Nguyen Tran Trung Quan: Valedictorian of the Conservatory of Music, caught in the cow tongue line scandal, now a teacher

Not only known as a talented singer, musician, and music producer, Nguyen Tran Trung Quan's artistic journey is also shaped by a solid academic foundation at the Vietnam National Academy of Music.

From Conservatory Valedictorian to "Promising Young Singer": The Solid Foundation of a Professional Artist

Nguyen Tran Trung Quan, born on November 16, 1992 in Hanoi, had a musical journey that was nurtured very early. Although born into a family with no one in the arts, his vocal talent was revealed from a young age, helping him win many large and small singing competitions in his teenage years.

Initially, Trung Quan majored in piano at the Hanoi College of Arts, but his passion for singing prompted him to switch to vocal music. The big turning point came in 2009, when he successfully passed the entrance exam to the Vietnam National Academy of Music – one of the country’s leading art training centers.

Here, Trung Quan was fortunate to be trained under the guidance of big names in the Vietnamese music industry: People's Artist Quang Tho and People's Artist Quoc Hung (now head of the vocal department of the Vietnam National Academy of Music) for classical and semi-classical music, along with lecturer Duong Minh Anh (head of the vocal department, Hanoi College of Art) for light music.

In particular, he also received professional guidance from Meritorious Artist Thanh Lam, one of Vietnam's leading singers. The systematic training from these experienced teachers has trained the male singer to have solid vocal techniques, sophisticated song processing ability and profound musical thinking.

Early on in his professional career, Trung Quan made his mark in many national competitions. In 2010, he won the "National Talented Student Facelook" award organized by the Central Youth Union and the Vietnam Student Newspaper. At the end of that year, he caught the eye of musician Le Minh Son at the "Top Singing Band" program organized by Hanoi City.

In 2011, at the Sao Mai Television Singing Contest, surpassing thousands of contestants, Trung Quan entered the top 9 of the light music genre and won the "Promising Young Singer" award. A year later, he continued to assert himself at Sao Mai Diem Hen 2012, stopping at the Top 4 best singers, leaving a deep impression on the audience.

Career growth and the "Tu Tam" mark: The transition from music to image

Nguyen Tran Trung Quan's career really took off on October 16, 2014, when he released his debut studio album "Khoi Hanh", produced by talented young musician Khac Hung and featuring a modern electropop style.

The music product not only helped Trung Quan affirm his position as an artist, but also brought him two important awards at the 2015 Dedication Awards for "Album of the Year" and "New Artist of the Year" - proof of recognition from music lovers.

In early 2018, Trung Quan continued to mark a remarkable transformation with the MV "Color of Tears", thereby opening a new, bolder direction in building his image. The peak of the male singer's career must be mentioned in the period 2019-2020, when he collaborated closely with creative director Denis Dang.

The duo created a fever with the MVs "Tu Tam" (2019) and "Canh Ba" (early 2020). These two products brought Trung Quan a large number of fans, while consolidating his position as a pioneer artist in exploiting new topics and creating highly entertaining music products.

After 4 years of incubation, on July 7, 2024, Nguyen Tran Trung Quan and Denis Dang returned to the music scene with a new project called "Tu Tam Hoa Tam" - the sequel to the famous "Tu Tam" project series, creating a big buzz.

Nguyen Tran Trung Quan - Artist and potential "teacher" in vocal music

With a solid academic background at the Vietnam National Academy of Music, under the guidance of leading People's Artists and lecturers, Nguyen Tran Trung Quan is not only a skilled singer but also has extensive knowledge of vocal music. He has been trained in classical, semi-classical and light music styles, and has a good understanding of vocal structure, breathing, pronunciation, and expression.

Although he has not yet publicly worked as a "vocal teacher" in the traditional sense, with his extensive experience in studying and performing, Trung Quan has the potential to become a teacher and professional guide for generations of young artists. He can impart not only vocal techniques but also professional thinking, stage experience and creative ways in the musical environment.

Facing the storm of public opinion: Lessons from controversy

Success and fame always come with pressure and public noise. Nguyen Tran Trung Quan is no exception. He has faced two major controversies, requiring him to constantly strengthen his image and position.

First is the case related to the illegal "cow tongue line": When Trung Quan posted an article expressing his opposition to the "cow tongue line" on his personal page, he received mixed comments from Chinese audiences. After that, he deleted the article.

This action was taken in the context of the male singer's MV "Tu Tam" being warmly received by audiences in many countries, including China. However, deleting the post caused him to face a wave of harsh criticism from Vietnamese audiences, who said that he had "turned his back" on the issue of sovereignty.

Under pressure from public opinion, Trung Quan explained that he deleted the post to "prevent incitement" as his personal Facebook page attracted audiences from many countries. He said that the flow of public opinion from both sides was not based on the law and historical evidence, and showed signs of being beyond his control, not in line with the spirit of frank exchange.

Despite his efforts to explain, Trung Quan's article still did not completely "extinguish" the opposing opinions. After that, he continued to speak up to reaffirm Vietnam's sovereignty and explain further, expressing his wish that "Vietnamese contemporary art deserves a mark equivalent to many other cultural powers" and "opposing anyone who takes advantage of art or promotes viewpoints to serve political plots, dividing Quan and domestic fans".

The second incident was related to the Central Vietnam relief goods in October 2020: Nguyen Tran Trung Quan and Denis Dang were criticized by the online community because the information on their Central Vietnam relief goods was too large, which was considered to be an attempt to promote their names. The male singer later explained that the labeling was only on the top boxes for easy distinction, and this was a process to keep everything public and clear - a responsibility that he had to take on.

Suspected of stealing 186 million charity money, Nguyen Tran Trung Quan responded Ning Jing11:21:15 24/11/2021As the name mentioned in the most recent statement, stealing 186 million in charity money, male singer Nguyen Tran Trung Quan has responded. Out of Hoai Linh, Thuy Lien, Tran Thanh, ... were called out in the statement, stealing money to support people in the Central region...