Na makes solo pop
By Tatat Bunnag
Photographs by Varuth Hirunyatheb
and courtesy of Na Basket Band
Did you know
Na’s musical idol is Eric Clapton.
It has been more than a decade since Basket Band made Thai pop fans happy with their pleasant love songs. The group combined elements of pop, soul and R&B into their easy-listening groove to create a series of hits including “Kumtob (Answer),” “Klerm (Drowsy)” and “Eek Kreung Kong Huajai (Half a Heart).”
Now one half of Basket Band, Tana Ratrasarn (Na), is back with a solo project called Na Basket Band. With an album planned for release on Valentine’s Day next year, Na has already heralded the project with a light-hearted new pop single called “Mai Khor Arai Mak Pai Kwa Nee (Don’t Need Anything Else).”
Student Weekly recently visited the talented singer-songwriter at his office for an interview. Na told us all about his new single, his solo project and his plan to release the upcoming Na Basket Band album on vinyl records.
Student Weekly: How did your solo project come about?
Na: Over the past few years, I’ve written a number of songs that weren’t used for Basket Band. And Ga, the other member of Basket Band, has been quite busy lately running his own business. So I decided to start working on a solo album just for fun.
Student Weekly: Will Basket Band release any new music in the future?
Na: The band is still doing fine. We’re not breaking up or anything like that. Our idea is to just make music whenever we’re both free, so we’re not rushing into making another album. When everybody is free, we’ll play together again.
Student Weekly: Can you tell us about your new single, “Don’t Need Anything Else”?
Na: I’d describe the style of my new album as cosy pop music. It will be a collection of love songs inspired by human heartbeats.
“Don’t Need Anything Else” is about somebody with a secret crush. When you meet somebody and fall in love, your heart beats faster, so this song has a groove that makes people want to move.
Student Weekly: Is working on your own more difficult than working with a band?
Na: It’s just a different type of fun. It’s like playing sports. I used to enjoy playing basketball in a team with my friends. But more recently, I’ve been trying to lose weight, so I started long-distance running and found it very fun, challenging and inspiring.
Student Weekly: When can fans expect more of your new music?
Na: I’ll finish recording the album this year, but I plan to release it on Valentine’s Day next year. In the meantime, I’ll release a new single every couple of months.
Student Weekly: Is it true that you’re planning to release the album on vinyl?
Na: Yes, I plan to release a limited number of 1,000 copies on vinyl. I grew up in the 1980s when cassette tapes were really popular in Thailand, so vinyl is a format that I never really experienced before. But I recently bought a turntable and a vinyl copy of a Pun Paiboonkiat Keiwkaew album, and I was blown away by the sound. After that, I thought that I should release on vinyl too!
Vocabulary
- herald (v): to be a sign that something is going to happen
light-hearted (adj): intended to be easily enjoyable rather than too serious
vinyl (n): a strong plastic that can bend easily, used for making records
cosy (adj): warm, comfortable and pleasant
crush (n): a strong feeling of love that somebody, usually a young person, develops for somebody they have just met and that usually doesn’t last very long
challenging (adj): difficult in an interesting way that tests your ability
inspiring (adj): exciting and encouraging you to do or feel something
turntable (n): the round surface on a record player that you place a record on to be played
blow somebody away (phrasal v): to impress somebody a lot
