I'm coming from New Caledonia and the Ukulele so I'm used to the sound of it since younger age. But it was just since this summer that I got personally interested and bought myself one. I first got a Tanglewood TU2 Soprano Ukulele, but found it was out of tune on few strings, so returned it and bought a Risa Instruments cut-away top spruce tenor Ukulele, and again got a defect on several frets... I'm finally settled on a Mele Mahogany Tenor uke, an awesome piece of instrument.

I've since joined the H.U.G (Hammersmith Ukulele Group) and the Ukulele Wednesdays, although these days, I'm too busy too be active as before.

At one of the Ukulele Wednesdays meetup, I met Duncan, he was setting up a new band and asked me to join, unfortunately I couldn't commit as my agenda is never sure. But I offered to do a photo shoot for the band to help them start. So I went to one of their rehearsal and had a lot of fun not only shooting them but also listening to their awesome sound. Well done guys!

So I'm introducing you to KoaSound, check out the photos on the website ;-)

One of my friends and bro' in France just got a wonderful news. When I was living in Montpellier (south of France). We use to be in the Vietnamese Student Association of the city and we would do some songs recording for fun. I did sing with him in a Vietnamese band playing for Vietnamese weddings. He is a very good musician, singer and wonderful music/lyrics composer. One of his songs had been heard by a famous Vietnamese singer who felt in love with it and asked anh Thắng" (litterally brother Thang) if he could sing it in his next album. What the hell! Of course he can! And so he did!! So here is a little extract of the song Tình Cuối Chân Trời (Love at the end of the horizon) thru the voice of Bằng Kiều (recording studio: Thúy Nga Paris).

Lyrics:

Chiều buông cho bóng đêm về trên phố không người qua

Mình anh cô đơn bên thềm trong nhớ nhung buồn tênh

Sao không  đến đây người, tình yêu em mơ mãi chân trời 

Có hay rằng anh vẫn chờ mong
 

Chưa gặp nhau một lần sao đã trao tình yêu 

Chỉ đã nghe tiếng em cười anh biết đã thầm yêu 

Tặng em khúc hát ân tình mà anh viêt trong những đêm trường

Hỡi em yêu xin hãy về đây

Vì mắt môi trái tim kia làm vấn vương tâm hồn anh 

Dù cách xa lòng anh chỉ trao về em, em hỡi 

Về với anh sống bên nhau mình sẽ yêu nhau từ đây 

Người dấu yêu đến bên anh để mãi yêu nhau trọn đời

To get more information about the author, search on Google

More songs from Bui Pham Thang may be coming... so Thúy Nga's fans, keep your ears open!"

Pham Quynh Anh

Born on January 16, 1987, singer Pham Quynh Anh was a student at the Saint Stanislas School in Mons of Belgium, where the family has lived for a number of years. She finished her secondary studies in June 2005, and though bright enough to attend university, she decided to pursue a music career instead of becoming a doctor like her father.

Beginning at a young age, Quynh Anh received lessons in musical notation and lyrical singing at the Academy of Mons, as well as guitar lessons. In addition, she went out of her way to participate in many different types of cultural performances in her small city of Mons. Her parents noticed very early her aptitude for music and with her family, she took part in the charity Espoir (Hope), which organised performances of folk tales to raise awareness of cultural issues and humanitarian needs.

"Someday I will go there, one day, I'€™ll say hello to your soul. Someday I will go there (to) say hello to you, Viet Nam."
 For many people first hearing this song, it is difficult to keep emotions under wraps. The sweet voice of the Vietnamese-Belgian singer and the heart-felt lyrics have attracted a lot of attention, attention other Vietnamese singers would die for. All this and the song has not yet even been officially launched.
"Bonjour Viet Nam" by Marc Lavoine, a famous French composer and singer, has been making waves in Vietnamese communities all over the world since it was posted on the Internet in January. The song likely owes a lot of its success to Pham Quynh Anh, the singer, a young Belgian woman who knows Viet Nam only through her parents'€™ stories.

