Quang Lê (born 24 January 1979) is one of the highest-selling Vietnamese-American recording artists, renowned for his unique covers of many traditional Vietnamese songs created and written before, during and about the Vietnam War. Quang Lê has become a household name within the Vietnamese music industry worldwide, from the United States to back home in Vietnam. Quang Lê achieved success at a young age, with hits such as "Sương Trắng Miền Quê Ngoại", "Đập Vỡ Cây Đàn", "Đường Về Quê Hương" and "Tương Tư Nàng Ca Sĩ". Many famous Vietnamese songwriters, such as Đinh Miên Vũ, personally write songs for Quang Lê to perform on the Thúy Nga Paris By Night stage.
Early life Quang Lê was born in Vietnam, in the year 1975 CE, with family roots from Central Vietnam in the City of Huế. His Vietnamese accent is "Huế (central accent)," one of the main Vietnamese dialects in Vietnam, but he has the ability to imitate the southern accent, and he sings with a mixed accent. He is the third son in a family of 6 siblings, and one adopted sister. His family immigrated to the United States in 1990, and initially settled in Missouri. His family then moved to Orange County, California.
Although Quang Lê had been singing at a very young age, it wasn't until the year 2000 that Quang Lê took the step and decided to become a singer professionally.
Singing career Prior to appearing on the very popular Paris By Night stage, a musical production created by Thúy Nga Productions showcasing some of the top performers in the Vietnamese music industry, Quang Lê sang for a smaller music production called Ca Dao. He released three albums with Ca Dao singing "Quê Hương" songs such as "Ngại Ngùng", "Em Về Với Người", "Chim Sáo Ngày Xưa", "Tình Cha" and "Lối Thu Xưa". He was even given the opportunity to sing with a very famous female Vietnamese singer at the time, Phi Nhung, on two songs entitled "Ngày Đá Đơm Bông" and "Ngẫu Hứng Lý Qua Cầu".
Quang Lê had submitted a video to Thúy Nga Productions but at the time, they did need singers to perform "Quê Hương" songs. He waited two years before he received an invitation to appear in Thúy Nga's Paris by Night 66, entitled "Người Tình va Quê Hương", an opportunity that opened all doors for Quang Lê and started his journey to becoming one of the top selling artists within the Vietnamese music industry. On Paris By Night 66, Quang Lê sang "Thư Xuân Trên Rừng Cao" from songwriter Trinh Lam Ngan, and although still very young, it was his voice and his ability to perform with his "Huế" accent that the audience started to pay attention to this up and coming artist.
Quang Lê was invited again to appear on Thúy Nga's Paris By Night 68 entitled "Nửa Vầng Trăng". In this instalment, he sang alongside an alumnus of Paris By Night and another "Quê Hương" singer, Tuong Nguyen, singing a mix of songs from songwriter Duy Khánh.
Quang Lê appeared again on the Paris By Night stage in number 69 entitled "Song Ca Nợ Tình" singing "Sương Trắng Miền Quê Ngoại" by Đinh Miên Vũ. It was Quang Lê’s cover of this song that the Vietnamese community began to recognize and respect Quang Lê’s voice and abilities despite his young age. In fact, in Paris By Night 89: Live in Korea, during his interview onstage by MC Nguyễn Ngọc Ngạn, Quang Lê shared with the audience his experience meeting songwriter Đinh Miên Vũ. Miên Vũ had approached Quang Lê at one of his shows and gave Quang Lê two musical sheets he had written: one for the song “Sương Trắng Miền Quê Ngoại” and the second for a new song, “Hai Quê”. It is believed “Hai Quê” is part two of “Sương Trắng Miền Quê Ngoại” which Miên Vũ wrote and has given to Quang Lê to perform. Audience in Paris by Night 89 was treated to Quang Lê’s performance of “Hai Quê” with his Huế accent.
