Phung Khanh Linh

Phùng Khánh Linh (born May 7, 1994) is a Vietnamese singer and songwriter. She first gained public attention as a contestant in the 2015 The Voice of Vietnam , joining coach Thu Phương's team, before releasing the single "Hôm Nay Tôi Buồn" in 2018. In 2020, she joined Times Records and released her first extended play 7 Deep Cuts Session, as a pre-launch for her debut studio album, Yesteryear (December 2020). To mark her 18th birthday, she released the 11-track compilation album The Early Recordings. Her second studio album, Citopia (2022), was preceded by lead single "Sweet Summer", which became her fastest single to reach number one on the iTunes Store, doing so within an hour of release.

Phùng Khánh Linh announced her departure from Times Records and signed with Black Swan Label in July 2024, ahead of her third studio album, Among Ten Thousand (2025). It became her most successful album to date, accumulating over 10 million streams on Spotify in its first month; its track "Ghosting" drew public attention with roughly 150 million views across short-form video platforms. An expanded edition of the album, adding five tracks for a total of 17, followed on August 11, 2026.

In February 2026, her soundtrack single "Cảm Ơn Người Đã Thức Cùng Tôi", from the film A Little Dream of Me, debuted at number 29 on the Billboard Vietnam Top Vietnamese Songs chart before climbing to number one on both that chart and the Billboard Vietnam Hot 100 by mid-March 2026 - her first single to top either chart.

As of August 2026, she has been nominated ten times for the Dedication Music Awards and once for the Mai Vàng Awards. In the Green Wave Awards, she has received three nominations, with one win (Top 10 Most Favorite Female Singer/Rapper).

Early life Phùng Khánh Linh was born in 1994 in Bắc Giang, into a family with no background in the arts. Her father, a civil servant, died in early 2025; her mother is a teacher, and she has an older brother. She studied at , then graduated with a law degree from . She became interested in music at age 3; because her father initially opposed a singing career, she performed only on school stages and at the local Pioneers Palace, and began attempting to write her own songs around 2016, work she has since described as still fairly unpolished.

After her elimination from The Voice of Vietnam, Phùng Khánh Linh considered becoming a music teacher at her family's suggestion, and topped the entrance exam for the National University of Arts Education - but chose not to enroll, insisting on pursuing music instead and eventually building her career in Ho Chi Minh City. Before establishing herself as a singer, she supported herself partly by teaching part-time at a music school and running an online side business; in an interview with Idol14, she said she still maintains that online business to help fund her music projects.

Career 2015 – 2019: Recognition in The Voice of Vietnam season 3, breakthrough with "Hôm Nay Tôi Buồn" On May 10, 2015, Phùng Khánh Linh first appeared in the third season of The Voice of Vietnam. She chose "Maps" by Maroon 5 for her blind audition, becoming one of only two contestants approved by all four coaches, and joined coach Thu Phương's team. She was eliminated in the show's seventh live broadcast (quarterfinal round) on August 30, 2015.

In 2016, she appeared in several musical television shows and worked on two more songs, including "Hãy Bảo Nắng Về Đi" and "Cô Gái Nhỏ và Anh". Later that year, her official SoundCloud account was created, where she independently posted original songs and covers. In 2017, working with musician Trang Chim Sâu, Phùng Khánh Linh released "Điều Còn Lại" on February 9 for Valentine's Day, and a graduation song "Lời Hứa Ngày Chia Tay" on April 27. Her first ever written song, "One Sided Love", was released on October 8, 2017, telling a cute budding love story. The song did not make much of a public impression. It was also among the seven songs that exceeded 100 million streams on the platform during this period. and Best New Artist at the 21st Green Wave Awards (2018).

