to be such good friends, yet we hadn't even met in person.  Finally at the beginning of 2013 after all those unsuccessful attempts we had each made to meet up by trying get the both of us booked to perform on the same shows, we both decided that no matter what we would meet up in the summer of that year.  Tuan Kiet agreed that he would come to California during the summer to see me.  I was really excited.  But then as luck would have it, sometime in the spring that year Tuan Kiet called me up one day to let me know he had just been invited to perform out in Southern California at the Saigon Performing Arts Theater on a show put together by Thanh Le to benefit disabled people.  That's when I found out that he, himself, was also disabled.  It had never occurred to me to ask before.  But in fact, my friend, Tuan Kiet, had been stricken with polio at an early age and resorts to the usage of crutches in order to walk.  Just by talking to him, nobody would ever even think that he had any physical handicaps.  He's just so positive.  And when he sings, he just puts everyone into a trance with his magnificent voice, I would later discover. 

The day that Tuan Kiet arrived here at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, I had promised to pick him up.  When I got to the airport, despite how we each had seen photographs of one another, we still had trouble spotting each other out among the crowd of airport travelers.  From what Tuan Kiet said, he saw me pass by him several times but at first glance thought I was some Caucasian guy.  According to Tuan Kiet, I don't even look one bit Vietnamese at all in person.  Finally, I had to use my cell phone to call him up to see just where he was at the airport.  After I dialed the number, I could hear the phone ring somewhere nearby, which means Tuan Kiet was standing within my proximex.  When I heard him say hello, I turned to look over and there he was.  That's when he told me how he had seen me all this time, but didn't approach me because he thought I was some White dude.  Now, even I thought that was funny. 

At Thanh Le's show at the Saigon Performing Arts Theater, out of all the singers there such as Thanh Lan, Quoc Anh, Lilian and Phuong Thao, it was Tuan Kiet's performance that really stood out for me.  He really impressed me.  He performed a medley of French songs together with Thanh Lan and Quoc Anh.  Of course, Thanh Lan and Quoc Anh both did a fine job.  Afterall, they are veteran performers who have reached legendary status.  But when Tuan Kiet started to chime in with the first few lines of Viens M'embrasser in his duet with Thanh Lan, I was completely in awe.  This guy's voice is just beyond breathtaking.  And his pronunciation in French, well, uh, coming from such a critic as myself, it is quite a compliment for me to say that I was truly impressed.  Like Khanh Ly had said once about Tuan Kiet, "When you listen to him sing, his voice just makes you forget that he is disabled.  I'll have to agree with her. 

After his performance at the Saigon Performing Arts Theater, I took Tuan Kiet out and spent the night carousing around various hangouts around the Little Saigon community.  We had a blast.  Every bar we had hit that night, both he and I would get up and sing.  Audiences just loved his voice.  Together, we were a hit.  Yes, even I got a few compliments for my singing that night, as well. 

It has been almost two years since then.  We still keep in contact through our telephone conversations.  He's really an all-around great guy.  At times I feel as if I've known him all my life.  I really look forward to our next meeting together, which I'm hoping will be sometime in the very near future. 

Our Newest Amerasian Diva: Van Anh

When watching Van Anh perform on stage, in many ways she might remind some of us of Julie Quang.  Others might even say that Van Anh reminds them of Pauline Ngoc.  Or even Jenny Trang.  Whoever this young lady might be reminiscent of, Van Anh still manages to have a unique sound of her own and a very distinct style of performing that has never been seen with any other Vietnamese singer before.

The first time I heard Van Anh sing was during a show in Oklahoma City that had been produced by Gia Dinh My Viet to benefit the Amerasians and their families  still living in Vietnam today.  I had also been booked as one of the performers that night along with Randy.  The year was 2008.  I had never heard of Van Anh before then.  I guess it must have been quite a long time that I had been out of the singing business, and therefor, I was totally out of it because as soon as the emcee announced her name, there was a thunderous applause.  Obviously, everyone already knew who Van Anh was.  Everyone except me.  

When she walked onto the stage, immediately I was impressed.  Just by her looks alone, as she is rather striking with a pair of expressive, somber eyes, auburn skin tone along with her tall and slender, statuesque runway model physique, were more than plenty for Van Anh to leave anyone with a lasting impression after just one glance.  And when she introduced herself on stage before starting her set of songs, I could tell right away that this girl was a pro.  She definitely had star quality.  But then came the best part, which was when she started to sing.  Her voice was sweet like honey, yet defined and powerful.  I especially liked her gestures and how very poised and confident Van Anh remained while on stage during her segment of songs.  Just when she was finished with her performance, Van Anh would be given another tremendous applause by the audience.  As she prepares to exit the stage, she thanks the audience with her closing remarks spoken in the most proper Northern Vietnamese dialect.  How Van Anh is able to build such a rapport with the audience with such style and sophistication usually only happens among the most seasoned performers.  I was really taken aback.  So much so, I had to turn to Randy and ask him, "Who is this girl?  She's fantastic.  With a voice like that, she ought to be recorded professionally."  Randy's response to me was something to the effect of, "You don't know who Van Anh is?  Wow! You have been gone for quite a while."

