Soobin Hoàng Sơn

Nguyễn Huỳnh Sơn^[1][2] (born September 10, 1992), better known by the stage name Soobin or Soobin Hoàng Sơn (stylized as SOOBIN), is a Vietnamese singer-songwriter.^[3]

Soobin was born on September 10, 1992. His father, Nguyen Huynh Tu,^[4] is a composer and instrumentalist. Soobin's grandfather was the cải lương Nguyen Huynh Tuan,^[5] and his grandmother is Meritorious Artist Le Thi Hao Yen, who was active in the cải lương troupe of Thanh Hoa province.^[6] From a young age, he studied monochord and piano under his father's guidance.^[7][8] He graduated with a major in jazz piano from the Vietnam National Academy of Music after seven years of professional piano study beginning at age 11.^[9]

In 2014, Soobin reached the runner-up position in the Vietnam-Korea music talent search contest called Ngoi Sao Viet (Viet Star).^[10] He was chosen for professional training in South Korea for six months, where he had the opportunity to interact with K-pop groups such as 4Minute, CNBLUE, F.T. Island, and Teen Top. After returning from Korea, Soobin became a member of the Hanoi-based underground group SpaceSpeakers, founded by Touliver, alongside JustaTee and Rhymastic.

In mid-2016, Soobin Hoang Son moved to Ho Chi Minh City to build his music career.^[11] By mid-July 2016, he released the songs "Lalala" and "Va the la het" (And That's the End), both of which he composed. "Lalala" is an R&B track produced with the help of Touliver. In 2016, Soobin won the Silver Prize at The Remix (season 2), which was followed by increased commercial recognition.^[12]

In June 2016, Soobin released 'Phia sau mot co gai' (Behind a Girl), composed by Tien Cookie. According to streaming data, it was the second most-played song in Vietnam that year. By the end of 2021, the song's lyric video had garnered 237 million views on YouTube, earning him two major nominations at the 2017 Devotion Music Awards for New Artist of the Year and Music Video of the Year.^[9] On January 1, 2017, Soobin Hoang Son collaborated with 1989s Entertainment to release the music video "Di de tro ve" (Going to Return). The music video featured actress Phan Thanh Ha, a middle school friend of Soobin's.^[13] Following "Di de tro ve," he released the music video for a new track titled "Di va yeu" (Go and Love).^[14] One week later, he released another music video titled "Anh da quen voi co don" (I've Gotten Used to Loneliness). In mid-2017, the singer released several commercial music videos, such as "Vinh quang dang cho ta" (Glory Awaits Us) for Arena of Valor and "Nong xe mood" for Revive Chanh Muoi. He also collaborated with Suni Ha Linh on a song titled "Mot ngay rat khac" (A Very Different Day).

In July 2017, Soobin Hoang Son released "Xin dung lang im" (Please Don't Be Silent), composed by Duong Khac Linh.^[15] The track reached 2 million streams in less than a day.^[16] Following his appearance on The Remix, media outlets referred to Soobin as a 'ballad prince' due to the commercial performance of his sentimental tracks. Soobin did not deny that ballads were the path he was focusing on; he stated, "With the genuine emotions of 'Xin dung lang im,' Soobin hopes the song will touch the audience's feelings or find some form of empathy." Also in 2017, he was invited to be a coach for the fifth season of The Voice Kids Vietnam.^[17] His student Do Thi Hoai Ngoc won runner-up, while another student, Tran Quoc Thai, took third place.

On January 1, 2018, Soobin Hoang Son released the music video "Di de tro ve 2 – Chuyen di cua nam" (The Trip of the Year), composed by Tien Cookie.^[18] The single "I Know You Know"—a fast-paced funky pop song—was released on March 31, 2018. The recording was finalized with producers TINLE and SlimV. Soobin also performed the soundtrack for the movie "Yeu em bat chap" (Love You No Matter What) with a song of the same name, which premiered on April 6, 2018. Before the official audio by Soobin, the song "Yeu thuong ngay do" had been performed live by Hoai Lam during promotional events for the film. "Dep nhat la em" (You Are the Most Beautiful) was a collaboration between Soobin Hoang Son and Jiyeon, released on July 27 with both Korean and Vietnamese versions. The song was featured on seven Korean music sites, including Melon, Genie, Bugs, Mnet, Naver Music, Soribada, and Olleh. The track was composed by Korean producers Krazy Park and Eddy Park, with Vietnamese lyrics written by Soobin himself. Also in 2018, Soobin returned as a coach for The Voice Kids Vietnam alongside Vu Cat Tuong, leading students Dao Dinh Anh Tuan and Nguyen Tran Xuan Phuong to runner-up positions.^[19]

