Phùng Khánh Linh (born May 7, 1994) is a Vietnamese singer and songwriter. She first gained public attention as a contestant in the 2015 The Voice of Vietnam, joining coach Thu Phương's team, before releasing the single "Hôm Nay Tôi Buồn" in 2018. In 2020, she joined Times Records and released her first extended play 7 Deep Cuts Session, as a pre-launch for her debut studio album, Yesteryear (December 2020). To mark her 18th birthday, she released the 11-track compilation album The Early Recordings (2022). Her second studio album, Citopia (2022), was preceded by lead single "Sweet Summer", which became her fastest single to reach number one on the iTunes Store, doing so within an hour of release.
Phùng Khánh Linh announced her departure from Times Records and signed with Black Swan Label in July 2024, ahead of her third studio album, Among Ten Thousand (2025). It became her most successful album to date, accumulating over 10 million streams on Spotify in its first month; its track "Ghosting" drew public attention with roughly 150 million views across short-form video platforms. An expanded edition of the album, adding five tracks for a total of 17, followed on August 11, 2026.
In February 2026, her soundtrack single "Cảm Ơn Người Đã Thức Cùng Tôi", from the film A Little Dream of Me, debuted at number 29 on the Billboard Vietnam Top Vietnamese Songs chart before climbing to number one on both that chart and the Billboard Vietnam Hot 100 by mid-March 2026 - her first single to top either chart.
As of August 2026, she has been nominated ten times for the Dedication Music Awards and once for the Mai Vàng Awards. In the Green Wave Awards, she has received three nominations, with one win (Top 10 Most Favorite Female Singer/Rapper).
Early life Phùng Khánh Linh was born in 1994 in Bắc Giang, into a family with no background in the arts. Her father, a civil servant, died in early 2025; her mother is a teacher, and she has an older brother. She studied at , then graduated with a law degree from . She became interested in music at age 3; because her father initially opposed a singing career, she performed only on school stages and at the local Pioneers Palace, and began attempting to write her own songs around 2016, work she has since described as still fairly unpolished.
After her elimination from The Voice of Vietnam, Phùng Khánh Linh considered becoming a music teacher at her family's suggestion, and topped the entrance exam for the National University of Arts Education - but chose not to enroll, insisting on pursuing music instead and eventually building her career in Ho Chi Minh City. Before establishing herself as a singer, she supported herself partly by teaching part-time at a music school and running an online side business; in an interview with Idol14, she said she still maintains that online business to help fund her music projects.
Career 2015 – 2019: Recognition in The Voice of Vietnam season 3, breakthrough with "Hôm Nay Tôi Buồn" On May 10, 2015, Phùng Khánh Linh first appeared in the third season of The Voice of Vietnam. She chose "Maps" by Maroon 5 for her blind audition, becoming one of only two contestants approved by all four coaches, and joined coach Thu Phương's team. On August 16, 2015, she performed her first original song, "On My Way", marking her debut single. She was eliminated in the show's seventh live broadcast (quarterfinal round) on August 30, 2015.
In 2016, she appeared in several musical television shows and worked on two more songs, including "Hãy Bảo Nắng Về Đi" and "Cô Gái Nhỏ và Anh". Later that year, her official SoundCloud account was created, where she independently posted original songs and covers. In 2017, working with musician Trang Chim Sâu, Phùng Khánh Linh released "Điều Còn Lại" on February 9 for Valentine's Day, and a graduation song "Lời Hứa Ngày Chia Tay" on April 27. Her first ever written song, "One Sided Love", was released on October 8, 2017, telling a cute budding love story. The song did not make much of a public impression.
Starting 2018, Phùng Khánh Linh announced the release of "Hôm Nay Tôi Buồn" on February 1. The song saw a huge success, with 104 million streams in the first half of 2018 recorded by Zing Chart, one of the most popular music streaming services in Vietnam. It was also among the seven songs that exceeded 100 million streams on the platform during this period. It is by far the most watched music video from Phùng Khánh Linh, achieving relatively 80 million views on YouTube alone. Widely recognized by both the public and critics, Phùng Khánh Linh got her first nominations at grand music awards, including New Artist of the Year and Song of the Year at the 14th Dedication Music Awards (2019) and Best New Artist at the 21st Green Wave Awards (2018).
2020 – 2023: Yesteryear, in-between projects and Citopia On February 13, 2020, Phùng Khánh Linh released the Valentine's single "Chocolate". On February 29, 2020, she signed her first contract with Times Records - becoming its first exclusive artist - and joined Universal Music Vietnam as its first signee five months later. Gearing up for her debut studio album, Phùng Khánh Linh released her first extended play 7 Deep Cuts Session on April 14, 2020. The album was meant to feature seven new tracks, but then reduced to four in its digital album. Music videos for the songs were released every two weeks, except for "Chiếc Lá Vô Tình" which was pushed back to release on Children's Day and "Tình Yêu Ở Lại" intended for Pride Month celebration.
