Winning voice

Showbiz makes room for Noom

By Suwitcha Chaiyong and Bing Supangkasen
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb

With his heartfelt singing and natural charm, Somsak Rinnairak (Noom) emerged as the winner of The Voice Thailand Season 3. The Chiang Rai native was an underdog in the first couple rounds, but later stood out when he sang some soulful ballads. Voters also enjoyed Noom’s his funny dance moves during the dance song, “Long Tua Aeng (Into Myself).”

The 22-year-old singer has been busy promoting his debut pop single, “Very Sabai (Very Relaxed).” The video for the catchy song, which has already attracted more than 1.4 million views, features Noom’s hilarious choreography.

Student Weekly recently met up with the busy Noom at a restaurant to chat about his new music career and his first hit single.

Student Weekly: Is it true that you you’ve wanted to be a singer since you were very young?

Noom: I always liked to sing along with recordings, and I felt that I could do it well. I wanted to be like famous singers such as Da Endorphine, Pop Pongkool and Aof Pongsak.

Student Weekly: How did you manage to feel confident before you’d had much performing experience?

Noom: I don’t have many other skills or talents, but I can understand music and singing quickly. I once heard advice about how to breathe while singing, and I was able to adapt that to my singing easily.

Student Weekly: How did you feel when you sang at a pub?

Noom: My friends were performing there and they let me sing. I wanted to improve my skills. Singing for guests at a pub is totally different from singing in front of my friends. I didn’t know how to entertain people at first.

Student Weekly: Do you feel that you can entertain better now after working as a professional singer?

Noom: I’m better than I was before. I speak to the audience more, but I’m still not good at attracting people’s attention. I’m still new to showbiz, but I’m working on it.

Student Weekly: How have you improved your singing and entertaining skills?

Noom: I’ve been improved since I was in The Voice because I worked with the coach, the music director and the crew. They gave me a lot of professional advice. One of them told me that if I don’t know what to say onstage, that I should just sing. If I try to speak without a point, the conversation will be meaningless.

Student Weekly: What was the best advice from your coach Jennifer Kim?

Noom: Any advice from Jennifer Kim is useful. She advised me on how to communicate with executives and how to adapt myself to showbiz. I don’t know if I can stay in this business for long. It depends on the executives and on my behaviour.

Student Weekly: Which of your previous part-time jobs was the hardest?

Noom: Every job was tough in different ways. I’ve worked at a clay pot factory, a fast food restaurant and as a plumber because I wanted to earn cash for living to help my parents. I started having part-time jobs in junior high school. I saw my siblings getting jobs during school breaks, so I felt that I should work as well.

Student Weekly: Was “Very Relaxed” written about your personality?

Noom: I like “Very Relaxed,” but it’s not really about me. I had fun with the song, but I’m not really a funny person. I like singing emotional songs, but the viewers enjoyed it when I sang upbeat songs like “Long Tua Aeng (Into Myself).”

Student Weekly: What was it like working with the other Voice winners Songkran Rangsant and Non Thanon?

Noom: Non is talkative and likes to tease people. Songkran is more mature. He advises me about each show and about how to grab the crowd’s attention.

Student Weekly: Now that you’ve realised your dream of becoming a singer, is it like you imagined it would be?

Noom: It’s beyond my dreams. I feel like I’ve accomplished my goals to be in the music business. It’s far beyond what I imagined. Even though I lose some privacy and I can’t hang out with my friends like before, I think I have better opportunities than many people. I intend to do my best.

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