According to the female artist, in the 9-song album, "Dat nuoc canh beo" is the only ancient Xam song, which Mai Tuyet Hoa included as a connection and gratitude to her great teacher in her artistic life - Xam singing artist Ha Thi Cau.
In addition, the album also introduces two ancient Xam songs that were restored by Mai Tuyet Hoa and Prof. Dr. People's Teacher Pham Minh Khang, musician Thao Giang, musician Hanh Nhan, People's Artist Thanh Ngoan... and became familiar to the public, namely "Vợ chồng cờ bạc" (also known as "Sướng khổ vì chồng", performed with artist Van Phuong) and "Một quan là sáu trăm đồng" (singing with People's Artist Thanh Ngoan).
In addition to the 3 works mentioned above, all the remaining songs in the album are composed by music researcher and musician Nguyen Quang Long specifically for the Xam singing voice of artist Mai Tuyet Hoa. Among them, musician Nguyen Quang Long exploited and applied the wrong singing melody - a way of expression once used by ancient Xam artisans, including two works "Ghen" and "Tránh xa tệ nạn", creating a color that is both traditional and new in the musical space of the album.
Artist Mai Tuyet Hoa also added that each Xam song in the album is a separate message that she and musician Nguyen Quang Long want to send to the public.
Stories originating from close life, reflecting the bumps and stumbles of human life, to guide people to return to the realm of goodness. Therefore, although life is still difficult, Xam is like a sharing, helping people know how to listen, understand and nurture gratitude.
In the album, I choose to interweave both ancient Xam and today's new Xam, with the desire that the audience when listening can find emotions towards the origin from ancient Xam, to spread the Xam spirit in contemporary life. I hope the album brings the public a complete, fresh and emotional experience with Xam" - Mai Tuyet Hoa said.
In each era, there are their own tastes and needs for enjoyment, so it is natural and necessary for young artists to find ways to bring Xam closer to today's life. For Mai Tuyet Hoa, persistently pursuing the traditional Xam style is not a shyness towards the new, but a suitable choice for her artistic path and audience.
Artist Mai Tuyet Hoa believes that compared to nearly 30 years ago, it can be clearly seen that Xam has been restored and is no longer standing on the brink of fading as before. After the Xam Singing Festivals, many Xam clubs across the country have been formed and maintained operations, showing that Xam is still loved by the community.
However, Mai Tuyet Hoa also frankly acknowledged that most of the Xam activities today are still spontaneous, based on the voluntariness and enthusiasm of artists. The preservation of Xam is therefore facing many difficulties. For many years, she and the members of the Ha Thanh Xam group have mainly spent their own efforts and funds to maintain the activities.
To make Xam truly "revive" sustainably and can develop for a long time, Mai Tuyet Hoa believes that the involvement of cultural management agencies is very necessary, with specific and practical policies and actions for Xam art - not only in honoring, but also in supporting, training and creating stable performance space mechanisms.
Artist Mai Tuyet Hoa (born in 1976) is considered an outstanding successor of the "living human treasure" - the late Xam singing artisan Ha Thi Cau. She is currently the Director of the Center for Research, Preservation and Promotion of Folk Music, one of the key artists of the Xam Ha Thanh group.