After his time as a coach, Soobin Hoang Son announced the project "Di de tro ve 3 – Se hua di cung nhau" (Promising to Go Together), reuniting with Tien Cookie and collaborating with the group Da LAB.^[20] The movie YOLO, in which he starred, premiered on January 11, 2019.^[21] The music video "Neu ngay ay" (If That Day) was released on April 13, 2019. Within nearly 24 hours, the video surpassed 3.3 million views, reaching No. 7 on Vietnam's YouTube Trending chart and becoming the second most-viewed music video in Asia. On September 4, 2019, Soobin released the official music video for "Say Goodbye" in collaboration with Touliver. On April 30, 2020, he released an R&B cover of "Van nho" (Still Remember).^[22]

In November, the singer changed his stage name to Soobin and announced his most heavily invested project with SpaceSpeakers to date, the EP "The Playah." The EP achieved significant success on YouTube and digital music platforms. 2020 also marked a maturation in Soobin's image, showcasing a "remarkable" edge in both his music and lifestyle, presenting a completely different side of himself compared to previous years.^[20]

On May 14, 2021, Soobin released "The PLAYAH Special Performance," a mash-up of three songs from the EP. It was a performance stage blending disco-funk, jazz, and orchestral music.^[23] The song won the Top 10 Most Popular Songs of the Year award at the Làn Sóng Xanh (Green Wave) Awards and reached 40 million views on YouTube after eight months.^[24][25] In 2022, he contributed vocals to the SpaceSpeakers album titled "Kosmik."

On May 26, 2024, Soobin released his first career studio album, titled Bat No Len (Turn It Up). The album includes 10 songs composed by him, featuring three title tracks: "Heyyy," "Gia nhu" (Only If), and "Ai ma biet duoc" (Who Knows) featuring Tlinh.^[26] During this period, he appeared in the reality television shows Sao nhap ngu (Stars Enlist) and Anh trai vuot ngan chong gai (Call Me by Fire Vietnam), where he was a member of the 'All-Powerful Family' group. He was the contestant with the highest overall score in Season 1 and won a double award for "X-Fire – All-Powerful Brother" and "Most Popular Brother."^[27][28][29]

On January 8, 2025, at the 30th Mai Vang (Golden Apricot) Awards, he won in two categories: Favorite Male Singer/Rapper and Favorite Music Video.^[30] On January 15, 2025, the album Bat No Len helped him win Album of the Year at the Làn Sóng Xanh Awards.^[31][32] On the morning of January 12, 2025, Soobin officially reached 4 million votes in the Inspirational Figure category, becoming the first Vietnamese artist to hit this milestone in the history of the WeChoice Awards 2024. In late February 2025, Soobin was announced as the "All-Powerful Producer" for the reality show "Tan binh toan nang" (All-Powerful Rookie), alongside Toc Tien and Kay Tran.^[33]

Soobin received three nominations at the 19th Devotion Music Awards.^[34] On March 5, 2025, he won in all three nominated categories: Album of the Year, Music Video of the Year, and Male Singer of the Year. This made Bat No Len the only physical album released in 2024 to win every album-related nomination category across the Làn Sóng Xanh, WeChoice, and Devotion Awards.^[35]

On March 14, 2025, Soobin released the music video for "Dancing in the Dark," a track from the album Bat No Len^[36][37][38] On November 10, he released the song "Muc ha vo nhan," a collaboration with Binz and People's Artist Nguyen Huynh Tu, his father.^[39]

• Bật nó lên (2024)

• The Playah (2021)

• Runner-up, Ngôi sao Việt (2014)^[40]
• Runner-up, Hòa âm Ánh sáng season 2 (2016)^[41]
• Giải X-Fire – The All-Around Talent and the Most Popular Talent of Anh trai vượt ngàn chông gai mùa 1 (2024)^[42]
• "Outstanding Young Vietnamese Face of 2024" in the field of culture and arts^[43]