2020 – 2023: Yesteryear, in-between projects and Citopia On February 13, 2020, Phùng Khánh Linh released the Valentine's single "Chocolate". On February 29, 2020, she signed her first contract with Times Records - becoming its first exclusive artist - and joined Universal Music Vietnam as its first signee five months later. Gearing up for her debut studio album, Phùng Khánh Linh released her first extended play 7 Deep Cuts Session on April 14, 2020. The album was meant to feature seven new tracks, but then reduced to four in its digital album. Music videos for the songs were released every two weeks, except for "Chiếc Lá Vô Tình" which was pushed back to release on Children's Day and "Tình Yêu Ở Lại" intended for Pride Month celebration.

Phùng Khánh Linh officially launched the new album cycle with its lead single "World Without You" on July 31, 2020. The song was written in April 2019. Its music video, directed by Đinh Hà Uyên Thư, featured Phùng Khánh Linh as a girl in a fictional Lynese tribe, falling in love with a traveler. Concept for the video was inspired by ethnic cultures of Yao people and H'mong people. The single was marketed with two mini games, which fans could win a physical copy of "World Without You" and its merchandise. A public premiere was scheduled on its release date; however, it was eventually scrapped due to COVID-19 restrictions. "Pack My Things and Leave" became the next promotional single on October 23, 2020. A fan contest to share thoughts about the song was held where thirteen winners would receive an invitation to her private party celebrating the premiere of Yesteryear.

The album title was revealed on November 1, 2020, followed by the showcase of producers and musicians working on the project. On December 3, 2020, she released her debut studio album Yesteryear with 13 self-written songs. The album spans genres of R&B, synth-pop, ballad and disco-pop. Upon its release, Yesteryear received favorable reviews, regarded as a breakthrough of V-pop in the early 2020s. Quang Duc from Znews highlighted her musical transformation to a more mature approach compared to her previous works. Exceeding 1,000 physical copies in its first two weeks, the album was restocked for another thousand, according to Times Records. On December 13, 2020, the roughly 300-capacity promotional showcase for Yesteryear sold out within days of going on sale. The album spawned three other singles, with "He Said She Said" as a message of artists getting their own creative control, inspired by stories of Britney Spears' freedom from her conservatorship and Taylor Swift to gain ownership of her masters. Music video for the third single "Dance in the City" is conceptualized by the painting of the same title by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and tarot reading. Its final single, "One Blue Day" is a synth-pop ballad, telling the continuation of the story from "Hôm Nay Tôi Buồn". Yesteryear was reissued twice, as a deluxe version with three new tracks on September 2, 2021, and an exclusive super deluxe version featuring demos and remixes to celebrate its first anniversary on December 25, 2021. The album successfully brought Phùng Khánh Linh two nominations at the 16th Dedication Music Awards (2021) for Album of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. She was also nominated at the 2021 Mai Vàng Awards for Favorite Ballad Artist.

On December 28, 2021, Phùng Khánh Linh released her standalone single "No Strings Attached", produced by electronic music duo 39 Kingdom. Hồ Việt Quân directed its music video. The single also sold 1,000 physical copies during its release. The song reached number 93 on the Billboard Vietnam chart, and was a fusion between electronic dance music and traditional folk music Quan họ originated from Bắc Ninh, Vietnam, which Phùng Khánh Linh said to be the sound she grew up with. The single received mixed reviews from music critics, who criticized the traditional value of Quan họ being modernized, whereas others complimented on her musical transformation from Yesteryear.

On May 8, 2022, one day after Phùng Khánh Linh's 18th birthday, she announced the release of The Early Recordings, which compiled works from her early years, including "On My Way" as performed on The Voice of Vietnam. "Mai Này", originally a soundtrack from Ngốc Ơi Tuổi 17, also made its appearance in the track listing, along with the digital single "Chocolate" being a bonus track in the physical version of the album.

