Regardless of complaints about a music market overloaded with new singers and new songs, many contests still seek more new voices.

Contestants of a singing competition in HCM City.

Just walk around some crossroads or roundabouts in HCM City and one will see many banners inviting young people to join singing classes or competitions that seek “new talent”.

Since mid-2008, when the number of music cafes and bars declined, the impact on new singers from training centers at district-level cultural houses and private companies has become clear.

H., the manager of a small bar, explained that, before 2007, it was very hard for bars to hire singers. Now the situation has changed and many new singers and bands have emerged, so bar managers don’t have to hunt for entertainers. They can sit in their bars to recruit singers.

“In the past, we had to pay high rates for singers, but now many singers offer to perform for free,” H. admitted. “Surprisingly, some singers pay bar managers to sing, hoping to become a star quickly.”

A senior boy band in HCM City complained that they were “threatened” with rejection by some bars if they asked for higher rates as they could easily be replaced by new singers.

Meanwhile, music competitions are organized everywhere, drawing many people. On TV shows, one can see that competitors are very stylish and dance very professionally, even though their singing voices are not very good.

A finalist in a singing contest on HCM City Television (HTV) remarked she took part in this contest three times before she finally gained enough experience to make the final round.

Many youngsters spend a lot of time attending singing contests to win “new opportunities in life” and to “become stars.” Yet only a tiny fraction become real stars, while most winners are left desolate with standstill careers.

Unlike singing competitions in other countries where new talent is promoted after the competitions as part of their award, singing contests in Vietnam only name a winner at the award ceremonies. After that, the winners must promote their career themselves.

PV