In the running

Indie band chases their dream

“We’re always on the move.”

By Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb

Mono Music is a label best known for their K-pop-style girl groups Candy Mafia and G20. Pop fans were surprised, then, when the label signed up alternative rock band Run Ran Run.

After playing in a previous band together, singer and guitarist Sukkawit Tengyam (Beer), 26, and guitarist Chalermrat Prueksachantana (Neung), 25, got together with keyboardist Warut Onoonjit (Win), 23, bassist Vassathorn Gier (Test), 25 and drummer Waiphob Tengyam (Bee), 24, to form Run Ran Run about five years ago.

Their first single, the ballad “Sweetheart,” hit the top 10 on Fat Radio, and the band followed up that success with their fun, upbeat track “Ya Say (Don’t Totter).”

Student Weekly recently met up with Run Ran Run as they were filming a video for “Don’t Totter.” The guys told us about their band and about their experience in the music business.

Student Weekly: How did you come up with the name Run Ran Run?

Neung: Beer came up with Run Ran Run before we signed with Mono Music. We like the name because it seems to sum up our experience. We’re always on the move.

We used to be with a subsidiary of a giant music label, but the owner resigned just before our first single was released. We then moved to another subsidiary label and released a single, but it didn’t do very well.

Student Weekly: Is there much difference between working with a big label and a smaller one?

Win: People at the giant label tried to change us, and the producers there just wanted to make mainstream music. But our current label is happy with our music as it is. They trust us and listen to our opinions.

Student Weekly: Would you like to have a mainstream hit single?

Neung: We just try to create songs in our own style. We don’t know if our music is too difficult to be really popular, but we’re satisfied with making something distinctive.

Student Weekly: How did you manage to stick with your goal of releasing a single for so long?

Win: It was our dream. If we didn’t keep trying we’d regret it for the rest our lives.

Bee: We have to give it all we’ve got now, because the older you get, the harder it is to chase your dreams.

Neung: If we do our best and it doesn’t work out, it’s still better than giving up without really trying.

Student Weekly: How did you come up with your song “Sweetheart”?

Neung: Beer mostly wrote that song. He was inspired by a trip to the beach, where he wrote the word “sweetheart” in the sand then watched the water wash it away.

Student Weekly: What was it like recording “Sweetheart”?

Win: We spent seven months recording it. We kept changing it because we wanted it to be perfect. “Don’t Totter” was much faster to record because we knew how to schedule our time better.

Student Weekly: Can you tell us about “Don’t Totter”?

Neung: We wrote that song together. The first version of “Don’t Totter” had really serious lyrics. It sounded a bit like we were preaching, so we decided to change it and make it more playful. It’s about telling a girl not to feel doubtful or uncertain when she’s in a relationship.

Student Weekly: How do you go about writing songs together?

Neung: We vote on different ideas and go with the majority. It’s a slow way to work, but it helps us to get all the details right.

Student Weekly: What are your hopes for “Don’t Totter”?

Neung: We’d like to have as many listeners as possible.

Win: Because of our label normally releases music from girl groups, some listeners might have doubts about our work. But if everybody listens with an open mind, they can decide for themselves whether they like it or not.