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

Thuy Hang, Remember Her?

There was a time during the 1990s that a fresh new face was just starting to make a huge splash in traditional Vietnamese popular music.  This singer was quite young.  So young that she wasn't even of legal age requirement to vote yet, much less work as a singer at nightclubs.  She was very pretty with fair-skinned complexion, chestnut hair and hazel eyes.  At first glance, most Vietnamese would not be able to tell that she is Vietnamese.  But when this teenage girl would open her mouth to let out just the first few words and notes of any of the songs she sang in Vietnamese, somehow everybody in her predominantly Vietnamese audience, whether it be at a venue or a viewer audience at some private residence watching the May Productions' Hollywood Night live show music video series on VHS back then, would all shut up as their jaws drop to the ground in amazement.  Now that's a difficult task to getting any group of Vietnamese folks to shut up at any given moment.  But this young 16 year old girl back then was able to do just that with her voice.  The singer I'm referring to here is Amerasian Thuy Hang back in the late 1990s.  Remember her?

During the latter part of the 1990s decade, Thuy Hang was the new singing sensation in the Vietnamese music industry.  If Ngoc Lan was dubbed as the queen of the Hollywood Night live show music video series back in the 1990s, Thuy Hang was undoubtedly the princess.  Her albums were selling like crazy at Vietnamese music stores all over the world.  Everywhere I had traveled to back then while I was on the road, I'd see posters and flyers with her photograph blasted as the headliner for an upcoming live concert show posted all over.  Whether I was in Chicago, Dallas, Canada or even Australia, I'd hear that Thuy Hang was either just about to appear in concert there or had just left there after a successful sold out performance.  She was definitely a hot commodity among Vietnamese entertainers then.

What was it about Thuy Hang that made her so special and had set her aside from the rest of Vietnamese singers at the time?  Was it her beauty?  Certainly, Vietnamese singers already have their fair share of beautiful women.  Was it because she was mixed?  Among Amerasian singers, there were already Thanh Ha and Phi Nhung just to name a few, not to mention Eurasian singers Luu Hong and Jeannie Mai who had come long before them.  It was the fact that Thuy Hang, this 16 year old girl, was born and raised in the United States to an Anglo-American mother and a Vietnamese father, yet was able to sing in not only Vietnamese, but traditional Vietnamese music.  Even I found her to be amazing when I saw her perform live.


I had only met Thuy Hang on a couple of occasions.  I wish I could have gotten to know her better back then mainly for two reasons.  The first being the fact that she spoke English like I do.  That time we had met during a flight from New Orleans to Atlanta I really enjoyed our conversation.  During my years working as a Vietnamese singer, it was rare whenever I ran into a colleague that had also grown up here in the States.  So when I met Thuy Hang, to be able to talk with one another as Americans was like a breath of fresh air.  I bumped into her on one other occasion.  It was in Dallas.  I had flown in to perform at some show for the Vietnamese-American Doctors' Association and she was there to perform for the Lunar New Year's Festival.  On both occasions, I found her to be quite lovely.  The other reason had to do with her being a fellow Amerasian.  I've always felt a kinship toward other Amerasians, especially other Amerasian singers.  Out of all the Amerasian singers I had met until Thuy Hang, I had always been the youngest.  I think Phi Nhung is only a year older than I am.  Most other Amerasians from Vietnam had been born in the 1960s.  I was born in 1972.  Thuy Hang didn't come from Vietnam and is nine years younger than myself.  But the fact that she was also Amerasian and a singer made me think of her as a little sister.

But just when it seemed she was at the brink of becoming a huge star in her singing career, Thuy Hang walked away from it all.  I had wondered what happened to her.  Then recently I came across Mr. Thang, the owner of May Productions.  From what he told me, Thuy Hang has now completed her studies and is a successful dentist.  I'm proud of her.  But I just wish she would consider going back to the singing profession.  She's still at an age where she can certainly make another go at it. If she would come back, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see her one day rise to the level of superstardom in the ranks of Huong Lan, Nhu Quynh and Phi Nhung.  