Needless to say, I felt like an idiot.  Well, that night in Oklahoma City was my very first live performance in over 7 years.  During those years that I was on hiatus from the singing profession, I had also not kept up much with the Vietnamese music industry and therefor, clueless to anything current.  

After the show that night, I had tried to speak to Van Anh but such attempts on my part only proved to be unsuccessful.  As soon as she was done with her set of songs, she seemed to be in a hurry to leave as she gathered all her belongings so she could head on out.  As she was about to leave the venue with her suitcases in hand, I tried one last time to say hello to her.  But she only responded with a brief smile back at me, quite nonchalantly, and quickly proceeded to exit.  I thought to myself, "Just who does this girl think she is?"  

A few weeks later back in Southern California, one night while hanging out at a place called L-8 Lounge somewhere on Beach and McFadden near Huntington Beach, surprisingly I ran into Van Anh again.  This place is now renamed as Q's Lounge and has since been under new management.  Back in 2008, L-8 Lounge was run by Sy Du, the musician, who is also a good friend of mine, and was a favorite underground hangout for Vietnamese singers and musicians.  On our nights off from singing at clubs or shows, Vietnamese singers and musicians would gather there just to "chill and jam", as the saying went.  On that night, I had gone there with Lilian and Jenny Trang.  When Van Anh got on stage to sing, I started to pay compliments on her voice to my two friends.  That's when Jenny Trang said, "Oh, I love this girl.  She's so sweet."  I looked at her and said, "Sweet?  She seemed rather unfriendly to me."  Jenny went on to explain how Van Anh is rather shy and that perhaps the reason I feel that way is because I haven't gotten to know her.  "Let me introduce you to her.  You'll see" said Jenny.

That night, Van Anh sang one of my favorite Vietnamese songs ever, Noi Long.  The way she sounds when she sings this song is nothing short of amazing.  I loved how she was able to give the song entirely a new sound with her rich and expressive vocals.  When she got down from the stage, Jenny whisked her over and introduced her to me.  Jenny was right.  Van Anh is quite shy and indeed a very sweet girl.  When we started talking, I realized it right away.  Van Anh has a rare quality that not many other Amerasians have.  And that is, she speaks Vietnamese with a proper Northern Vietnamese accent.  She's very cordial, yet humble and down to earth.  I like Van Anh very much.

Since then, I've had the opportunity to work with Van Anh on one other occasion in San Jose at another show produced by Randy and Gia Dinh My Viet.  Everytime we run into one another now, I'm always happy to see her with a great, big smile on her face.  I've even gotten to know her younger brother, Alex, and we've become great friends.  I hope we can work together again someday soon.  If anything, just to hear her sing on stage is a real treat.

Van Anh on Facebook

Hoang Dung: One of the Most Recognizable Vietnamese Voices

Growing up without any brothers or sisters, I was fortunate to have found an adoptive family when I became a Vietnamese singer.  This family consisted of brothers and sisters who were also singers and, of course, Amerasian as well.  Jenny Trang was the first to welcome me into this family and to this day I still consider her as my sister.  Others included Dai Trang, Luu Quoc Viet, Ngoc Anh, Randy, Thanh Ha, Lam Minh, Lilian, Cathy Dung, Y Linh and Hoang Dung, who actually could pass as a biological brother to me.

The setting where we first met would be at a wedding of my stepfather's cousin in 1996.  The band that was playing that night was named Lucky Star.  I'd have to say this was one of the better bands at weddings.  The lineup of singers for the band included Marilyn Nhung, Chieu Phuong, Long Ho (Don Ho's younger brother) and Hoang Dung.  The singer that caught my attention the most was Hoang Dung.  He looked just like James Dean.

When we were introduced, I was a bit nervous.  I had recognized him on the covers of compact discs produced by Nguoi Dep Binh Duong.  When Jenny Trang introduced me to him, his reply to me was, "I'm your brother, Thien Phu."  Now how can anyone not like a cool guy like that?

