Family Nguyễn Khoa Tóc Tiên was born in a Catholic family, 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. The singer has two younger brothers, one of whom received a
President's Education Award in 2015.
1989-2008: Childhood and early career 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. 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. 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. 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. 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". 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."
2009-2014: Paris by Night and career in the United States Early in 2011, Tiên rushed to finish a collaborative album with her long-time friend, singer
Wanbi Tuấn Anh, before moving with her family to Los Angeles in March.
Chuyện tình vượt thời gian, a collection of their past and new collaborations, was released in June. Tiên had begun her undergraduate studies at
Pasadena City College, majoring in biology, By 2016, Tiên had appeared on more than forty episodes of Thúy Nga's
direct-to-video variety series Paris by Night (
PBN), starting with her performance of "Tóc Mây" on the
96th installment in June 2009. After taking a break from
Paris by Night to focus on her career in Vietnam, she later comes back to perform on this program in
Singapore in 2019 (
PBN 130), and in
Bangkok,
Thailand in 2022 (
PBN 134) and 2023 (
PBN 136). She sang part-time to finance her education, performing in
clubs and
casinos across the US. In September 2010, Tiên made a
cameo appearance on Wanbi Tuấn Anh's music video for "Bắt sóng cảm xúc" and was featured on the song's
R&B remix. Her third solo studio album
My Turn was released in August 2011, and includes contributions from Dương Khắc Linh, Nguyễn Hải Phong, Thanh Bùi and others. In May 2012, music videos for three album tracks and her
Paris by Night performances were included on the
compilation video release The Best of Tóc Tiên. After a number of collaborations with Mai Tiến Dũng on the variety series, their joint album
Mystical Night was released in August. In July 2013, Tiên reported that she had transferred to
California State University, Long Beach and changed her major to
communication studies to balance her education and career; however, she eventually dropped out. This was followed by the release of two
singles, "Tell Me Why" in November and "Ngày mai" in February 2015, with the former's video causing controversy over its provocative nature. She joined the cast of music competition
The Remix in December, despite initially rejecting the offer. TeamV—which consists of Tiên and producers Touliver and Long Halo—would go against other notable acts such as
Sơn Tùng M-TP and
Đông Nhi, to create the best remix work on the program. In April, her performance of "Ngày mai" on the fourth live show was a success. The song's new mix with the choreography, both named "Vũ điệu cồng chiêng", immediately went
viral. It was awarded a 2015 Pops Award for Most Covered Music Video, a nomination for Song of the Year at the 2015
Làn Sóng Xanh Awards, a nomination for Music Video of the Year at the 2015
Dedication Music Awards, a 2016 Zing Music Award for Most Favorite Dance/Electronic Song, and the annual Top Hit title from television show
Vietnam Top Hits. Many publications called the track her
signature hit. Her team went on to debut other singles on the competition including "D.C.M.A. (Đâu cần một ai)" in June, which features BigDaddy and Andree, before finishing the show in fourth place. However, both the film and her performance received negative reviews from critics. In January 2016, she won Best Female Artist at the Yan Vpop 20 Awards and performed "I'm in Love" and "Big Girls Don't Cry". These two singles were from her then-upcoming
extended play T. In March, she recorded "Một con đường hai ngã rẽ" for the soundtrack of the comedy film
Taxi, em tên gì?. Tiên later became a prominent judge on the first seasons of
Tài năng DJ and
Vietnam Idol Kids in May, following her guest judging appearances on various television series. She also appeared as guest mentor on four episodes of
The Face Vietnam first season and on its live finale aired in October. A string of musical releases served for Tóc Tiên's advertising campaigns were conducted afterwards. Dutch producer
Afrojack and rap artist
Suboi joined one of them, "Tâm điểm ánh nhìn (All Eyes on Us)", the trio's song for
Budweiser released in December. Her team's contestant, Hiền Hồ, won the latter show's second place and appeared with her on a duet titled "Hôn" in June. Tiên also released a few other singles throughout the year, including: "Em không là duy nhất" in February, which was successful, "Walk Away" in May, and "Hôm nay tôi cô đơn quá", a collaboration with Rhymastic, in August. She was awarded a
2017 Mnet Asian Music Award for
Best Asian Artist in Vietnam in November, and a V Live Award for Best Iconic Star in January 2018, and was also included in the top five most favorite singers at the
Làn Sóng Xanh Awards for the third consecutive year. "Hôm nay tôi cô đơn quá" later received both Single and Song of the Year nominations at the
Làn Sóng Xanh and Dedication Music Awards, respectively. Her singles, "Thì em vẫn thế" and "Phút giây tuyệt vời", were released in February and April 2018, respectively. Tóc Tiên participated in the reality music show
Chị đẹp đạp gió rẽ sóng (
Sisters Who Make Waves/
Ride the Wind) (Season 2) in 2024 with 29 other female artists, where her group became the finalists ("Hoa đạp gió") and she became the group leader. In January 2025, Tóc Tiên was chosen by
Riot Games to cover "Bite Marks" - a theme song for the
League of Legends 2025 season. She is also one of the three main producers for the first season of
Show It All Vietnam reality TV program from April 2025. Tóc Tiên organised her first fan-meeting "The 1st Fancon FANMEET-TIÊN 2025" in Gia Định Park Circus,
Ho Chi Minh City. She also performed in significant concerts and festivals in Vietnam, including
V Concert - Rạng rỡ Việt Nam (
V Concert - Radiant Vietnam) to celebrate 80 years of the August Revolution and Vietnam National Day in Vietnam Exposition Center (VEC) in Đông Anh Ward,
Hanoi, and
Concert Quốc gia - Tổ quốc trong tim (
National Concert - Homeland in Our Hearts) in August 2025 at
Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Từ Liêm Ward, Hanoi. She is considered one of the most sought-after artists in Vietnam. ==Artistry and public image==