Phùng Khánh Linh officially launched the new album cycle with its lead single "World Without You" on July 31, 2020. The song was written in April 2019. Its music video, directed by Đinh Hà Uyên Thư, featured Phùng Khánh Linh as a girl in a fictional Lynese tribe, falling in love with a traveler. Concept for the video was inspired by ethnic cultures of Yao people and H'mong people. The single was marketed with two mini games, which fans could win a physical copy of "World Without You" and its merchandise. A public premiere was scheduled on its release date; however, it was eventually scrapped due to COVID-19 restrictions. "Pack My Things and Leave" became the next promotional single on October 23, 2020. A fan contest to share thoughts about the song was held where thirteen winners would receive an invitation to her private party celebrating the premiere of Yesteryear.
The album title was revealed on November 1, 2020, followed by the showcase of producers and musicians working on the project. On December 3, 2020, she released her debut studio album Yesteryear with 13 self-written songs. The album spans genres of R&B, synth-pop, ballad and disco-pop. Upon its release, Yesteryear received favorable reviews, regarded as a breakthrough of V-pop in the early 2020s. Quang Duc from Znews highlighted her musical transformation to a more mature approach compared to her previous works. Exceeding 1,000 physical copies in its first two weeks, the album was restocked for another thousand, according to Times Records. On December 13, 2020, the roughly 300-capacity promotional showcase for Yesteryear sold out within days of going on sale. The album spawned three other singles, with "He Said She Said" as a message of artists getting their own creative control, inspired by stories of Britney Spears' freedom from her conservatorship and Taylor Swift to gain ownership of her masters. Music video for the third single "Dance in the City" is conceptualized by the painting of the same title by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and tarot reading. Its final single, "One Blue Day" is a synth-pop ballad, telling the continuation of the story from "Hôm Nay Tôi Buồn". Yesteryear was reissued twice, as a deluxe version with three new tracks on September 2, 2021, and an exclusive super deluxe version featuring demos and remixes to celebrate its first anniversary on December 25, 2021. The album successfully brought Phùng Khánh Linh two nominations at the 16th Dedication Music Awards (2021) for Album of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. She was also nominated at the 2021 Mai Vàng Awards for Favorite Ballad Artist.
On December 28, 2021, Phùng Khánh Linh released her standalone single "No Strings Attached", produced by electronic music duo 39 Kingdom. Hồ Việt Quân directed its music video. The single also sold 1,000 physical copies during its release. The song reached number 93 on the Billboard Vietnam chart, and was a fusion between electronic dance music and traditional folk music Quan họ originated from Bắc Ninh, Vietnam, which Phùng Khánh Linh said to be the sound she grew up with. The single received mixed reviews from music critics, who criticized the traditional value of Quan họ being modernized, whereas others complimented on her musical transformation from Yesteryear.
On May 8, 2022, one day after Phùng Khánh Linh's 18th birthday, she announced the release of The Early Recordings, which compiled works from her early years, including "On My Way" as performed on The Voice of Vietnam. "Mai Này", originally a soundtrack from Ngốc Ơi Tuổi 17, also made its appearance in the track listing, along with the digital single "Chocolate" being a bonus track in the physical version of the album.
On July 20, 2022, it was shared on Phùng Khánh Linh's social media that she was on the final process for her next album recorded in Nashville, USA. Five days later, she announced the second album title to be Citopia. Its first pre-release single, "Sweet Summer" was released on August 30, 2022, becoming her fastest single to reach number one on iTunes Store after one hour of release. "After All" became the second pre-release single on October 10, 2022. The last two-week countdown featured Phùng Khánh Linh promoting lyric excerpts on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, which almost bears a resemblance to her music video for the last single "Secret Sunday" on November 18, 2022. On November 11, 2022, Phùng Khánh Linh officially released her second studio album Citopia with 10 city pop-oriented tracks. Working on the album, she was heavily inspired by the genre and took inspirations from Japanese artists Mariya Takeuchi and Anri specifically. The album was praised by its huge production, recruiting her long-time producer partner Josh Frigo, Grammy-nominated producer Steven Wilson and three-time Grammy winner saxophonist Jovan Quallo; it is also her second project with mastering engineer Randy Merrill who has previously worked with Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift. It was also highly appreciated by The Japan Times, which described the record as more than a mere revival of the city pop sound. At the end of 2022, Citopia got Phùng Khánh Linh three nominations at the 17th Dedication Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year, Female Artist of the Year and Album of the Year. The album has surpassed 10 million streams on Spotify.
On February 1, 2023, "Hôm Nay Tôi Buồn" was remastered to commemorate its fifth anniversary, plus a new country rearrangement entitled Nashville version. The new version has been used in many of her later concerts, namely Off The Record in 2025 and Giữa Một Vạn Tour in 2026.
2024 – present: Among Ten Thousand and Giữa Một Vạn Tour