Over the past four years living and working in Vietnam, talented Republic of Korea (RoK) musician, singer and music producer Joseph Kwon (also known as Joseph Quyen) has introduced many musical products that have contributed to spreading the beauty of nature, culture and people of Vietnam to Korean friends and the world.
Joseph Kwon (R) and Vietnamese singer Hyee Pham in his MV ‘Butterfly Flakes’
Through his career, Joseph Quyen has released about 20 albums which were composed, performed and produced by himself, as well as hundreds of unreleased songs.
He shared that the love of Vietnam, like that of music, came to him very naturally. At the age of 10, when watching a movie about Vietnam on television, he was attracted by images of the Vietnamese landscape, people, and costumes. This motivated him to learn about Vietnamese history and culture.
In 2018, when he first set foot in Vietnam, Joseph Quyen was immediately taken by the scenery, people and culture of the country.
He decided to stay in Vietnam, considering the Southeast Asian country as his second home. During his stay, he has been deeply impressed by the friendliness, openness, resilience and compassion of Vietnamese people, especially in the period when Vietnam struggled to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the country is on track for development, its traditional culture is still well preserved.
That is the reason he came up with the idea of using his musical knowledge and skills to make musical products expressing his strong love for Vietnam while promoting the scenery and culture of Vietnam to friends in his home country as well as international tourists.
To date, Joseph Kwon has released nearly 10 musical products about Vietnam, such as: ‘Go Vietnam go go’, ‘Vietnam’, and ‘Remember’. Of which, the song "Vietnam", which debuted in 2021, has been broadcast more than 50 times via central and local television stations.
Along with cheerful and youthful melodies, lyrics and images, each song conveys the message of a beautiful, friendly, and soulful Vietnam while also introducing many distinct features of Vietnamese culture, costumes, and cuisine.
In 2022, Joseph Quyen made a strong impression on the public as well as the media of Vietnam and RoK with two MVs entitled ‘Buom Buom Bay Rop Troi’ (Butterfly Flakes) and ‘Toi Van Dang Cho Ban, 5.000 Nam’ (Waiting for you, 5,000 years’.
The two songs were performed in Korean (with Vietnamese and English subtitles), starting young talented Vietnamese singer Hyee Pham. The making of the MVs, which received the support of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, was among art projects to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Vietnam – RoK diplomatic ties.
Joseph Quyen said that on a visit to Cuc Phuong National Park, he felt like he was lost in a dreamland with thousands of butterflies flying in the sky. This beautiful image inspired him to compose the song ‘Butterfly Flakes’.
Meanwhile, ‘Waiting for you, 5,000 years’ conveys the message that no matter how much time flows, Vietnam will always be a great and welcoming place for international friends. “And 5,000 years from now, if I were reborn, I would still come to Vietnam”- Joseph Quyen stressed.
Joseph Quyen's products have contributed to spreading the beauty of nature, culture and people of Vietnam to Korean friends and the world
Regarding the filming of the two MVs, Joseph Quyen and his team spent months going through nearly 20 provinces and cities from north to south of Vietnam, which are home to famous tourist destinations such as: Cuc Phuong National Forest and the Trang An scenic complex in Ninh Binh Province, Dragon Bridge in Da Nang City, Fansipan Peak in Lao Cai Province, Hoi An Ancient Town, Mui Ne Coast in Phan Thiet City, Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province, the Bau Trang sand dunes in Binh Thuan Province, Ba Be Lake in Bac Kan Province, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City.
The two MVs helped Joseph Quyen become a foreign artist to receive the third prize of the National Award for External Information 2022.
Following the success of two songs promoting Vietnam's tourism, Joseph Quyen released a song in Vietnamese language on the occasion of Tet (Lunar New Year) festival 2023. The song praises the reunion traditions of Vietnamese people during Tet.
In his MVs, Joseph Quyen often appears in traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai. This is also his favourite outfit when attending public events.
“Ao Dai is one of the most exemplary cultural features of Vietnam. I'm very happy to wear Ao Dai and I think I look good in this outfit,” Joseph Quyen said. As such, he plans to compose a song about Vietnamese Ao Dai.
His personal Facebook page and Youtube and Tiktok channels have attracted large numbers of followers.
“I hope that my music will help my friends know a beautiful and attractive Vietnam, thus they will come to the country to feel the beauty of culture and humanity of people there. I want to live in this place as long as possible” Joseph Quyen shared.
Joseph Quyen graduated with a Master's degree in vocal performance in Italy. He has been known as a multi-talented artist with many roles such as musician, composer, singer-producer, conductor at SBS Choir Radio and Korean Cultural Centre, and a music ambassador of a university in Vietnam.
Trang Anh - Translated by NDO