In the months to come, my relationship with Hoang Dung would be like that of actual brothers. During the Thanksgiving weekend of that year, Hoang Dung and Jenny Trang performed in Atlanta. They both tried to get me to go on that trip with them, but I had a prior engagement in San Jose.  A few months later when it was my turn to perform in Atlanta, I remember from that trip was how everyone I had come across while in Atlanta kept raving about this handsome Amerasian singer named Hoang Dung that had brought the house down each time he came to Atlanta to perform.   The same folks would aslo ask me if I knew him personally and how they could go about to contact him so that he could return to Atlanta for another performance soon.  That made me feel really proud of this brother of mine.  During this time I would also learn that Hoang Dung's primary job was doing voice overs for Chinese dramas translated in Vietnamese.  In a sense, that would make his voice one of the most recognizable among Vietnamese voices.

Years later, when I was invited by Randy to perform with fellow Amerasian singer Ngoc Anh in Orlando, Florida for a show put together by Gia Dinh My Viet, I got Hoang Dung to come along.  Unfortunately, a series of events would take place that caused a misunderstanding between us.  Let's just say that alcohol had been involved.  That's a real shame, because Hoang Dung is really a great guy.  It's been a while since I've been in contact with him.  I just hope he's doing alright.

The Late Eurasian Beauty of Vietnamese Pop Music, Jeannie Mai

Sometime in the summer of 1990, I was devastated by the news that Jeannie Mai, a beautiful Eurasian French-Vietnamese singer, had just died.  I really couldn't believe it.  She was so young and so beautiful.  Only 33 years of age, yet she was taken from us just like that.

Jeannie Mai (1957-1990)

Many people don't know this, but the fact is Jeannie Mai for a time was actually my aunt.  She was once my uncle Louie's wife.  While in Vietnam, when she was still teenager, Jeannie Mai sang at my grandmother's nightclub, Au Ma Cabane.  Supposedly, this was when Jeannie Mai and my Uncle Louie first met and developed a puppy love relationship between one another.  I remember as a little kid I would constantly hear my mother and the rest of my aunts raving about what a beautiful and sweet girl Jeannie Mai was and how she would just light up the stage each night she sang at my grandmother's nightclub.  I was just too young then to remember much.  My mother would every now and then ask me if I remember how Jeannie Mai would always carry me around and people would ask if I was in fact her son.  Perhaps that was because of the fact that both Jeannie Mai and myself had naturally curly hair and European facial features, Vietnamese people felt that we looked alike. But how could I remember her from back then?  I must have been just two years old when all of that was happening.  She left Vietnam in 1974 while she was just 17 years old for France.  I remained in Vietnam until 1978.

It wasn't until 1982 that I would be reunited with Jeannie Mai again.  It was at my grandmother's house in Westminster, California during a Christmas party.  By this time, Jeannie Mai had resettled in the United States from France and she and my uncle Louie were then living together as a couple. Although they never had gotten officially married, they referred to each other as husband and wife and Auntie Mai, which was what I called her, addressed my grandmother as mom.  It seemed as if everyone had already welcomed her into the family since they had known her for so long and that the day of their wedding inevitably would take place in only a matter of time.  But that day never did come, as a few year later these two beautiful people whom I thought had made the most beautiful couple would break up.  At that family Christmas party, when my mother and I first arrived Jeannie Mai was already there with my uncle. It was obvious she was really anxious to see what I looked like after all those years.  I thought that was really sweet.  When we were introduced, she threw her arms around me and said, "You've gotten really big.  Pretty soon, you're going to be taller than me."  It took me a few seconds to realize what she was saying because I kept staring at her.  I just couldn't get over just how beautiful she was and how French she looked, yet Vietnamese was coming out of her mouth.  I remember Jeannie Mai telling my mother just how I had gotten to look more and more like my father and that I didn't look at all Vietnamese.  I thought to myself, "You're telling me."

Through the years that followed, I would see Auntie Mai every once in a while at one of our family's parties.  Even though she and my uncle were no longer together, she still kept in touch with my family.  On one particular occasion, Auntie Mai entertained the family playing the piano and singing to everyone.  That would mark the first time I ever sang in front of an audience.  She encouraged me to get up and sing with her while she played the piano to one of her signature songs, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?  I guess you can say that it was my Auntie Mai that was the first person who really put the thoughts into my head about one day becoming a singer.

The very last time I saw Auntie Mai was sometime in the summer of 1987.  By then she was living in San Jose, married to an engineer with a baby boy.  She had just gotten back from a successful tour in Australia with Le Thu and Huong Lan and had stopped by my grandmother's house to visit before catching a flight back to San Jose the next day.  That was where she bumped into me and invited me to go to the mall with her.  We spent the entire day at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California.  We talked about a lot of things.  I really enjoyed being around her.  She was hip, very in touch with American culture, and spoke both English and French without an accent.  I adored her.  In fact, I'd have to say she was my favorite aunt.  And then the next thing I knew, in 1990 she was dead.

