On January 28, 2021, Sơn Tùng M-TP officially launched the MV Skyler, the first music product of the year 2021 from the male singer, while also paving the way for a major project in collaboration with the world’s most popular mobile game – Garena Free Fire.
The song Skyler is another composition by Sơn Tùng M-TP. Besides the catchy hip hop melody, each rap line showcases the rebellious essence of the “entertainment tycoon” image, while the familiar visuals from the Free Fire game within the streamer community are key elements that set the MV apart. The publisher Garena has demonstrated meticulousness and creativity in every frame to highlight a perspective of Sơn Tùng M-TP that is both relatable to the audience and uniquely modern.
The MV tells a story of a strong contrast within one person. This contrast is so powerful that it creates two distinct personalities that share a common point: charisma, numerous achievements, and a crowd surrounding them. By recognizing this, the two personalities sometimes listen to each other, sometimes see each other, sometimes disagree, but ultimately merge into one, creating a singular entity – Sơn Tùng M-TP.
Throughout the MV, the two personas of Skyler (the game character inspired by Sơn Tùng M-TP in the Free Fire universe) are essentially the two facets of Sơn Tùng M-TP, dramatized based on his life. In a white suit, Skyler embodies the cool image of the president of an entertainment corporation. In streetwear, Skyler remains an artist who always seeks to break the mold and create his own path. No matter the role – businessman or artist, he always leads, carrying the mission of seeking and creating a launchpad for artistic and musical talents.
To ensure Skyler resonates with every audience member, Sơn Tùng M-TP and the creative team of Free Fire had to sit down, discuss ideas, and co-create in the most harmonious way. Sharing about this project, Sơn Tùng M-TP stated: “In recent years, Tùng has connected with fans across almost all entertainment fields like music, films, and fashion. Gaming is a new entertainment field that Tùng also wants to explore. Why not? Because Tùng is also a gamer!
“As soon as the representatives from Free Fire approached Tùng with the collaboration proposal to launch the first Vietnamese character to be globally released in a game with over 100 million players each day, Tùng obviously had to say YES because it was just perfect, simply the right person at the right time.”
“Right from the name of the character, Tùng wanted this to be a tribute, a gift for all the fans who love Tùng,” Sơn Tùng M-TP added.
Also from the important goal aimed at the fan community, the teaser for the product was executed very grandly right from the start. From a “teasing” music snippet for the project to expensive billboards in the city center displaying the word “Skyler,” the website with the domain “skyler.vn” all show meticulousness, careful investment, and a unique approach dedicated to the fans. In response to this sincerity, the audience’s reaction to “Skyler” has exceeded all expectations, with daily anticipation and buzzing discussions about the new project continuously capturing the audience’s top interest.
Following this MV, Bình Gold, a rapper born in 1997, expressed his frustration after watching ViruSs’s reaction to Sơn Tùng M-TP’s MV Skyler recently. In it, ViruSs criticized Sơn Tùng M-TP: “Poor rap, not suitable” despite recently being the MC announcing the project of the “boss”: “As for Sơn Tùng’s rap, I’ve never rated it highly, Tùng is not suitable for rap, the rap hasn’t improved, it’s always been the same.” Streamer ViruSs also predicted that he would be “bashed” by the community after this reaction clip was posted.
Afterwards, Bình Gold wrote: “ViruSs is indeed a virus, what does ViruSs know about rap? You kids should wear masks while watching YouTube. The new variant of the virus is hard to cure. The vaccine won’t be produced in time.” And from here, the drama battle between these two figures officially began.