My Tam becomes Vietnam’s first Billboard singer

The World Albums chart by American entertainment brand Billboard provides rankings for the 15 best-selling world music albums of each week.

Using combined physical and digital sales data compiled by Nielsen Music, My Tam’s album debuted on the chart in tenth place this week after Billboard updated their rankings, local media have reported.

The Da Nang-born singer made headlines last year when her ninth studio album ‘Tam 9’ sold out its first 10,000 physical copies in just one week after its release on December 3, 2017.

Famous Vietnamese singer My Tam.

‘Tam 9’ comes four years after My Tam’s previous studio album and contains 13 tracks that lay bear the singer’s emotions and explore the theme of love from various perspectives.

A digital version of the album is available for purchase on iTunes Store in January and quickly became the fastest selling album on the platform in Vietnam after only two days, with all 13 tracks on the best-seller list, according to Vietnamese news site Tri Thuc Tre(Young Scholar).

“My Tam is timeless. Her songs speak to your heart and soul like no other. She is something old, something new, and most definitely everything blue. With heartbreaking melodies and a soulful vocal, My Tam has once again conquered millions of hearts,” one fan wrote in their review of the album on iTunes Store.

My Tam signs a copy of her album for a young fan in Hanoi.

Dubbed ‘the Vietnamese nightingale’ by fans thanks to her soulful vocal, My Tam launched her career in the spotlight after her hugely successful first studio album ‘Mai Yeu’ in 2001. What has followed is a stunning career across two decades.

In 2017, My Tam was honored with the Asia's Music Legend award at the 2014 Top Asia Corporate Ball held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, an event that introduced Asia’s excellence in many fields including arts, literature, culture, industry, personalities, and lives.

When ‘Tam 9’ was released in December last year, it became an instant hit, with fans flocking to album signings in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, a rare sight in Vietnam where album sales have been lackluster since the dawn of digital music.