Sơn Tùng M-TP, the Name That Defines Vietnamese Pop Music

In Vietnam, the name Sơn Tùng M-TP is practically synonymous with pop music. His combined social media following runs in the tens of millions. His YouTube views have passed 2 billion. He is the only Vietnamese artist to appear on a Billboard chart, and one of the few Southeast Asian musicians to have collaborated with Snoop Dogg.

But before he became a superstar, he couldn't even get past the first round of Vietnam Idol.

Born Nguyễn Thanh Tùng in 1994 in the northern province of Thái Bình, Sơn Tùng grew up surrounded by music. His mother had been an actress in a chèo (traditional opera) troupe in Thái Bình. His father could play seven instruments. By all accounts, he was singing before he could read.

At eight, he started learning keyboard at the Thái Bình Children's Cultural Arts Center. In high school, he formed an underground band with friends and began writing his own songs. His parents, though, wanted something more practical. His father pushed him toward a business degree.

The young Nguyễn Thanh Tùng didn't listen.

In 2012, 18-year-old Sơn Tùng lined up to audition for Vietnam Idol Season 4. He waited from morning until afternoon, ready to sing "Không Còn Mùa Thu." The crowd was too large. He was eliminated in the preliminary screening round — before he ever stood in front of a judge.

Vietnamese media later described it as being cut at the "parking lot round" (vòng gửi xe) — meaning he didn't even make it through the door.

After leaving the venue, he called his aunt: "I didn't make it. I'm going back to Thái Bình to see Mom and Dad tomorrow."

But that wasn't the end of the story.

That same year, Sơn Tùng got into the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music. He added "M-TP" to his stage name — standing for Music, Talent, and Phong cách (Style). He signed a management deal with Huy Tuấn's Văn Production and started building his career.

In late 2012, his original song "Cơn Mưa Ngang Qua" (A Passing Rain) went viral online. In 2013, "Em Của Ngày Hôm Qua" (Yesterday's You) hit 100 million streams on Zing MP3 within three months. He was 19. Nearly every young person in Vietnam was listening to it.

Over the next few years, "Chắc Ai Đó Sẽ Về," "Lạc Trôi," and "Nơi Này Có Anh" blew up one after another. Every music video cleared 100 million YouTube views.

Two years after his debut, he left Văn Production over disputes and moved to Quang Huy's WePro Entertainment. Two years after that, in late 2016, Sơn Tùng went fully independent, launching his own label: M-TP Entertainment. In its first year, the label pulled in roughly VND 40 billion in revenue — with a profit.

A 22-year-old singer had become a 22-year-old business owner. He later announced plans to build a social media platform called SkySocial. The project never launched, but the ambition was unmistakable.

His younger brother Nguyễn Việt Hoàng, born in 2000, debuted in 2022 under the stage name MONO, also signed to M-TP Entertainment.

In July 2019, Sơn Tùng dropped "Hãy Trao Cho Anh" (Give It to Me), featuring Snoop Dogg. The music video hit 25 million views in under 24 hours, setting a YouTube premiere record for a solo artist at the time.

Billboard covered the track. Snoop Dogg shared the results on Instagram. Sơn Tùng went on to appear on multiple Billboard charts — the only Vietnamese artist to have done so.

Fame brings scrutiny, and Sơn Tùng's career has been shadowed by recurring plagiarism allegations.

In 2014, several early songs were accused of using unauthorized instrumentals. "Em Của Ngày Hôm Qua" was compared to EXID's "Every Night." "Cơn Mưa Ngang Qua" was matched to a track by Korean artist Namolla Family. The Vietnamese music program "Bài Hát Yêu Thích" removed three of his songs, and the Green Wave Awards (Làn Sóng Xanh) dropped "Em Của Ngày Hôm Qua" from its nominations.

Sơn Tùng initially denied the accusations, but later acknowledged that some early works had used unauthorized backing tracks.

In April 2022, he released the English-language single "There's No One At All." The music video featured a character falling from a rooftop, drawing criticism for romanticizing suicide. Authorities intervened. M-TP Entertainment was fined VND 70 million, and the video was permanently taken down before being re-released with the controversial scenes removed.

These incidents didn't dent his popularity, but they left a lasting conversation in Vietnamese society.

After a quiet stretch, Sơn Tùng returned in 2024 with two new releases.

"Chúng Ta Của Tương Lai," released in March, sat atop YouTube's Vietnam trending chart for over a month. "Đừng Làm Trái Tim Anh Đau," released in June, hit even harder — it reached number one on YouTube's global daily views on its release day and held the top spot for 34 days.

He released nothing in 2025 but teased a major comeback in 2026. His fan community is already counting down.

Looking back, Sơn Tùng M-TP's trajectory nearly perfectly overlaps with the growth of Vietnam's pop music industry. When he debuted in 2012, "V-Pop" was barely a concept. Over a decade later, he has stacked more than 10 music videos with 100 million-plus views, Billboard chart placements, and collaborations with international stars — pushing Vietnamese pop music onto a stage beyond Southeast Asia.

He has won the MTV EMA for Best Southeast Asian Act, the MAMA Breakthrough Artist award for Vietnam, and multiple Green Wave Awards (Làn Sóng Xanh). His YouTube channel was the first by a Vietnamese musician to pass 10 million subscribers.

From the kid who got cut from Vietnam Idol in a parking lot, to the name that defines Vietnamese pop — it took over a decade, plenty of controversy, and numbers that speak for themselves.