During the working session on the plan to rectify and strictly handle the recent situation of many songs with offensive and cultural deviations on October 27, Director of the Department of Performing Arts, People's Artist Xuan Bac affirmed: " each offensive expression in lyrics, costumes, language... that go against traditional customs must be strictly handled".
Regarding this issue, many musicians believe that Vietnamese music currently needs a "purifying" process, not to eliminate creativity, but to retain good, humane and aesthetic values. A good song does not have to be elaborate, but the important thing is to be honest with emotions, have sophisticated language and know how to respect listeners.
Musician Giang Son: Aesthetics in composition are a core element of music
Musician Giang Son shared his opinion: I always believe that aesthetics in composition is the core element of music. Beauty in art is not the splendor of appearance, but the beauty of true emotions, of humanistic thought and sophisticated expression. A song, whether it is about sadness or hurt, if written with a kind heart, it still sows empathy and compassion in listeners. Music, after all, is the voice of the soul. When artists maintain purity and a true love for beauty, their music will become a good thing for society.
From that perspective, it can be seen that the composer before placing a pen should clearly define the humane message he wants to convey. When the lyrics are written from understanding and true emotions, the natural melody will carry a beautiful spirit, more easily touching the hearts of listeners than extravagant, extreme or offensive words.
Musician To Hieu: If the language is vulgar, music will lose its soul
According to musician To Hieu, aesthetics are not an optional thing, but a mandatory principle in composition. "If a song wants to touch people's hearts, from lyrics, melody to title, it must be beautiful, aiming for good. The veteran musicians before wrote music very meticulously, with clear and meaningful lyrics. Young people today can be creative differently, but cannot trade cultural values for attention. Music is a part of ethnic culture. If the language is vulgar, music will lose its soul. I hope that today's young people in the profession will find sophistication and humanity in each note and song".
Musician To Hieu emphasized that the lyrics need to be selective, avoiding vulgar, irritating or distorting language. The title of the song should also reflect the spirit of the work, be concise, emotional, and symbolic. A good title is the door opening to the inner world of music, arousing curiosity while still conveying a positive message.
Musician To Hieu supports the policy of tightening and restoring order in cyberspace for artists with works that are deviant from cultural standards.
I think management agencies need to take strong action against artists who intentionally compose or perform products that are off-ended by cultural standards. If they are reminded but still deliberately re-offend, they may not be allowed to appear in art performances and cyberspace. This is a necessary measure to protect a healthy music environment, musician To Hieu shared.
