Hien

Hungarian-born Vietnamese vocalist Nguyen Thanh Hien, better known as Hien, has an eclectic sonic identity all her own. Probably because she's had quite the interesting musical lineage. As soon as she could walk and talk she learned to sing and play the piano and violin. At age 14 Hien was selected to the Hungarian version of American Idol, "Megastar" and although she only came in 6th was still one of the fan favorites and earned herself a record deal with Tom Tom Records. Since then she's released 2 studio albums both rising to the top of the charts in Hungary. By fusing indie-electronica, R&B, and Hungarian folk music Hien has made records (she writes all her own songs) that not only show off her singing abilities but also tell well thought out narratives. For example her single "Bemine" is about the chase that most guys and girls go through with one another when they don’t want to admit they are interested so they play it cool or even say nothing. This cat and mouse game echoes a lot throughout the younger generation when they should be expressing their want for one another more genuinely.
Hien takes inspirations from acts like The XX, James Blake, Jungle, Nicolas Jaar, Ghost Loft, and Synkro just to name a few. Currently she's enrolled at the world renown Berklee College of Music in Boston on a full-scholarship. During that off time she travels back to Hungary to perform live in front of sold out venues. It's an interesting dichotomy of honing your craft stateside then putting it to practice on the other side of the world in Budapest where she's garnered a pretty high level of fame. She can often be seen performing on Hungarian television and her songs can be heard on most contemporary radio stations. Hien's next project hearkens back to MTV's Making the Band. Her new show, "Trip to the Moon" brings 7 musicians together and chronicles their travels around Europe as they perform and write music. - EARMILK