Her premature death came as quite a shock to the Vietnamese community and her adoring fans.  I had loved and known her on a personal level.  Needless to say, her passing was a huge blow to me.  There had been all kinds of vicious rumors about her death that ranged from her being murdered by her husband with the intentions of inheriting some enormous amount of life insurance money to her dying on the operating table during a liposuction procedure, when the truth was she had died after complications from some simple cosmetic surgery procedures she had done while she was in Hawaii. All it was was that she had gone in to get some minor work done on her eyes and nose and somehow the anesthesia was just too much for her to handle, therefor she died.  I don't know why she would ever even think about getting cosmetic surgery because she was already naturally gorgeous.  But for whatever reason, she did make that decision which unfortunately costed her her life.  I can't help but to think, what if she hadn't, from time to time. I still miss her very much to this day.

Lilian

While Thanh Ha and Phi Nhung were still in Vietnam back in the 1980s, Lilian was already doing her own thing here in the States, wowing audiences with her incredible voice at her live performances. The first time I ever saw Lilian perform on stage was way back in 1987 at a Vietnamese nightclub in in Orange County called Club Rex.  I was only about 14 at the time, and somehow was snuck in by my older cousins through a back entrance.  Once I got in and was able to see the line-up of live musical performers, I was completely impressed by one singer in particular, Lilian.  I just couldn't get over just how much energy Lilian had as a live performer.  It was during the time when Euro New Wave and Italo Disco music was really popular.  Lilian sang songs like You're My Love, You're My Life, Heartflash Tonight, Heaven and Hell, and Say You'll Never perfectly, some she sang even better than the original artists.  She definitely stood out from the rest of the Vietnamese performers for several reasons like her high energy style of performing, her gestures and dance moves that were typical of a Westerner unlike most other Vietnamese singers at the time, and the most obvious distinguishing factor about Lilian, how she didn't look at all Vietnamese due to her mixed background as an Amerasian.

After that first night seeing Lilian perform live at Club Rex, I searched everywhere hoping to buy Lilian's cassettes without much luck.  Some of the Vietnamese music stores I went to didn't even know who she was.  Finally, I think it was either at Bich Thu Van in Phuoc Loc Tho (Asian Garden Mall) or at Tu Quynh on Bolsa and Brookhurst in Westminster where I found a few compilation cassettes consisting of various other Vietnamese recording artists that had featured Lilian with only a song or two.  The quality in the production of these cassettes were pretty much forgettable.  I remember two tracks Lilian had recorded in particular that I had found to be really enjoyable to listen to; a cover she had done of CC Catch's Heaven and Hell, which was a track where Lilian had made a guest appearance on an album of a French-Vietnamese singer named Yen Huong, and another Euro New Wave cover of CC Catch's that she recorded with the worst title imaginable, You Shot a Whole in My Soul.  I was already hooked on Lilian from that first time I saw her perform live.  I just couldn't wait for her to come out with more recorded songs, preferably an album of her own, one of these days.

In 1993, my good friend, hairstylist and make-up artist, Perry Zeild, invited me to accompany him and singer Kieu Nga at a shooting of a music video production at the Ritz Nightclub in Anaheim. When I walked in, I saw this beautiful tall girl.  I asked Perry if that was a singer that used to sing at Club Rex by the name of Lilian.  Perry said yes.  I couldn't believe it.  It had been years since I had been to any Vietnamese nightclub and I hadn't heard or seen anything of Lilian's out in the market. That was when I found out through Perry that Lilian had been performing regularly at the Ritz all these years after Club Rex had closed down.  I remember asking Perry if he knew whether Lilian was Amerasian or not.  He gave me a puzzled look while he shook his head and said, "I can't believe you of all people can't tell that she's a halfie."  By the way, that was when Lilian shot the music video to Finally for Shotguns Productions.

Lilian would be formally introduced to the Vietnamese general audience the following year when she signed with Sao Dem Productions that would produce many of her solo studio albums throughout the 1990s.  I then started going to Ritz quite often just to watch Lilian perform.  I really loved watching her, especially whenever she would sing What's Up?  It wouldn't be for another couple of years when I finally got to know her through a mutual friend, singer Cathy Dung.  And then another few more years before I would get to work with her on several shows, as well as singing alongside her on a few occasions at the Can Club and the Majestic.  All I can say about Lilian is she is just one awesome person.  We've known each other now for nearly 20 years, and I've never once had a disagreement with her.  That's really saying something for anyone who has known me for that long.  Lilian has been like a big sister to me.  I'm not sure if she is 5 or 6 years older than myself.  But what does it matter?  She still looks great after all these years.  I truly cherish our friendship.  And I hope that we will be able to work together again in the near future.  Lilian is just the best!