Hope. Who knows what will be ahead, far away on the horizon. It could be that tornadoes are coming. But just let it pass and we’ll eventually grow from there. After all, we are bigger than our mistakes – Minh Tốc & Lam shared about the meaning of the name of the recently released album “Clouds on the Horizon”. (Vietnamese: Mây Nơi Chân Trời)
DNNLY and Minh Tốc & Lam walked with three stories at Ly Thai To No. 1 park in the heart of Saigon. Talk about their journey and reflections.
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People look at clouds in different ways and imagine different shapes. If they were both clouds in the sky, how would each of them be clouds? From there, what do you think about creativity in this life?
Lam: I’m going to be the cloud with the worst shape, and I can’t see anything so that the observers have to argue. In my opinion, creativity lies not only in the author but also in the feeling of each person when enjoying a work Minh Toc: I’ll be the smallest cloud, hiding behind Lam’s cloud. I want to and I think it will be like that because I am always grateful to my wife for always sacrificing as well as performing my song in the best way.
What makes you still believe it’s true even though the world has changed so much?
That is myself, I believe and hope that our efforts will be recognized. In a seemingly endless timeline of life, everyone will eventually change. I changed to pursue happiness, a better life, and to make a better copy of who I was yesterday. Therefore, Minh Suc & Lam always try to constantly learn and move forward because we know that there is no easy path to success, if it is too easy, maybe we are on the wrong path. So at the present time, Minh Suc or Lam are always satisfied with what they have and at the same time always aim for something better. Minh believes that path is right for our current worldview.
What makes you still believe it’s true even though the world has changed so much?
If each song is likened to a cloud that passes through the listener’s emotional sky, what should that cloud ultimately do with it: pour down a rain to relieve it, create a shade for people to stop and rest, or open up a clear sky so that they can see things more clearly, or something else? I think all of the above is above, because our emotional sky is very rich, it has the ability to change extremely unpredictably, that’s why it always requires attention in many different ways, sometimes a cloud that passes through the sky and leaves nothing changes that frame for a moment.
Can you both share memories that sparked your love for music creation?
Is there anything that would inspire you to compose? For Minh, it is divided into 2 stages. The first time I practiced writing music was in high school. At that time, I knew how to play the guitar and participated in small performances at cafes. At this time, I was very fond of the Fingerstyle guitar style, so I also practiced self-composed, or wrote my first concertos. It sounds quite naïve, but he has planted a seed in his soul and then graduated from the Hanoi School of Art. At this time, I started playing in an indie band called Sweepy. Everyone has the ability to compose and say what they want, and I’m inspired by that. I also want to write my own music, speak my own voice for the whole world to hear. And that’s when the song Other Melodies 2 was born.
If you compare the songwriting process to the formation of clouds, your songs usually come in a different way: a sudden storm, or a layer of clouds that has accumulated for a long time,..?
My creative process was both like a sudden storm and accumulated for a long time. I often look at things and stories from my own perspective and then record them in my memory, so that it absorbs into my body naturally. Then, when a melody appears on its own as an emotion, I will record it, and then use the experiences and abilities that have been honed over the years in art school and life to develop that idea into a complete song both in terms of lyrics and music.
Tell 3 things you are grateful for?
To be born, to be loved, and to do what you love
If you could send a “signal” to yourself in the future, what would that signal say?
Be free, don’t let anyone take that away from you.
The layout is designed by Quy, a designer who is a design practitioner in Ho Chi Minh City, always looking for ways to explore and cultivate more visual concepts for design. Through this presentation, Quy wants to create the impression of incompleteness and freedom in the development journey of each individual, and at the same time show the cohesion between the 2 artists through the visual language of layout and stylization.
Ly Thai To Park No. 1 (Ho Chi Minh City) is a grateful and revitalized space, with a monument “Drops of water” evokes the pain of the pandemic but at the same time emphasizes cohesion and the will to overcome. The scar is transformed into a green space that heals and connects the community.
Interview @minhtoc.lam
Photo by @chironduong
Layout by @quychibeo
