Phuong Uyen has officially resigned as musical director of hit Vietnamese singing talent competition The Voice, following accusations that she was involved in fixing the show's results.
Phuong Uyen has officially resigned as musical director of hit Vietnamese singing talent competition The Voice
The Agency for Performing Arts has agreed with Vietnam Television (VTV) and The Voice’s producers to recognise Phuong Yen’s resignation, said Nguyen Thanh Nhan, an official from the agency.
Nhan said the scandal was based on careless words used by Phuong Uyen, and in context of the fierce public reaction to her behaviour it would be in the best interests of the show at the musical director resign.
“Vietnam Television agreed to Phuong Uyen’s resignation, but Cat Tien Sa and the show’s coaches (which include several major Vietnamese pop stars) were adamant about her staying on. However, after considering both views, we advised the show to accept the musician’s resignation,” Nhan added.
Nguyen Quang Minh, General Director of Cat Tien Sa Company, also confirmed the decision to accept Phuong Uyen’s resignation.
“Phuong Uyen had asked to leave the position as The Voice’s musical director. After reaching agreement with VTV and receiving the agency’s opinion, the show’s production company has decided to allow her resignation. This was not an easy decision to reach,” Minh noted.
According to Minh, the vacated position remains empty. Before the press conference on September 11, the show’s producers targeted musician Hoai Sa for the post and he had agreed to take over the position, but no replacement has yet been confirmed. Despite leaving the contest, Phuong Uyen still continued helping contestants.
The Voice was at the centre of a storm of controversy in recent days after an eight-minute video clip revealing conversations thought to be between the show musical director musician Phuong Uyen, producer Tuong Vy and contestant Phuong Linh about Linh’s singing showdown against H'Zina Bya was leaked on the internet. The clip appeared on the internet on September 9 at the conclusion of the contest’s third round.
The woman believed to be Phuong Uyen advises Phuong Linh to choose R&B or English language songs in order to confirm that no matter how well H'Zina Bya could sing, Linh would remain the person chosen to advance to the next round.
The clip revealed the winners of the next round which indicated there was already a fixed list of preferred candidates.
At a packed press conference on September, Phuong Uyen apologised to the public. She insisted again there was no fix and she was the victim of individuals wanting to persecute her. She received the backing of the show’s producers, but this proved of no avail.
Phuong Uyen at the press conference on September 11
