At Russia's Intervision Song Contest, A Vietnamese Singer Gets Top Prize

"A Vietnamese pop singer won top honors at Russia' s Intervision Song Contest, a Cold-War era music festival that Moscow revived in response to being kicked out of the global Eurovision spectacle for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Duc Phuc, who has nearly 2 million followers on Instagram, sang a dance-beat pop song based on a folktale about an ancient king repelling an invading army to take first prize in September 20 in Moscow."

"A total of 22 performers and groups from countries across the world, including Belarus, Brazil, India, and China, sent contestants to the event, competing for a 30-million-ruble prize. ($360,000). Among the contestants originally slated to participate was a US-born R&B singer named Brandon Howard, though he dropped out last week citing family reasons. Howard's place as the US entrant was then taken by Vassy, an Australian-born singer who also has a US passport."

"But she then dropped out at the last minute due to "unprecedented political pressure from the government of Australia," Intervision's organizers said in a statement. The original Intervision was first organized in Czechoslovakia in 1965, and grew to become the socialist alternative to Eurovision, which had been founded a decade earlier. While it never rivaled the other contest's popularity, Intervision carried political weight, projecting the supposed solidarity of the Warsaw Pact."

Duc Phuc, a Vietnamese pop singer with nearly 2 million Instagram followers, won first prize at Moscow's Intervision Song Contest on September 20. He performed a dance-beat pop song based on a folktale about an ancient king repelling an invading army. The contest featured 22 performers and groups from countries including Belarus, Brazil, India, and China competing for a 30-million-ruble prize ($360,000). US-born R&B singer Brandon Howard withdrew citing family reasons and was replaced by Australian-born Vassy, who later withdrew citing "unprecedented political pressure from the government of Australia," according to organizers. Intervision originated in 1965 in Czechoslovakia as a socialist alternative to Eurovision and was revived by order of President Vladimir Putin after Russia's ban from Eurovision following the invasion of Ukraine.

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