Vietnam farmer shoots to fame thanks to bizarre song covers

 

A farmer from Hai Duong Province in northern Vietnam has become a sensation on forums and social networks after posting hundreds of videos featuring his dissonant covers of several songs, both in English and Vietnamese.

Recently, “Lệ Rơi” (Falling Tears), the pseudonym of farmer Nguyen Duc Hau, has been one of the most popular Internet searches by netizens.

Many pages have been created on Facebook under the name Lệ Rơi, attracting thousands of likes.

The page “Ca Sĩ Lệ Rơi” (Singer Le Roi), one of the first pages to post updates related to the self-proclaimed singer as well as his songs and photos, scored more than 316,000 likes.

Lệ Rơi’s most popular videos are “Em Của Ngày Hôm Qua” (You of Yesterday), “Nắng Ấm Xa Dần” (Fading Warm Sunshine), “Anh Không Đòi Quà,” (I Wouldn't Ask for My Gifts Back) and “Forever and One.”

A quick estimate shows that Lệ has covered around 150 songs and uploaded them to social media. The covers have been shared repeatedly on many social networks, gaining thousands of views from netizens.

All of Lệ Rơi’s clips are captured simply with his computer webcam and filmed in his plainly decorated room.

What impresses viewers is that Lệ Rơi seems to truly enjoy singing even though he sings completely off-key. In his videos, the man also expresses how happy he is that people are asking him to sing more.

Adding to his dissonant covers are his normal looks and simple-minded statements. Lệ Rơi admits that he knows his voice is “not very good” but he sings for fun, hoping to bring joy to viewers.

The reaction of netizens are split: there are those who express their support for Lệ through comments and likes on Facebook, saying he has gone “from zero to hero,” and there are those who flock to Youtube and Facebook just to call him a “disaster” who is trying to get famous.

Suddenly, Lệ Rơi’s once simple farming life has been transformed with many calls, emails, messages, and visits from the media, fans and locals who are curious about who he is.

At first, Lệ Rơi ignored all the negative responses, saying he was doing what he wanted to do for his fans, who demand he continue covering new songs.

However, on June 29, Lệ Rơi posted a cover of “Kiếp Cầm Ca” (Singer’s Life), announcing that he has finished singing because he cannot stand the pressure of being famous and mocked by many.

“I sing just for fun but some people have extremely negative comments,” he said. “This is my goodbye song; Lệ Rơi is no more.”

Many netizens flocked to the “Ca Sĩ Lệ Rơi” page, expressing their sadness and hope that the man would return soon.

(http://tuoitrenews.vn/lifestyle/20691/vietnam-farmer-shoots-to-fame-thanks-to-bizarre-song-covers)