On July 20, 2022, it was shared on Phùng Khánh Linh's social media that she was on the final process for her next album recorded in Nashville, USA. Five days later, she announced the second album title to be Citopia. Its first pre-release single, "Sweet Summer" was released on August 30, 2022, becoming her fastest single to reach number one on iTunes Store after one hour of release. "After All" became the second pre-release single on October 10, 2022. The last two-week countdown featured Phùng Khánh Linh promoting lyric excerpts on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, which almost bears a resemblance to her music video for the last single "Secret Sunday" on November 18, 2022. On November 11, 2022, Phùng Khánh Linh officially released her second studio album Citopia with 10 city pop-oriented tracks. Working on the album, she was heavily inspired by the genre and took inspirations from Japanese artists Mariya Takeuchi and Anri specifically. The album was praised by its huge production, recruiting her long-time producer partner Josh Frigo, Grammy-nominated producer Steven Wilson and three-time Grammy winner saxophonist Jovan Quallo; it is also her second project with mastering engineer Randy Merrill who has previously worked with Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift. It was also highly appreciated by The Japan Times, which described the record as more than a mere revival of the city pop sound.

On February 1, 2023, "Hôm Nay Tôi Buồn" was remastered to commemorate its fifth anniversary, plus a new country rearrangement entitled Nashville version. The new version has been used in many of her later concerts, namely Off The Record in 2025 and Giữa Một Vạn Tour in 2026.

2024 – present: Among Ten Thousand and Giữa Một Vạn Tour On June 29, 2024, Times Records announced the conclusion of its exclusive contract with Phùng Khánh Linh. She subsequently signed with Black Swan Label, an artist management subsidiary of Times Records. Phùng Khánh Linh first hinted her new album by introducing her alter ego Diệu Hiền, a news reporter from PKL3 channel. On September 6, 2024, she released the first pre-release single "Wish You Hell", three months before launching her third studio album announcement on December 11, 2024. Phùng Khánh Linh expressed her anger in the song as a "healing process and moving on from a situationship with little commitment". On January 3, 2025, the second single "Love May Die But I Will Not" was released featuring Vietnamese rapper Thành Luke. An accompanying music video, directed by Hồ Việt Quân and Uin, was released on the same day, capturing Phùng Khánh Linh in her own funeral of love. In a reaction video from YouTube, she shared its writing process being after the funeral of her father took place, also stating: "It (the song) is not meant to glamorize the pain longing for the ones that leave, but a hug to those who stay."

The following month, Phùng Khánh Linh announced a five-night promotional tour Off The Record, beginning from March 29, 2025. It garnered a total of 2,000 attendees through five shows. The tour showcased intimate performances among bar venues across cities of Ha Noi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. One musical guest was invited each night to be the opening act of the show, including Em Ellata, Trúc, Quàng Quanh, Thức, and Vĩ. On the third night in Ha Noi, Haisam joined the stage with Phùng Khánh Linh to perform their collaboration "Thôi Anh Không Làm Thêm Đâu Babi" and promote his two songs "Henessy" and "Những Vì Tinh Tú Trong Mắt Em". Apart from the new songs, its setlist contains most of Phùng Khánh Linh's first two albums Yesteryear and Citopia, plus a secret song that has never been released. Two more singles were released during the tour, including "Idontwannaseeyouanymore" on May 28, 2025, and "Midnight Conversations" on August 9, 2025. During an interlude from the last show, on September 20, 2025, she announced her partnership with the photo-sharing app Locket to share exclusive contents regarding her upcoming third album. A countdown started before the announcement with the track list shown cryptically by just initials. These new track titles were later revealed on social platforms, by artists and celebrities that are known to be close with Phùng Khánh Linh. On October 18, 2025, her third studio album Among Ten Thousand was released, featuring 12 tracks that blended alternative pop, dream pop, punk and indie rock. The album peaked at number one on Apple Music Vietnam, with all of the tracks occupying the top 12 within the Alternative category of the platform. The album also earned her a nomination for Album of the Year at the 28th Green Wave Awards (2025), and an honorary award Đóa Hồng Nhạc Việt for "Love May Die But I Will Not". Continuing with the success of the release, Phùng Khánh Linh made her first appearance as the opener for the Genfest Music Festival in Ha Noi on January 17, 2026, attracting nearly 10,000 attendees.

