When talking about Vietnamese music adaptation from others countries, it would trace back to a century ago with “Cải Lương” and “Chèo” both are traditional opera performance, partly familiar to Chinese opera.
But since we are living in the 21st century, let’s talk about something more current and less ancient such as Hip Hop/Rap music and the rise of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) in Vietnam.
Rap and Hip Hop:
Rap first started in Africa, Western to be exact. Some of you might found this fact shocking but it is 100% true. Rap was originally created by African before it invaded the US in 1970 along with the move of African immigrants. Back then it was just street art and nobody pay much attention to it.
But since we are living in the 21st century, let’s talk about something more current and less ancient such as Hip Hop/Rap music and the rise of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) in Vietnam.
Rap and Hip Hop:
Rap first started in Africa, Western to be exact. Some of you might found this fact shocking but it is 100% true. Rap was originally created by African before it invaded the US in 1970 along with the move of African immigrants. Back then it was just street art and nobody pay much attention to it.
A big break in 1979 made it become an emerging genre in US music industry. More and more people were into Rap, more artists, rappers and bands appeared and dedicated their career to Rap. And thank to the American, Rap had reached its maturity and become a world phenomena a few decades later.
Rap appeared in Vietnam no sooner than 2002 with the influence of Korean. Yes, Vietnamese learned Rap first from Korean. This is quite easy to understand, Korea is closer to us than US comparing in geographical distance. A group of individuals whom had passion in Hip Hop culture spent their time studying the Rap culture and trace it back to America. Vietnamese Rap Culture was born with the mark of Xlim opening the first ever Rap club in Hanoi following with the introduction of Vietnamese Underground culture and North-style. Rap back then is the exact imitation of US rap, they both talked about gangs with hatred and angry tone.
A few years later, Rap culture got widely adapted by Vietnamese teens. Which started the Hip Hop clothing trend. Teens wearing hoodies, baggies and caps are all over the street.
From 2013 to now, Vietnamese Rap evolved rapidly, it changed from “Underground” to “Overground” and making its way to Vietnam music industry. More Rap artists are recognized, more collaborations between artists and numerous songs produced annually.
Electronic Dance Music (EDM)
Electronic dance music is part of the dance music genre, it was solely dedicated to nightclubs and ravers around the world. EDM has recently become the new music trend around three years ago as it is favored by the youth. However, the first song of EDM was dated back to the late 70s along with the rise of disco music.
The youth now loves EDM due to its fast-paced beats fusing with soft vocal voice and hard bass. this combination created a dynamic transition within one song, which allows the artists to manipulate and control the audience’s feeling. EDM became a rising trend in the US in the late 2000s, but only became a global trend around 2010.
The maturity of this genre is marked with the birth of many global DJs and annual music festivals. One of the most famous music festival is Tomorrow Land. The fancy name is a metaphor for its young audience but also mean the creation of a new world. Ravers around the globe come together in a 3 days music events with the appearance of global famous DJs playing their famous sets or debuting new songs.
The maturity of this genre is marked with the birth of many global DJs and annual music festivals. One of the most famous music festival is Tomorrow Land. The fancy name is a metaphor for its young audience but also mean the creation of a new world. Ravers around the globe come together in a 3 days music events with the appearance of global famous DJs playing their famous sets or debuting new songs.
EDM music in Vietnam is quite popular among the youth, this preference came along with the booming of nightclubs industry. For instance, only in three district 1, 3 and 4 of HCMC, there are already more than 30 nightclubs, this number does not yet include small sized bars and clubs.
It would be a big mistake if I did not mention Toc Tien and Hoang Touliver, talented singer and producer, whom helps to spread the EDM trend in Vietnam with their hit "Vu Dieu Cong Chieng". A fusion between EDM and Vietnamese ancient dance and music.