Drogheda man is big in Vietnam with song ‘My New Home’

A Co Louth man's song has reached number one in the Vietnamese charts with more than a million downloads to date.

Paul Michael Coleman from Drogheda is on cloud nine after his hit My New Home put him at the top of the charts this week. The musician and producer who has been living in Vietnam for the last 18 months said his new-found fame is "difficult to absorb."

My New Home was written about a young boy who was taken from poverty with his family for a week and returned only to find a new house in place of boxes where he had been living.

The song idea came from a chance meeting with TV producers. He told LMFM radio presenter Gerry Kelly: "In the course of networking, I met a number of TV producers who told me about a new show they were working on with a local charity.

“Families who lived in utterly dreadful conditions - under palettes or boxes, were taken away to the city for a long weekend. When they returned, they found a new home in place of their shanty huts. “My song focuses on one little boy who was completely overcome by his new home and follows his journey. When I heard the story, I was so overwhelmed that I was moved to write the song.”

Paul says that since he landed in Vietnam that he has been totally embraced by local people. "Most people who come to Asia gravitate towards Japan, Singapore or Hong Kong. From the local Vietnamese point of view, a foreigner has come to their country and made a positive contribution. It has warmed their hearts that a music producer can become absorbed in their whole culture and choose to be based there."

Paul can’t believe the success, saying: “It’s a bit of a shock but I’m not gonna push it away.”

Originally from Ballsgrove and later Hillview in Drogheda, Paul studied music in London where he met a number of Vietnamese musicians. “They invited me over for a few sessions. I went out for a week, the week became a month, then six months and I’m still there in Ho Chi Minh!” he laughed.