Introduction
Trần Tiến is a Vietnamese musician associated with the du ca style, whose songs are known for genuine emotion and deep personal experience rather than being confined to a single theme.
Career and activities
Trần Tiến is known for many familiar songs in Vietnamese music life, including Về đi em, Giấc mơ Chapi, Ngọn lửa cao nguyên, Lá diêu bông, Ngẫu hứng sông Hồng, Quê nhà, Mặt trời bé con, and Phố nghèo. According to press reports, these songs were associated with his own voice and have also been performed by other artists such as NSND Trần Hiếu, Tùng Dương, and Trần Thu Hà.
In an interview with Tuổi Trẻ newspaper, Trần Tiến described du ca as resonating with the community through love of the country, unlike staged performance. He was quoted as saying that he writes wherever he goes, using his soul and heart. He also expressed the view that an artist who does not dare to say all the things he sees, and who performs only for fame and money, is not truly an artist.
The inspiration for his song Mặt trời bé con, he said, came from poor laborers who never saw him perform on stage because they could not afford tickets. He said he likes singing for those who cannot afford tickets and considers them his beloved audience.
Recently, Trần Tiến was the first guest in the Trần - Nguyễn du ca series by musician and singer Jimmii Nguyễn, a project said to have been in preparation for about 20 years. Due to his age (nearly 80) and limited mobility, he could not join the entire project, but said he would take part in the first show in Hà Nội and hoped to join more shows. The first program was scheduled for the evening of January 19, 2025, in front of the Hà Nội Opera House. He said he would sing adapted folk songs and his own composition Mặt trời bé con.
Style and peer comments
Singer Bách Nguyễn described Trần Tiến as carrying the style of a romantic, elegant Hà Nội but also close and profound. NSƯT Tấn Minh, director of the Thăng Long Music and Dance Theatre, said Trần Tiến and Bách Nguyễn share traits such as being weathered, unconventional, and masculine. Singer Tùng Dương commented that Bách Nguyễn's baritone voice suits Trần Tiến's music, and that performing Trần Tiến's songs in a simple, life-like style creates a familiar Trần Tiến atmosphere.
The Tuổi Trẻ article also recalled Trần Tiến's remark that he is known for writing many commissioned songs, explaining that nothing under his pen could be hired, as everything is flesh and blood.