Singto gets his new album ready
By Tatat Bunnag, photos are courtesy of What the Duck
Numchoke Tanud-rum, better known as Singto Numchoke, is one of the busiest celebrities in Thailand today. Besides being a well-known singer-songwriter, he’s also a TV star, producer, husband and father to his baby son.
Singto made his debut as a ukulele-strumming pop singer six years ago. After two very successful albums and a bunch of singles, he’s spent most of his life on the road, performing at concerts and festivals all over the kingdom. But despite his hectic schedule, he always manages to find time to write new tunes.
Singto has just released two new singles — “Ton Mai Hang Rak (A Tree of Love)” and “Mun Took Yoo Laew (They Were Right)” — and his new album will be released soon.
Student Weekly recently had a phone interview with Singto, who told us about his singles, songwriting and new album.
Student Weekly: Why did you release two singles at the same time?
Singto: “They Were Right” is the second single, after “P.S. I Miss You,” from my upcoming album. But “A Tree of Love” is a special song that I wrote for a collaboration between What the Duck and the real estate project Baan Pruksa.
Student Weekly: What are the two songs about?
Singto: “A Tree of Love” is a heart-warming song about family relationships. It’s about birds that leave their nest every day to look for food but always return to the same tree because that’s where their home is. “They Were Right” is about the life of a single person who feels lonely and often questions why they’re alone.
Student Weekly: Where did you get the inspiration to write “They Were Right”?
Singto: I believe that most people have had that kind of experience at least once in their lives. Sometimes they try to comfort themselves by thinking it’s okay to be alone or that’s how their lives are meant to be. I wrote this song from my imagination because my life isn’t lonely these days. I’m busy taking care of my 2-year-old baby.
Student Weekly: You’re constantly touring. Have you been able to do any songwriting on the road?
Singto: Writing songs while touring isn’t a problem. I’m not busy all of the time, as I often have to wait for hours before my show, so I just pick up a guitar and play something. As long as I can remember all the ideas, I’ll hopefully be able to turn them into a song later.
Student Weekly: What has been the most difficult song to write?
Singto: Each song is completely different. Sometimes a song will take a day or even a few minutes to write. Others can take months to write. I’ve had ideas for lyrics for a long time before I actually recorded them. If you don’t have a home for those words or a meaningful place to put them, they just wait until the right time comes.
Student Weekly: Has starting a family affected your songwriting?
Singto: Yes, I think so. I’ve been playing music all my life, but being in love with a family inspires my songwriting in a positive way. Everything is easier when you’re happy, isn’t it?
Student Weekly: When can fans expect your new album?
Singto: Hopefully soon! I’ve recorded many songs but we decided to release a few singles before the album comes out. But I can tell you it will be called Just Have Fun With it.
strum (v): to play a guitar or similar instrument by moving your fingers up and down across the strings
hectic (adj): very busy
collaboration (n): the act of working with another person or group of people to create or produce something
heart-warming (adj): causing feelings of happiness and pleasure
comfort (v): to make somebody who is worried or unhappy feel better by being kind
constantly (adv): all the time
