She may look innocent, but singer Luu Huong Giang has an unconventional sound that Vietnamese youth can’t get enough of.

Audiences widely received this new style when the young singer’s latest album Chuyen dong (Move), was released late last month.

In the album, Giang switches seamlessly from her strength – alternative rock – to a wide range of genres including pop, R&B and hip hop, fluctuating between soft, mellow ballads and upbeat, contemporary songs.

Chuyen dong also features songs composed by her elder sister Luu Thien Huong and her boyfriend Ho Hoai Anh, about a girl’s feelings when living away from her lover.

The album targets a young audience, though it has wide appeal for a diverse group of listeners.

“Despite certain successes in alternative rock, I don’t want to stick with a genre for too long and I tried to experiment with different genres to test my singing ability, continually renewing myself so as not to bore audiences,” Giang said.

“A singer can’t be conservative. I’ve known several singers whose talents wither away as they are not receptive to changes and are reluctant to refresh their image,” she added.

“We also have to invest heavily if we want to improve our image,” Giang said, adding that Chuyen dong cost her almost VND300 million (US$18,067) to produce.

“People used to think that singers only needed good singing skills but a successful singer today must also have good looks, be smartly dressed, dance well and know how to charm audiences,” she said.

Born into music

Giang was born into a musical family in northern Nam Dinh Province.

Her father, Luu Manh Cuong, is a musician as is her mother, singer Thanh Hoa.

Giang’s love affair with music began as a child. She inherited her love of rock from her father and listened avidly to all the rock CDs her father collected.

At an early age she set her heart on a musical career, though her parents wanted her to go into another profession.

Giang impressed the jury at Vietnam Television’s 2004 Sao Mai diem hen (Morning Star’s Meeting Point) singing competition, with her strong, mellifluous voice and vivacious performing style though she didn’t pass the first round.

“I was shocked then and it took some time to recover,” she said.

In 2005, she boldly proceeded forward and recorded her debut album, Toi la Luu Huong Giang (I’m Luu Huong Giang), a dynamic collection of alternative rock that won instant acceptance from audiences.

Giang went on to graduate from the singing department of the College of Military Culture and Art and won top honors at several singing competitions, including the gold medal at the 2005 Professional Singing Festival.

One year later, Giang came out with another alternative rock album, Cai bap (Cabbage), which tells the story of her life from childhood to adulthood. Cai bap is Giang’s nickname at home.

She also released the single Hen gap lai anh (See You) in August prior to the release of Chuyen dong. The single, which was mixed in four different styles: semi-classical, hip hop, electro house, did well on music websites and billboards.

The 25-year-old said 2008 has been a tough year for her so far.

While performing at the rehearsal of the 2008 Miss Vietnam pageant, Giang’s blouse slipped off her shoulder, exposing her right breast.

Her performance was cut from the final show but images of the high-profile incident have been widely disseminated on the Internet.

Giang said the situation was out of her control and she has decided to accept it as an unfortunate event and move on. She also said she would never wear that blouse again.

Many have accused Giang of orchestrating the incident on purpose to create a scandal, which she has fiercely denied.

Giang always puts her heart and soul into every song, she said, and tries to win not only critical acclaim but respect from audiences as well.

Reported by Hai Mien