The Story Behind “Upbeat”

I have always held a deep love for the T’rưng, a traditional bamboo instrument played by the ethnic minorities in my hometown. Its sound, both bright and melancholic, reminded me of the mountains I grew up near. But when I finally visited the homeland where the T’rưng was born, what moved me most wasn’t the music itself; it was the people behind it.

The performance of the local musicians was mesmerizing, yet what truly stayed with me were the children. Their eyes carried both warmth and quiet pain. Later, I learned that many of them were suffering from Thalassemia and other genetic blood disorders, illnesses passed down through generations due to ancestral consanguinity.

I was told that some of these children, once passionate about learning the T’rưng and other instruments, had to stop playing because they needed to travel to Hanoi, the only place where treatment was available. The thought stayed with me for a long time. I kept wondering: What if art could become part of their healing, not something they had to leave behind?

That question eventually shaped the way I saw my role in music. When I joined Upbeat, our student-led music club, I wanted it to be more than a stage for performance; I wanted it to be a bridge between art and compassion.

As Head of Finance, I managed a budget of 55,000,000 VND through ticket sales and fundraising, directing all proceeds to children in remote northern provinces like Sơn La and Điện Biên. Balancing financial discipline with social impact taught me to measure not just profit, but meaning.