Many music reality shows on television are attracting a large audience. When watching “Anh trai vu ngan cong gai” , with the appearance of many veteran artists who had brilliant youths such as Bang Kieu, Tuan Hung... some viewers mentioned you. How do you feel when the audience remembers you in this way?
- Actually, the show “Anh trai vu ngan cong gai” invited me. But at that time I was quite fat, so I hesitated for a long time. I was afraid that I wouldn’t look good on screen, so I decided to lose weight first.
However, I am still supporting some artists in the program, and I find their efforts very commendable when they devote all their energy to this playground. It is a precious thing, when veteran artists and young artists blend together, creating new performances for the audience.
In recent years, you have been quite quiet and rarely appear. Can you share about this change? And do you miss the stage and the audience in your quiet moments?
- I had about 4 years where I almost did not participate in any program. I limited my appearances and stopped singing because at that time, I gained weight, up to nearly 90kg. At that time, my appearance was quite fat and I suddenly felt self-conscious, not daring to accept performance requests.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, I started trying to lose weight to return to the stage. During such a long time, I really wanted to sing, meet the audience again and introduce the products I cherished. I started losing weight, and in the past year I have become less fat.
You spent a long time avoiding appearing on stage to lose weight, and had 80% of your stomach removed to lose weight effectively. This must not have been an easy decision for you?
- The decision to remove 80% of my stomach made me very worried. In the past, very few people in Vietnam had done this method. My parents and my whole family were against it. I researched this method, and learned that gastric bypass can improve some stomach diseases. I saw that people who had gastric bypass had obvious weight loss results, so I listened to the doctor's advice and decided to do it.
I tried dieting and exercising but lost weight very slowly. If I kept standing still, the time for me to return to the stage would be very far away. Sometimes I got discouraged and gave up. So I followed that method to support the weight loss process. People also asked me if I regretted it, I can share that if I knew this method was so effective, I would have done it a long time ago. Because I lost quite a lot of weight. After just 1 month, I went from 80 to 75 kg. After that, I ate and exercised to make my body healthier.
Minh Quan used to have many "hit" songs such as "If we have to leave each other", "Colorful painting"... when he was at his most brilliant period, how did having to temporarily stop performing affect his psychology and emotions?
- What I feel most clearly is missing the stage, the feeling of standing on stage singing, being clapped, cheered and given flowers by the audience, and even receiving messages of encouragement from the audience. The encouragement from the audience is a great motivation for me to decide to change, determined to lose weight to return to music.
After losing weight, he returned to music in many roles, singer, musician, music producer. In the current context, when the young generation of singers has many new names, the music market has many changes, the tastes of young audiences are also different... How do you evaluate the competitiveness in the current music market?
- At each moment, new factors will appear. Especially when modern technology develops, young people will be nurtured in their talents, able to demonstrate their abilities, and learn from major music industries in the world. They will study in international schools, be exposed to new music trends, and modern music flows in the world, so they will be very progressive.
Young singers update quickly, cultivate and add their own personality. That is a good thing. Previously, the music market favored gentle ballad music, which was different from the music of other countries in the world. Now, Vietnamese singers have updated the trend, with many differences from the previous generation.
Music competitions and reality TV shows are currently being held in large numbers with many "big brothers" and "beautiful sisters"... As an objective observer, how do you evaluate the quality and impact of these competitions on the Vietnamese music market?
- The program was well received by the audience, with very grand stages, carefully invested, LED screens, beautiful lighting, professional supporting dancers. Those performances brought a new perspective, showing the development of Vietnamese music. The programs all had music directors, music production teams, keeping up with trends but not forgetting national identity.
Competitions are showing the rise of Rap, Hip Hop, many Underground artists have special appeal when entering the Mainstream, for example the HIEUTHUHAI "fever", what is your perspective on this phenomenon?
- I think in the artist world there is no distinction between Underground and Mainstream, because the important thing is whether you are talented or not? If you are talented, the audience will recognize you, regardless of what genre of music you come from. Meeting talented young people who are working hard in their profession, I get to learn new things from their youth.
I watched both “Anh trai vu ngan cong gai” and “Anh trai say hi”, each show has its own strengths and goals. With “Anh trai say hi”, they target a younger audience, the music is also more youthful, with more Rap, and more EDM. Each person has their own strengths, each team has its own strengths. They will have to decide what musical material to use, how to express their personality so as not to overlap with the opposing team. That is a pressure because in the next round, the artists must be different from the previous round, always innovate so as not to repeat.
Regarding “Anh trai vu ngan cong gai”, I was impressed with SlimV, because of his creativity. The rehearsal time was very short, each group required a different style and color. Some of my brothers, after many years of singing pop music, now sing and dance to EDM music, having to change their mindset and try new things, not being able to perform with the music style of 10-20 years ago. That is the interesting thing about the program. The audience has also become more demanding, not only demanding about the performance but also the quality of the music.
The Vietnamese music market is integrating greatly with the influence of many genres and international music lines, from KPop, Ballad, R&B to the rise of Rap. How do you evaluate the progress of Vietnamese music compared to other music industries in the world, especially KPop?
- KPop is not just entertainment music but an industry that is loved by the general public. The arrival of big groups like BTS and Blackpink is very clear. The performances of KPop idols bring a new breeze to the world music flow, and are well received by American audiences. Therefore, entertainment companies also invest in facilities, train human resources, research, and set strict rules. Vietnam used to have many invested music groups but they were not successful. Compared to Thailand or some countries in the region, Vietnam still has a gap. We need to learn and make more efforts.
How does Minh Quan “position” himself in the current music scene? Are you afraid that you are out of date after many years of absence?
- Actually, I don't dare to position myself in any position, I just want to do my best. I want to make music, learn from young people, and improve myself. As an artist, no one wants to be out of date, they just want their image to always be remembered by the audience. That is the passion, to perform, to be loved. But in reality, there will always be young singers, with new music genres, inevitable changes as a natural law.
Even though I'm no longer at the peak of my career, I still have passion and love for my job.
You once shared that you also feel pressure about being single. Has that pressure changed now?
- My parents and I live in the same building, each in a different apartment. I live close to my parents and have the opportunity to take care of them. What I like most is that every day, no matter how busy we are, our family has dinner together. As for marriage, I think I'll just wait, when it's 8-9 parts finalized, I'll let everyone know.
