Waii wins

Singer bounces back with Victory

By Wasita Cespedes and Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb

At the end of last year, powerful singer Panyarisa Thienprasiddhi (Waii) made her fans worried when they heard that she fell from her friend’s motorbike and hit her head on the ground. Waii was admitted to intensive care and suffered a fractured skull, but eventually recovered.

The 21-year-old singer recently released a new pop dance single called “Tarm Pid Munk (What Da Heck),” which will be included on her upcoming album, V. “What Da Heck” represents Waii’s distinctive fearlessness with its straightforward lyrics, powerful singing and daring dance moves.

Student Weekly recently met up with Waii at the Kamikaze office. The singer looked a bit worn out because of her busy schedule, but she enthusiastically told us about V, her new music video and her future plans.

Student Weekly: Can you describe your new album?

Waii: The songs are about love. My intention for this album was to make something that everybody could relate to. The lyrics had to be engaging. I wanted to sing about things that not only I’ve been through, but that other people have experienced too.

Student Weekly: How do you feel about some people comparing your song “What Da Heck” to Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball”?

Waii: It’s normal for people to make comparisons. I never take it too seriously. I worked hard and I know it’s my best effort. I’ve been working on my album for almost two years, so I don’t think I could be thinking about copying other people.

Student Weekly: What was it like doing some Thai boxing in the song’s music video?

Waii: I’ve never had boxing lessons, so it was quite hard for me. The lead actor in the video has some boxing skills, so he advised about making the right moves. I like boxing, but I was really exhausted after a few punches!

Student Weekly: Your album title, V, stands for victory. Have you ever come across an obstruction that stopped you from winning or succeeding?

Waii: Not having enough time to study the subject I wish to study. I’ve always wanted to study French as a third language, but it requires a lot of time. I don’t have much spare time, so I have to focus on the required courses for my university major.

Student Weekly: How did you become interested in learning French?

Waii: I’ve liked France since I was little and I have a lot of French friends. When I visited France, I enjoyed the architecture, art and culture. I’m thinking about staying there for a month in the future.

Student Weekly: You once said in an interview that you’d like to be a translator. Why is that?

Waii: I’m interested in different languages. When I read books about translation and language, I can read all day. I’m now familiar with Thai and English languages, but my Thai writing skills aren’t that strong. I want to study Thai more. If I studied a third language, I could be a translator for all three languages.

Student Weekly: How was your recent trip to Taiwan?

Waii: It was great. I went there for three days with 3.2.1 and Knomjean. I visited parks and museums. I’d never been to Taiwan so it was exciting for me. I was impressed by an old village called Jiufen. There’s a market there that sells souvenirs and traditional food. The town still has lots of its original old buildings. It’s really beautiful.

Student Weekly: How do you manage to keep your voice steady when you sing live?

Waii: In the past, I had to sing while I was running, so I got used to having enough air to sing and exercise at the same time. Now I just have to practise regularly. I sing and dance at the same time during rehearsals.

Student Weekly: Do you have any particular messages for your fans?

Waii: I put all my effort into my new single. You can tell that from the lyrics, music, choreography and video. If you haven’t seen the video, please take a look. It would also mean a lot to me if people try to cover my songs. I really appreciate that!

comments powered by Disqus