When asked the question “What kind of music do young people like to listen to these days?”, you will probably immediately think of the music of famous singers like Son Tung M-TP, Jack, Erik, Den Vau,… or songs with millions of views on Billboard or K-pop. That’s true, but in reality, that’s not enough.
Besides updating the vibrant market music, modern youth are favoring more "hidden", deeper but still attractive music trends. That is Indie, Lofi, remakes of old music and virtual Dream pop music.
Before entering that world of music, try to answer a question: does the picture below look familiar?
If yes then this article is exactly for you. If not then welcome to a new world of music where young people today choose to let their moods melt away slowly.
Listen to Indie to confide
Indie music originated from Europe and America, the full name is Independent Music, not a music genre like Pop, Ballad or EDM. It is the general name of a music trend created by independent artists, without the support of management companies or media strategies. Indie is simply music born from the artist's own perspective and materials, without any hit-making formula.
Indie music is characterized by its “self” nature – self-composed, self-sung, self-recorded, self-released and… self-expressed. Indeed, like the way people express themselves in their diaries, the lyrics are like gentle narrative lines on simple melodies that make listeners feel like the song “speaks for their hearts”.
Previously, Indie music was mainly popular on online music sites Soundcloud and Spotify. Nowadays, thanks to Youtube, Indie music has become less "hidden". In recent years, Vietnamese Indie artists have increasingly proven the love of young people for this free music trend, when the number of followers and views of their songs is not inferior to that of mainstream singers. The most typical is the "Indie prince" Vu with the song La Lung (over 87 million views), 1 Phut - Andiez (56 million views), Mot Dem Say - Thinh Suy (36 million views), Pho Khong Em - Thai Dinh (17 million views)...
Besides, the increasing appearance of Indie music in spaces such as coffee shops, tea rooms, or even at big music festivals such as Monsoon Music Festival, Thom Music Festival is also proof of the free music trend that is loved by young Vietnamese people.
slow mood melt with lofi music
As popular music increasingly moves towards high-quality electronic sounds, the Lofi music trend seems to go in the opposite direction. Lofi is short for Lofi - Low-fidelity: low quality, are songs that use old sounds, noises, jerks..., sounds that were previously considered technical flaws when listening to tapes and discs.
Usually, Lofi is mostly instrumental music with the soaring, melodious rhythm of Seoul, Jazz, Hiphop. It is rare for a song to have human voice inserted in the form of a short dialogue. The charm of Lofi lies in its simplicity, from the music to the form. The songs are mainly familiar beats of famous songs but processed in low quality format. The illustrations are usually animations or still images, recently there have been some cut and pasted Anime clips.
It is the wandering, melancholy of Lofi that has won the hearts of young people around the world. Famous Lofi music channels such as: Chillhop Music, The Jazz Hop Cafe, The Bootleg... have millions of followers. On Youtube today, it is not difficult to come across million-view Lofi music playlists with narrative names such asLate night vibe, 1 AM study session, it's 2 AM and I still miss you,…
NOSTALGIA OF THE PAST in old remakes
The trend of remaking once-famous songs has been pursued by foreign Indie artists for the past few years. The simple melodies of guitar and ukulele combined with the gentle, sweet voice of the artist are enough for a cover that will stir people's hearts.
In early 2017, the project “See Sing & Share” by singer Ha Anh Tuan opened the first pages for the trend of listening to remade old music in Vietnam. After that, a series of songs that made waves in the early 2000s such as Nguoi Tinh Mua Dong, 999 Doa Hong, Tinh Don Phuong,... were successively remade. The songs associated with the childhood of people of the 8x and 9x generations seemed to be revived in the era of strong explosion of electronic music.
The spread of remade old music not only attracts famous names like Truc Nhan, Phuong Vy,... but also Indie and Underground singers like Ha Le who also have very impressive remade Trinh music projects.
Why do young people especially welcome these remakes? Maybe because besides music, it is also their childhood memories, their sky of memories that are recalled. Not only are they “revived”, but those memories are also dressed in new, more unique clothes, suitable for modern musical tastes.
Soar and immerse yourself in Dream Pop "virtual music"
Dream Pop is a mysterious, vague music genre that does not follow any specific rules. The artist who sings Dream Pop seems to be lovesick, soaring, and immersed in his thoughts. Therefore, people say that this is a music genre for nostalgic and romantic souls, also known as “virtual music”.
In the faraway land of the stars and stripes, Lana Del Rey can be said to be the one who brought Dream Pop to light. In Vietnam, Bui Lan Huong is considered the queen of this music genre when she left an impression on the audience with the songs Bua Me and Mau Thuan at the program Sing My Song - Best Song. Then there was a hit song that caused a stir in the online community, Ngay Chua Giong Bao (soundtrack of the movie Nguoi Bat Tu) which she collaborated with musician Phan Manh Quynh.
It is the freedom, the soaring but also the sadness and melancholy of Dream Pop that wins the hearts of young people. This genre is very picky about its listeners but has a strangely addictive quality. To enjoy Dream Pop songs, you just need to go to Youtube and type in the names of the two "queens" of this music genre today: Lana Del Rey and Bui Lan Huong.
What brought young people to the above 4 music trends?
Without the need for massive promotion and sometimes even going against market trends, the above 4 music genres are currently receiving a lot of attention from young people. Because the first common point that can be seen in these music trends is the nostalgia and soul of the artist. All melodies and lyrics come from the artist's sincere understanding and sympathy for the audience, creating a connection in the soul.
Indie, Lofi, remakes of old music or Dream Pop seem to be the place for young people to express their difficult thoughts, to seek spiritual medicine amidst the pressures and confusion. From a psychological perspective, the trend of listening to slow music among young people is considered a simple, quick and effective therapy to relieve the stress they face in the modern world.
At the same time, soft music that evokes beautiful memories often has a good calming effect on the spirit. That is probably the reason why the young community seeks out or unconsciously plays these slow songs every day.
