Kwang sang

Teen talent enchants her fans

By Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb

Singer Arisa Homgroon (Kwang) amazed viewers of the TV talent show Thailand’s Got Talent Season 4- 4D: Do More with Rexona when she sang the Thai version of “Happy Working Song” from the movie Enchanted. The 18-year-old singer wowed the crowd with her mellow voice and the adorable way that she presented herself.

After the overwhelming response from viewers, Kwang sang the soundtrack songs “For the First Time in Forever” and “Let It Go” from the hit animated Disney movie, Frozen. For her semi-final performance of the first song, Kwang dressed up as Princess Anna from Frozen, while for her final round performance of “Let It Go,” she dressed up as the character Princess Elsa.

Though the young singer didn’t win the competition, she gained lots of fans who have kept up with her videos posted on her Arisa Joe Armstrong Facebook page, which now has more than 165,000 fans.

Student Weekly recently met up with Kwang at a café to hear about her singing and her experiences on Thailand’s Got Talent.

Student Weekly: When did you first start singing?

Kwang: When I was 8 years old, my dad found that I could pitch musical notes accurately, so he let me take singing lessons. I was initially shy and didn’t enjoy singing. I also entered a lot of singing contests, but I didn’t enjoy them. I got more into singing during high school. I found an instructor who helped me to find my own voice. Before that, I usually imitated other singers.

Student Weekly: What kind of music do you like?

Kwang: I like rock and heavy metal. My favourite band is Slot Machine. I like their lyrics, especially on the album Cell. Their albums are always very detailed. I enjoy listening to every sound from the drums, bass and singing on Slot Machine’s albums. I’d like to have my own rock band.

Student Weekly: What did you learn from participating in singing contests?

Kwang: I got used to the process of taking part in competitions, and I don’t get stage fright anymore. The comments from judges helped me to improve. On the TV contest Master Key, I sang a rock song and the judge told me that I might have to choose between the things I like and the things I’m best at. I later realised that even though I like rock music, my soft voice isn’t good for singing rock.

Student Weekly: Why did you decide to sing Disney soundtrack songs?

Kwang: I had a job singing at a restaurant for two years, and I developed a problem with my jaw. Sometimes my jaw locked and it was painful. A doctor suggested that I quit singing, but I felt down after stopping for several months.

When I saw the movie Enchanted, I started singing the songs from the soundtrack and my jaw was fine. Singing Disney songs is like chatting. It doesn’t hurt me like singing rock songs.

Student Weekly: Are you a big fan of Disney movies?

Kwang: No. The media called me a Disney princess, but I don’t know many Disney songs. I’d never sung Disney songs before this competition.

Student Weekly: Which round in Thailand’s Got Talent was the most exciting for you?

Kwang: The final round. I chose “Let It Go” from Frozen because there were comments from my fans on Facebook saying that they wanted to see me dress up like Princess Elsa and sing that song. Some people criticised my singing and said that I picked the wrong song, but my fans were happy and they supported me. I can’t please everybody, but I care about my fans.

Student Weekly: What makes Thailand’s Got Talent different from other TV singing competitions?

Kwang: Instead of competing with other singers, I battled other teams. Viewers usually think that singing doesn’t take much talent, so to make my performances special I had to dress up like animation characters and dance around the stage. It was a fun experience.

Student Weekly: If you release a single, what style of music would you like it to be?

Kwang: I still can’t figure it out. If possible, I’d like to combine what I like with what other people like. I wouldn’t want it to sound exactly like Disney soundtrack song.

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