Quang Lê’s career began to take off, with concert and show offers pouring in for this young artist and Quang Lê became a contracted singer for Thúy Nga Productions, releasing various “Quê Hương” music albums, starting with “Sương Trắng Miền Quê Ngoại” which became the number one selling album in the same year it was released. The demand for Quang Lê began to increase, pushing Thúy Nga to also release consecutively the following solo albums from Quang Lê: “Kẻ Ở Miền Xa”, and “Xin Gọi Nhau Là Cố Nhân”.
In Paris By Night 73 entitled The Best of Song Ca (Duets), Thúy Nga decided to pair Quang Lê up with another Thúy Nga singer, Ngọc Hạ, and the audience immediately fell in love with the duet. With their Huế accents, Quang Lê and Ngọc Hạ brought the audience back to the town of Huế in the song "Ai Ra Xứ Huế" from Duy Khánh. This duet sparked more demand from the audience to see more of Quang Lê and to couple him with Ngọc Hạ. In Paris By Night 79 entitled Dream, Thúy Nga paired the two singers again in the song "Tình Lúa Duyên Trăng" from Hoai An and Ho Dinh and again in Paris By Night 94 25th Anniversary Part 1 with the song "Tình Nghèo" showcasing a much more mature Quang Lê, vocally and appearance wise.
Thúy Nga Productions made special "Xuân" (Spring) shows on the Paris by Night stage, starting with Paris By Night 76 entitled Xuân Tha Huong. In this instalment of Paris by Night, Quang Lê sang "Xuân Này Con Về Mẹ Ở Đâu", a very emotional song by Nhat Ngan. This began a series of songs for Mothers from Quang Lê on Paris By Night "Xuân" specials. In Paris By Night 80 entitled Tết Khắp Mọi Nhà, Quang Lê sang the song "Mừng Tuổi Mẹ" (Celebrating Mother's Birthdays). In Paris By Night 85, the third installment of Thúy Nga's "Xuân" specials titled "Xuân Trong Ky Niem", Quang Lê sang "Xuân Này Con Không Về".
Audience interest in Quang Lê continued to grow following the release of 7000 Đêm Góp Lại, which helped introduce his music to a broader audience beyond his established older fan base. During this period, he continued to perform Vietnamese quê hương songs, including “Thành Phố Sau Lưng” and “Xin Em Đừng Khóc Vu Quy.” He also collaborated with fellow quê hương singer Như Quỳnh on “Đêm Bơ Vơ,” a song originally associated with Duy Khánh.
Quang Lê also explored other musical styles through collaborations and covers. His duet with Hương Thủy on “Tình Nhỏ Mau Quên” presented a lighter and more upbeat pop sound, while his remix of “Xin Đừng Trách Đa Đa” incorporated trance elements that differed from his more traditional repertoire. He further broadened his musical range with a cover of Duy Mạnh’s romantic ballad “Hãy Về Đây Bên Anh,” which appealed particularly to younger listeners. These releases demonstrated Quang Lê’s willingness to experiment with different styles while maintaining his connection to the traditional Vietnamese music for which he was known.
In Paris By Night 82, Quang Lê sang "Đập Vỡ Cây Đàn" by Hoa Linh Bao and received positive feedback from the audience regarding his cover of the song, not only from the older generations, but from the younger generations as well. His performance sparked the released of his next CD, simple titled "Đập Vỡ Cây Đàn" which again has Quang Lê continuing to explore other music genres. He continued to provide to the audience with traditional Vietnamese music such as "Chuyện Ba Mùa Mưa" and "Nhật Ký Hai Đứa Mình", a romantic "Quê Hương" song loved by many from the older generation. The CD had a guest star from a very famous and beloved female artist, Minh Tuyết, who normally do not sing "Quê Hương" songs but sang "Bài Ca Kỷ Niệm" with Quang Lê. Although not a common pairing, the two singers provided a nice cover of the song. Quang Lê also duet again with Hương Thủy in another cute song called "Chuyện Tình Nơi Làng Quê" again about young love in the old country. He was also given an opportunity to duet with Quỳnh Dung, his "Godsister", whom in a previous interview he mentioned was the one person he wanted to duet with. In this CD, Quang Lê also explored a short "Tan Co" number, a traditional music genre from southern Vietnam called "Lỡ Hẹn". He also sang "Tiễn Bạn Lên Đường", a Chinese song translated into Vietnamese. He also continued to bring to the younger audience a romantic ballad in the song "Tình Em Là Đại Dương" from Duy Manh.
