Thanh Tuyền (real name: Nguyen Nhu Mai) is a Vietnamese singer. She was born on October 29, 1949 in Dalat. Her family moved to Saigon where she attended Bui Thi Xuan and Le Van Duyet high school. Thanh Tuyền's famous sibling is Son Tuyền. She is also Shayla's mom. In 1979, Thanh Tuyền's family came to the United States and settled in Washington and then Houston, Texas.

As a child, Thanh Tuyền demonstrated a nack for singing and performance. At the age of five, against the wishes of her parents, she studied music with an uncle. Consequently, she was often disciplined for being so defiant. She later studied music under Mr. Manh Phat. She first sang publicly at Thong Nhat Theater in Saigon at the age of 7. She received many praises for this performance and the newspapers at the time gave her the title, "Nhu Mai The Prodigy". In her words, "I only wanted to have a voice like the sound of a stream to bathe the masses". Thanh Tuyền also plays the guitar, dances, acts, and sings Vo.ng Co^?.

In 1964, after signing an exclusive contract with Continental studio, she recorded the hit Chiều Mưa Biên Giới by Mr. Nguyen Van Dong. Almost overnight, Thanh Tuyền became a household name. That same year, she received recording awards from South Vietnam's recording industry.

When asked about her source of influence, Thanh Tuyền states that she really does not model after any artist or style. In fact, she just sings the way she feels. She claims that when she performs, the music and her emotions become one. Although she added that she does choose her music carefully to meet the demand of her audience.

After 30 years in show business, Thanh Tuyền has countless stories from her years on the road singing to entertain the troops, singing at night clubs, on stages from central to south Vietnam, as well as in various parts of the United States and the world. She added that "each of the performances brings back a special memory that is forever inscribed in her heart, and that she feels the love in her audience on each of those occasions". Her three most memorable songs are Nỗi Buồn Hoa Phượng, Rừng Lá Thấp and Ha`n Ma.c Tu+?.

She is currently working on her latest CD A'o Hoa. She is also taping her video titled Tiếng Hát Thanh Tuyền, a collection of work to commemorate her farewell to the stage. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.