Tiên made her film debut in Già gân, mỹ nhân và găng tơ [2015], and has signed numerous endorsement deals. On television, she hosted Bài hát Việt in 2008 and was a judge on The Voice of Vietnam and Vietnam Idol Kids. Her accolades include three Làn Sóng Xanh Awards, two Yan Vpop 20 Awards, an Mnet Asian Music Award, a Zing Music Award, an LGBT Appreciation Award and a Vietnamese Elle Style Award.
Early life and career[edit]
Family[edit]
Nguyễn Khoa Tóc Tiên was born to Nguyễn Trung Kiên, a businessman, and Kim Loan, a former ballet dancer and aerobics instructor, and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Her wealthy family focused on education for generations and employed a strict parenting style, particularly her mother. Tiên has defended her mother's strictness, saying that she was protecting her from the risks of entering show business at an early age. The singer has two younger brothers, one of whom received a President's Education Award in 2015.[]
Early career[edit]
Tiên was four when her family discovered her singing ability and allowed her to join the performing group of the Children's House of Ho Chi Minh City. She began booking singing and modeling jobs, appearing in several music videos while being managed by her mother. For her first singing competition Đi tìm Ngôi sao Close-Up at the age of 13, she claimed she was 18 to meet their entry requirements. After she was one of the show's twelve finalists, Tiên supported musician Thế Hiến on his 2002 nationwide Đợi chờ trong cơn mưa concert tour, which marked her debut as an adult singer.
In September 2003, Tiên signed up for the music competition Yo! Cùng ước mơ xanh and added two years to her age. The show ended with four winners—Tóc Tiên, Nam Cường, Minh Thư and Viết Thanh—joining a short-lived group, Yo! Band; its members later went on to have solo careers. Tiên began studying biology at Lê Hồng Phong High School, one of Vietnam's most prestigious high schools, in 2004. Although her grades were generally good until her graduation in 2007, they sometimes suffered due to her work schedule. The singer took vocal lessons at the city's conservatory and played for her volleyball team.
She was the Most Notable Face in Người đẹp qua ảnh, a 2005 Fujifilm modeling contest, and was recognized for songs such as "Tuổi teen tóc mây", "Rock học trò" and "Cô bé tóc xù". Tiên made her acting debut when she was the first actress to portray doctor Đặng Thùy Trâm for a segment aired on the VTV3 talk show Người đương thời. She later participated in Tiếng hát truyền hình toàn quốc giải Sao Mai, her third singing competition; this surprised many since Tiên was an established performer at the time. "I came to the competition to prove myself, not to test my abilities," she said. One of eighteen Southern finalists, Tiên sang Đỗ Bảo's "Bài hát cho em" on 19 November 2005, live show but lost.
Tiên contributed vocals to two tracks on Quốc Bảo's 2006 album V, including "Chung thân", the song that was later included in Ngọc Hiệp-directed short film Con rối. During an interview, the singer announced that an album was in the works and she would take a year off from singing to prepare for the national university-entrance examination. Tiên said several times that she wanted to be a doctor, with her singing career a "side job". Her mother scheduled the album's recording for the summer to ensure that her daughter could focus on studying. The singer released her debut album, Nụ cười nắng mai, in February 2007. After the July examination, Tiên was not admitted to her first-choice school, Ho Chi Minh City Medicine and Pharmacy University's Faculty of Medicine, and opted for the university's Faculty of Traditional Medicine.
In May 2008, Tiên began co-hosting the fourth season of Bài hát Việt with Anh Tuấn and Lại Văn Sâm. Quốc Bảo, Phương Uyên and other songwriters were enlisted for her second album, Tóc Tiên thiếu nữ, which was scheduled for release in June. Tiên undertook her first high-school tour Tóc Tiên và những giấc mơ in September, traveling to six schools in Ho Chi Minh City, Đồng Nai Province and Hanoi. In a 2014 interview for Elle Man Vietnam, Tóc Tiên stated that her childhood was "definitely different from [her] peers." She added: "Besides the pressuring study at school, I was following a singing career, I had to do photoshoots, interviews, etc. When my friends were having their days off, I was taking advantage of my time to do homework backstage at concerts or film studios."
Move to the United States[edit]
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