Singer Thuy Tien, who will star in the upcoming Ngoi nha hanh phuc (Full house), will portray a snobbish, successful girl with a chic wardrobe

Singer Thuy Tien, set to release a new album and star in a TV series, breaks out of her girlish image to embody a more mature presence in her work and life.

Despite the differing public opinions about rumors around some ambiguously erotic photos and a love affair scandal, Thuy Tien, 24, shrugs them off and continues to focus on her career.

“I realized early on that everything will pass,” she said. “I leave behind all the bygones and live for the future. I am really tired of having to explain everything.”

She knows true pain. Her father died when she was nine years old.

“At a young age, I experienced a huge loss,” she told Thanh Nien Daily. “I understood the powerlessness of clinging on to someone else’s life. So now I’m not surprised at anything that happens in my life.”

Tien started attracting attention from music critics and the general audience for her work at the end of 2003 when she worked with famous local composer Quoc Bao on his album Nhung chuyen ke (Tales).

Her debut album, Ngot va dang (Sweet and bitter), released in 2005, infused a punk-rock style and included seven of Quoc Bao’s compositions and two self-composed songs, which attracted a healthy following. Her second album, Thuy Tien, released one year later, was considered a trailblazer of gothic rock in Vietnam. Thuy Tien was also chosen to be one the best 10 albums of the year by The Gioi Van Hoa (World of culture) Magazine.

Tien’s best year so far for her music career came in 2006 when she released two songs on the soundtrack for the Tuyet nhiet doi (Tropical snow) TV series. One song, Giac mo tuyet trang (White snow dream), with which she created her “snow princess” image, endeared Tien to younger listeners. The constantly-downloaded song found a spot on the top 10 list in Lan Song Xanh (Blue wave) award program, a Vietnamese version of Billboard.

Although her fourth album has been delayed for post-production work, Tien said she’s tried to appease fans with the soundtrack album of Tet holiday blockbuster Dep tung centimet (Beauty in every centimeter).

Along with her career growth, Tien said she’s seen personal changes.

“I like myself today, as a mature girl, but not yet a woman,” she said. “I appreciate both praise and criticism to improve myself day by day.”

Thuy Tien has shown her versatility with her acting performances in a few films directed by celebrated local directors Vu Ngoc Dang with Bong dung muon khoc (Suddenly wanna cry) and Nguyen Quang Dung with Nu hon than chet (Hot kiss).

Tien will co-star with singer Minh Hang in the upcoming Vietnamese version of the popular South Korean TV series Ngoi nha hanh phuc (Full house), which will start shooting soon and will air in July. The series was changed slightly to meet Vietnamese audiences’ tastes.

Tien will portray a model-designer who was played by actress Han Eun Jung in the South Korean version.

“I did not watch the movie again because I didn’t want to be affected by her acting,” she said. “I am confident in myself and in my fashion sense to present my character as a successful, hoity-toity girl who only loves herself. I read the script several times to understand her character.”

Tien said she understood her character’s personality because it is similar to many girls’ psychology in modern society. She credited actor Luong Manh Hai, who will take Bi-Rain’s leading role, in helping her express her character.

She said it was kismet to work in movie with director Vu Ngoc Dang, but music is still her “passion and priority.”

She is currently working on the soundtrack for the series.

“The original soundtrack was a great success and that makes me a little nervous, but I am trying to find the right direction,” said Tien.

Tien also shares that she has no time for a romantic relationship.

“Affection is a natural thing, and I do not think about it too much,” she said. “But I am truly impressed by the type of men who are successful, level-headed and worldly. A Sagittarius girl like me is complicated and unpredictable. Maybe I will think about marriage at the age of 30.”

She said she never wants to be a victim of too much hype.

“I have self-awareness and the understanding that it is the wrong that makes you know the right,” she said. “I know who and where I am.”

Reported by Kim