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. 

Thanh Ha and Phi Nhung Bios on Viet Celeb

Thanh Ha

Phi Nhung

Here are two of the most celebrated divas of Vietnamese popular music who happen to also be Amerasians.  I'm very proud of these two artists.  As an Amerasian, it is encouraging to see how these two have defied the odds in an often conservative culture to make it to the very top.  All I can say to these two divas is keep going.  Whenever I see how they shine, it is a victory shared by all Amerasians and Eurasians.  To read their bios and tributes on VietCeleb.BlogSpot.com, click on the following links.

Link(s):

Thanh Ha Bio and Tribute on Viet Celeb
Phi Nhung Bio and Tribute on Viet Celeb

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!

Phi Nhung: Our Other Amerasian Diva of Vietnamese Music

If Thanh Ha is considered the Amerasian diva of Vietnamese popular music, Phi Nhung would surely be the Amerasian diva of more traditional Vietnamese music.  From the early 1990s when Phi Nhung first entered onto the scene as an overseas Vietnamese singer of traditional Vietnamese music, audiences quickly embraced her genuine style of singing.  Starting with her earliest audio recordings for the music label, Thuy Anh, Phi Nhung had shown strong potential with her interpretations of traditional and folkloric music, especially being able to sing with an authentic Southern Vietnamese accent on folk songs originally from that particular region of Vietnam.  An Amerasian, of inter-ethnic mixed parentage, Phi Nhung's striking European features coupled with her dress attire of a traditional Vietnamese pheasant girl brought a pleasant contrast with audiences.


Born in Pleiku, Vietnam on October 4, 1972, Phi Nhung grew up without her father who was an American serviceman.  In a family of 5 other siblings and her mother, Phi Nhung's unfortunate circumstances only allowed her to attend school up until 6th grade.  At the age of 17 in 1989, Phi Nhung was able to come live in the United States under the Amerasian Homecoming Act.  She first resettled in Tampa, Florida where she began pursuing her childhood dreams of becoming a professional singer.  After a chance meeting with Vietnamese-American singer, Trizzie Phuong Trinh, Phi Nhung was given an invitation in 1993 to come to California where she would be introduced to Tien Bac, the owner of Thuy Anh Productions.

Phi Nhung's first recordings for Thuy Anh were not met with much reception from the overseas Vietnamese audiences.  But with the encouragement of overseas Vietnamese singing legend, Huong Lan, Phi Nhung continued relentlessly to pursue her dream.  After her video appearance on May Productions' Hollywood Night Volume 15 video series on a duet song, Song Que 1, with Thai Chau, Phi Nhung began to win the hearts of Vietnamese audiences.  Soon after, her other recordings of songs such as Bong Dien Dien, Co Le, Lam Dau Xu La, and Ngau Hung Ly Qua Cau would turn Phi Nhung into a superstar. 

Her numerous collaborations with Phuong Nga, K Productions, Thuy Nga Paris, and Tinh Productions have made her a bestseller among Vietnamese singers and led her to travelling around the world performing to Vietnamese audiences worldwide.  There was a time Phi Nhung and myself were label mates.  In 1998, she and I were both under contract with Bien Tinh Productions.  That was when we became friends.  One thing I really appreciate about Phi Nhung is the fact that she has never forgotten her roots.  Phi Nhung has been one of the few Amerasian artists that have taken part on shows promoted by Gia Dinh My Viet to raise awareness for Amerasian causes. 

Since 2005, Phi Nhung has been associated with Rang Dong Productions, based in Vietnam.  She continues to appear frequently on Van Son Productions and Thuy Nga Paris.  Phi Nhung's duet video appearances with Manh Quynh have been one of the biggest hits on the Paris By Night stage.  In addition to Phi Nhung's successful career as a singer of traditional Vietnamese music, she has also found success on the "cai luong" stage.  Her versatility has been one of the many reasons why she has become a legendary overseas Vietnamese artist, a status of Phi Nhung that remains to this day.

Phi Nhung on Facebook