Swedish singer-songwriter Tamela Hedstrom said she was surprised when director Le Quy Duong told her he wanted to collaborate with her on a song inspired by the classic epic Luc Van Tien.

Tamela tried on a 'non la' (conical hat) during her trip to Viet Nam. Photo courtesy of the singer

But she immediately agreed because she appreciated the director's talent and enthusiasm for art.

"Duong told me about the famous poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu and his work Luc Van Tien, and we discussed the idea of staging an artistic programme in Chieu's honour." she said.

Their friendship began at the Fujairah International Art Festival in the United Arab Emirates.

The singer, 39, said she has always connected with Duong's artistic passion despite their geographical distance.

"He is a creative adventurer and I admire his passion for what he does. A hard-working man, I would say."

Tamela expressed her initial impression of Luc Van Tien as a "beautiful and enthralling" tale that advises everyone to overcome adversity.

She said: "I had dreams about it. I tried to imagine how Van Tien and Nguyet Nga must have been feeling at the time. It was difficult, but the story motivated me to compose music."

The Swedish artist stated that she began reading Luc Van Tien in English and took note of all the wonderful features and messages that were included inside.

"A visual of the characters and other details popped into my head while I was reading. From there, the tunes just kept coming to me,” she recalled.

The female musician was then inspired to write a ballad after reading the famous Vietnamese epic and putting the fascinating details she gained into her lyrics.

She said: "This humanity story still has a place in Vietnamese literature after hundreds of years. Luc Van Tien is a piece that I feel everyone in the world can appreciate if given the chance."

Tamela's hard work paid off in July when she performed her song at the 200^th birthday celebration of the renowned Nguyen Dinh Chieu in Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre to an audience of thousands.

The 39-year-old singer told Viet Nam News that the kind reaction she received from the Vietnamese audience really touched her heart.

"I love the beautiful energy of the Vietnamese. Such kindness, elegance, and joy for life! Such an inspiration! It really warmed my soul and heart."

She also revealed that she is working on a book on her experiences as a female musician and presenting the song Luc Van Tien to a wider audience in the near future.

"This project excites me greatly. The book is about an injury I had many years ago and how it feels to be a woman in the music industry." 

Luc Van Tien is a work of Nom poetry written by Nguyen Dinh Chieu and first published by Truong Vinh Ky in 1889. It was written in the early 1850s of the 19^th century.This is one of the most renowned Vietnamese masterpieces. In 1899, Abel des Michels translated the work into French as 'Luc Van Tien fairy tale - Histoire de Luc Van Tien'.The work of Luc Van Tien is about morals, the essence of humanity.

Source: VNS