After 20 years, she is an Associate Professor, PhD, holding the position of Head of the Vocal Department of the Vietnam National Academy of Music. Are those marks of success thanks to effort, ability or luck, in your opinion?
I think all those factors are needed. I am luckier than many of my peers. If many students have finished high school but still do not clearly imagine the path they want to take, do not know what to study, what to do... I have been passionate about studying music since I was a child.
After finishing 10th grade, I decided to take the entrance exam to the Conservatory of Music (now the Vietnam National Academy of Music). At that time, I often followed Ms. Lan Anh - also my cousin - to the music festival, to the whole dormitory... and from that time on, there was always a strong urge in me to study music.
I admire teachers teaching in the conservatory such as Mr. Trung Kien, Mr. Quang Tho, Ms. Lan Anh... and want to be like them.
I formed my awareness very early and was very clear about the journey I needed to take in the future, which was to become an artist and a music lecturer. Because I have outlined the journey, I have been studying and following that roadmap for the past 20 years.
Are you the type of ambitious woman?
I want to understand the ambition here in a positive way, which is the ambition to explore the open sky of knowledge.
Many people say that Tan Nhan is demanding, demanding, and very strict. You are both a singer and a vocal lecturer - which person is closest to you in real life?
I think, perfectionism is the outstanding, consistent personality, and most clearly forms the personality of me. I often set strict requirements even as a singer or a teacher. I think discipline has made success for many people, including me.
How did you support each other when you were both a singer and a teacher?
We are witnessing a period of development like a storm of science and technology.
The music market with the explosion of digital platforms, media channels, forms of media... has given artists today many more development opportunities.
Digital music, media, and social networks are helping artists spread their images and music faster and easier, even with more income.
Being an artist has helped me update trends in the music market, have a multi-dimensional view of the context, opportunities, and of today's society, thereby, I can bring practical and practical knowledge into teaching, have the right orientation in the training process to meet the requirements of the times for artists and music.
She just mentioned income. When she is both a sought-after singer and a lecturer, does she have more income than her?
I can make a living from this job. My main income comes from being a singer. Many other singers run shows for 30 days, I only run shows for 5 days, the remaining 25 days I spend on teaching, training, school activities and scientific research.
I can also run shows for 30 days, if I run more shows, I will have more money. But with my own needs, I only ran shows for 5 days and then spent time on things I focused on pursuing.
I have many other goals in life, not just running shows to make money (laughs). Like I chose to pursue studying, spent a lot of time studying, even though my doctorate - did not bring me material value. But I chose that path, because it gave me other values for myself.
As she said, she spent a lot of time and effort pursuing her studies. At that time, she was also married, had children... You had worked hard for 20 years, or even made trade-offs?
The thing I am most proud of myself is that I have pursued to the end of my studies. To go on the same journey to both study and work is certainly not easy.
It was true that I had to make a trade-off. I didn't have the time to be a student like my friends. I had a fierce childhood. I did not have a real youth, to live fully with passion, not thinking about anything... I have matured early, aged before the age, and thought ahead of schedule.
For 20 years, she also had to overcome the storm and break down her marriage. someone has said that the journey to maturity of each person will have to include trade-offs, losses, breakdowns... to become their own person in the future. What about Tan Nhan?
Breaking up a marriage does not make me a future. A broken heart was something I didn't expect, because I didn't have that plan, and it was something no one wanted.
People still say that the return of success will be sacrifices. In the early stages of schooling, I certainly did not have much time for my family. I was busy pursuing the goals of my life. I forgot that I had a family to take care of.
The collapse was my fault. With the success I have today, in the first stage, there was a lot of help from him and his family...
But in real life, a couple is also fate. He will find the right person for me. Personally, I am also confident that he will meet someone who is more dedicated to his family - bringing him more happiness than me.
After the breakup, do you look at happiness and marriage differently?
I always think, if we have the same understanding as now (at the age of 40 and look as youthful as in the past - in the 20s, then how much we know (laughs).
If they live differently, success may be limited.
Now, I am old (laughs) so I only focus on a few sharps in life, not too many sharps as before. I do not take extra classes, do not teach extra classes. Working in the department, I tried and tried to arrange to complete it on Friday, to spend the last 2 days of the weekend with my family and children.
My family has made a promise to each other to go out, travel, and spend time together on the last 2 weekends. Therefore, every Friday afternoon my family is very happy, so after the weekend, tomorrow (Saturday) we will go out together.
Are the past 20 years for you short or long?
Not too short and not too long. I think 20 years are enough for a hard journey to achieve success. I am at the point of fall and ripening. If less is not certain to be successful, if longer, it will be a bit late.
Losing or succeeding is something that young people have to go through. For the past 20 years - I have had a complete youth journey, following the right path, living meaningfully and valuably.