Original (French) lyrics:

Raconte-moi ce nom étrange et difficile à prononcer
Que je porte depuis que je suis née
Raconte-moi le vieil empire et le trait de mes yeux bridés
Qui disent mieux que moi ce que tu n'oses dire
Je ne sais de toi que des images de la guerre
Un film de Coppola, des hélicoptères en colère
Un jour, j'irai là-bas
Un jour, dire bonjour à ton âme
Un jour, j'irai là-bas
Te dire bonjour, Vietnam
Raconte-moi ma couleur, mes cheveux et mes petits pieds
Qui me portent depuis que je suis née
Raconte-moi ta maison, ta rue, raconte-moi cet inconnu
Les marchés flottants et les sampans de bois
Je ne connais de mon pays que des photos de la guerre
Un film de Coppola, des hélicoptères en colère
Un jour, j'irai là-bas
Un jour, dire bonjour à mon âme
Un jour, j'irai là-bas
Te dire bonjour, Vietnam
Les temples et les Bouddhas de pierre pour mes pères
Les femmes courbées dans les rizières pour mes mères
Dans la prière, dans la lumière, revoir mes frères
Toucher mon arbre, mes racines, ma terre
Un jour, j'irai là-bas
Un jour, dire bonjour à mon âme
Un jour, j'irai là-bas
Te dire bonjour, Vietnam
Te dire bonjour, Vietnam
More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmania.com/bonjour_vietnam_lyrics_quynh_anh.html
All about Quynh Anh: http://www.musictory.com/music/Quynh+Anh

English lyrics:

Tell me all about this name, that is difficult to say.
It was given me the day I was born.
Want to know about the stories of the empire of old.
My eyes say more of me than what you dare to say.
All I know of you is all the sights of war.
A film by Coppola, the helicopter's roar.
One day I'll touch your soil.
One day I'll finally know my soul.
One day I'll come to you.
To say hello... Vietnam.
Tell me all about my colour, my hair and my little feet
That have carried me every mile of the way.
Want to see your house, your streets. Show me all I do not know.
Wooden sampans, floating markets, light of gold.
All I know of you is the sights of war.
A film by Coppola, the helicopter's roar.
One day I'll touch your soil.
One day I'll finally know my soul.
One day I'll come to you.
To say hello... Vietnam.
And Buddha’s made of stone watch over me
My dreams they lead me through the fields of rice
In prayer, in the light…I see my kin
I touch my tree, my roots,my begin
One day I'll touch your soil.
One day I'll finally know my soul.
One day I'll come to you.
To say hello... Vietnam.
One day I’ll walk your soil
One day I’ll finally know my soul
One day I’ll come to you
To say hello…Vietnam
To say hello…Vietnam
To say xin chào… Vietnam

Vietnamese lyrics:

Bạn hãy nói cho tôi biết chăng, về họ, tên mà tôi đã mang,
về miền quê mà tôi ngày đêm luôn nhớ mong.
Lòng tôi mong biết đất nước tôi, đất nước đã có bao đời, 
Được nhìn bằng đôi mắt của mình được trở về cuội nguồn của tôi
Và tôi mới biết về đất nước tôi qua phim,
Bầy trực thăng bay trên cao, tàn phá xóm thôn nhỏ bé
Ước mong về thăm chốn thiêng
Mong sao quê hương dang tay đón tôi
Mong ước đến ngày trở về
Lòng tôi yêu mến, Việt nam.
Bạn hãy nói tới mái tóc đen, tới đôi chân nhỏ bé
và màu da đã ngày đêm cùng tôi lớn lên
Và mong sao đôi chân sẽ bước lên, tới những nơi tôi chưa từng đến
Để được nghe bài dân ca êm dịu lướt trên sông
Và tôi mới biết, về đất nước tôi qua phim
Bầy trực thăng bay trên cao, tàn phá xóm thôn nhỏ bé
Ước mong về thăm đất nước tôi
Quê hương bao năm tôi đã cách xa
Mong ước đến ngày trở về
Lòng tôi yêu mến Việt nam
Tôi sẽ theo cha về thăm làng quê, tổ tiên
Tôi đến thăm cô nông dân cấy lúa cùng Má
Trong hương khói, trong hư vô, anh tôi nơi đâu
Như cây có gốc, tôi yêu,đất nước tôi
Ước mong về thăm đất nước tôi
Mong sao quê hương dang tay đón tôi
Tôi sẽ thăm những dòng sông
Đồng quê xanh mát Việt nam
Ước mong về thăm chốn thiêng
Mong sao quê hương dang tay đón tôi
Mong ước đến ngày về thăm
Lòng tôi yêu mến Việt nam
Lòng tôi vang tiếng Việt nam
Lòng tôi xin chào Việt Nam