In Paris By Night 88, Thúy Nga decided to dedicate the show to the talented Vietnamese songwriter Lam Phuong, who has provided the Vietnamese community with a number of "Quê Hương" songs. The show was called "Đường Về Quê Hương" (Journey Back to the Countryside). Quang Lê was invited to sing the song written by Lam Phuong, with the same title as the show "Đường Về Quê Hương". In this show, performances were done live and Quang Lê, appearing more mature in a black suite, open collar and longer hair, provided a very upbeat version of the song, with vocals.
In Paris By Night 90, Thúy Nga put together a very special show dedicated to Vietnamese women. Quang Lê, alongside other singers, Khanh Ly, The Son, Tâm Đoan, Hương Thủy and Thanh Truc was part of a very special performance dedicated to all mothers, called "Lòng Mẹ Việt Nam". Quang Lê sang the song, promptly titled "Lòng Mẹ Việt Nam" which describes the pain of a mother who must see her sons off to war and longingly waits for words from them and their safe return. Quang Lê received positive feedback for his cover of this song, as he was able to pour so much emotion into the song, while maintaining very soothing and sweet vocals. In this show, Thúy Nga also paired Quang Lê with a new singer to Paris by Night, Mai Thiên Vân, in the song "Nước Non Ngàn Dặm Ra Đi". The duet proved to be a success and requests for the two to sing again was overwhelming. In Paris By Night 92 Nhạc Yêu Cầu, where the audience was able to send in requests to Thúy Nga, Quang Lê was paired up with Mai Thiên Vân again in a very adorable performance of "Gõ Cửa Trái Tim" and the audience, young and old alike immediately fell in love with the two. The two paired up again in another cute performance in Paris By Night 94 singing two songs "Áo Em Chưa Mặc Một Lần" and "Vòng Nhẫn Cưới". Using his experience on stage, Quang Lê improvised and teased Mai Thiên Vân at the end of the performance to advertise to the audience the release of the pairs’ upcoming duet album.
Quang Lê released a new album with all his greatest hits. The CD was called "Hai Quê: Platinum" and included songs sang on the Paris by Night stage including "Thư Xuân Trên Rừng Cao", "Đêm Trao Kỷ Niệm", "Hương Tóc Mạ Non" and "Cay Đắng Bờ Môi". The CD also featured other songs requested by his fans included "Mất Nhau Rồi" and "Tâm Sự Người Hát Rong". While the Paris by Night was falling in love with the Quang Lê and Mai Thiên Vân duet, his fans still loved his duets with Hương Thủy. The two again sang another song called "Nhà Anh Nhà Em" about young love back in Vietnam.
Thúy Nga decided put together a show dedicated to the three regions of Vietnam, "Huế, Saigon, Hanoi" in Paris By Night 91. Quang Lê, with a group of male singers, sang "Từ Miền Bắc" and "Vào Miền Nam" created for each region. He also sang, with singer Khánh Ly, performed a performance remembering the Massacre at Huế, called "Huế Mậu Thân". In this performance, Quang Lê provided the audience with a very moving song "Những Con Đường Trắng", of him falling in love with a local traditional Vietnamese girl and then finding her body during the massacre.
After performing with Mai Thiên Vân in Paris By Night 92, Quang Lê was given the opportunity to sing with his idol singer Y Lan in the song "Tình Hoài Hương". During the interview on stage by MC Ky Duyen, Quang Lê told the audience that singing with Y Lan was a request from him to Thúy Nga to let him sing with his Y Lan whom he has idolized for nearly 20 years. This is a clear indication of how much Thúy Nga appreciates and recognizes Quang Lê’s contribution to the Paris By Night shows.