Phùng Khánh Linh also participated in other music projects throughout the era. On December 4, 2025, she was featured in The Flob's album Tối Thượng, on the final track "Thì Vui Biết Mấy". To promote the song, Phùng Khánh Linh joined their 2026 Đại Đồng tour on both nights in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City, where she also performed singles from Among Ten Thousand. On December 10, 2025, her first Christmas song with nae&de'lay was released under the title "Đắp Chăn Bông", succeeded by a digital single "Thành Phố Phía Đông" on January 11, 2026, originally a solo from Vương Bình. "Đủ Nắng Hoa Sẽ Nở" was released on February 2, 2026 with Văn Mai Hương and (S)TRONG for the previous 2025 WeChoice Awards. Her soundtrack for 2026 musical film A Little Dream of Me, "Cảm Ơn Người Đã Thức Cùng Tôi", was released on Valentine's Day, debuting at number 29 on the Billboard Vietnam Top Vietnamese Songs chart and number 5 on Làn Sóng Xanh before climbing to number one on both the Top Vietnamese Songs chart and the Billboard Vietnam Hot 100 by the chart week of March 17, 2026 - her first single to top a Billboard Vietnam chart. On March 11, 2026, she got a cameo appearance in Kiều Anh's music video for the song "Nhả Vía".

After a three-month teaser of her upcoming concert tour, on February 2, 2026, Phùng Khánh Linh officially announced the Giữa Một Vạn Tour to be embarked in Ho Chi Minh City as her first stop. Having tickets sold out in just 10 minutes, the initial one-day plan was soon extended to be a two-night show due to high demand. Following the announcement, she released "Pretend" on March 18, 2026, as a bonus track to Among Ten Thousand, describing it as a prequel to the album. The first two shows took place on March 21 and March 22, 2026, at the Hoa Binh Theatre, with an expected audience of 4,000 people attending in total.

The tour was later extended to Hanoi's National Convention Center for two further nights, August 8–9, 2026, drawing roughly 4,000 attendees each night - around 25 songs per show, with Phùng Khánh Linh performing without a host or guest act. Exclusively for the Hanoi shows, she performed the new song "Hẹn Gặp Lại Anh Ở Một Khung Trời Khác" in full for the first time, ahead of the August 11, 2026 release of Among Ten Thousand (Expanded Edition), which added five tracks - including "Pretend" and, likely, this song - for a total of 17.

Discography Studio albums Title Album details Sales Yesteryear Released: December 3, 2020 Label: Times Format: CD, LP, digital download, streamingVIE: 3,000 Citopia Released: November 11, 2022 Label: Times Format: CD, LP, cassette, digital download, streamingVIE: 5,000 Among Ten Thousand (Giữa Một Vạn Người) Released: October 18, 2025 Label: Black Swan Format: CD, digital download, streaming Among Ten Thousand (Expanded Edition) (Giữa Một Vạn Người (Mở Rộng)) Released: August 11, 2026 Label: Black Swan Format: Digital download, streaming Adds 5 tracks to the original 12, for 17 tracks total Released: January 26, 2026 Label: Black Swan Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles As lead artist

As featured artist NameYearAlbum"Thôi Anh Không Làm Thêm Đâu Babi" 2024 "Thì Vui Biết Mấy" 2025 Tối Thượng

Collaborations

Soundtrack appearances NameYearAlbum"Hãy Bảo Nắng Về Đi" 2017 The Girl From Yesterday OST"Muốn Ở Nhà"2018Please Don't Marry My Mom OST"Mới Đây Thôi""Mai Này... (Em Sẽ Nấu Cơm)" 2019 Ngốc Ơi Tuổi 17 OST"Một Bản Tình Ca 6/8" 2020 Stage of Love The Series OST"Cảm Ơn Người Đã Thức Cùng Tôi" 2026 A Little Dream of Me OST

Promotional singles NameYearAlbum"Thầm Yêu" 20207 Deep Cuts Session"Ước Một Ngày""Những Ngày Thật Khác""Chiếc Lá Vô Tình""Pack My Things and Leave" (Gói Tình Em Rồi Về)Yesteryear"Why Can't You?" (Sao Anh Không Hiểu?)

Videography Music videos

Promotional videos + Promotional videos of Phùng Khánh Linh Title Date Director(s) "Why Can't You?" (Sao Anh Không Hiểu?) November 5, 2020 Hồ Việt Quân "Don't Flirt" (Đừng Thả Thính) December 9, 2020 "Lonely" (Cô Đơn Sớm Tối) August 20, 2021 Quốc Phong

Guest appearances + Videos casting Phùng Khánh Linh as a guest appearance Title Date Director(s) "Nhả Vía" March 11, 2026 Jason

Lyric videos

Directoral lyric videos

Animated lyric videos + Animated lyric videos of Phùng Khánh Linh Title Date Animator(s) "Pack My Things and Leave" (Gói Tình Em Rồi Về) October 23, 2020 Nguyễn Hồng Vỹ "After All" (Năm Ngoái Giờ Này) October 10, 2022 Nguyễn Anh Nhân "Words Of Wind" (Năm Ngoái Giờ Này) November 16, 2022 "Mystic Moonlight" (Đằng Sau Sân Khấu) "Sentimental Saigon" (Sài Gòn Ôm Lấy Em) November 18, 2022 "Day Dreamer" (Em Chỉ Tạm Đi Vắng Khi Anh Thức Giấc) November 21, 2022 "Cry Cry" (1 2 3 4 Tí Tách) November 22, 2022 "Xúc Cảm Bộ Máy" July 28, 2023 "Grief Is the Price You Pay For Love (Swan Song)" October 18, 2025 Quang Long "Truth Hurts" (Hiện Thực Phũ Phàng) "Checkmate" (Cờ Người) "Ghosting" (Anh Là Thằng Tồi) "Gut Feeling" (Linh Cảm) "Obsessed" (Ám Ảnh Về Anh) "Wish You Hell" (Ước Anh Tan Nát Con Tim) "The Last Thing I Wanted" (Điều Em Không Muốn) "Man Up" (Hãy Nói Anh Sai Rồi) "Idontwannaseeyouanymore" (Khóc Blóck) "Midnight Conversations" (Tâm Sự Với Đêm Một Mình) "Love May Die But I Will Not" (Em Đau) "Thì Vui Biết Mấy" December 4, 2025 TIDU "Đắp Chăn Bông" December 10, 2025 Tú Minh "Thành Phố Phía Đông" January 11, 2026 Nguyễn Anh Nhân "Đủ Nắng Hoa Sẽ Nở" February 02, 2026 01A Collective "Pretend" (Giả Vờ) March 18, 2026 Quang Long

Visualisers + Visualisers of Phùng Khánh Linh Title Date Director(s)/Editor(s) "Look At Me Now" (Nhìn Em Mà Xem) September 2, 2021 Nguyễn Anh Nhân "Wish You Hell" (Ước Anh Tan Nát Con Tim) September 6, 2024 Uin "Midnight Conversations" (Tâm Sự Với Đêm Một Mình) August 9, 2025

Documentaries + Phùng Khánh Linh Documentaries Title Date Type Details The Journey Into Yesteryear December 5, 2020 Album documentary Premiered on YouTube A three-minute recap following Phùng Khánh Linh into her recording process of Yesteryear, including excerpts from choreography practices, album photoshoot and behind the scenes footages. Off The Record Vlog Series March 27, 2025toOctober 10, 2025 Tour & album documentary Premiered on YouTube No. of Episodes: 7 An hour-long footage featuring Phùng Khánh Linh before and during her promotional tour Off The Record.

Awards and nominations

Listicles +Name of publisher, name of listicle, year(s) listed, and placement result Publisher Listicle Year(s) Result Zing MP3 Popular Artist of the Year 2025 Placed Viral Song of the Year Popular Album/EP of the Year