Singing star stands out
Did you know
Keng is an assistant coach for Sani on The Voice Kids Thailand 2.
By Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb
Along with his flashy outfits and quirky hairstyles, Tachaya Pratumwan (Keng) has attracted a large following with his distinctive singing style, which is inspired by traditional Thai music.
The Voice Thailand I runner-up has sung songs with a distinct Thai flavour for several movie soundtracks, including “Khong Rak Khong Huang (Treasure)” for Tom Yum Goong 2 and “Sak Ka Wa Poed Sa Kad (Modern Poem)” for the coming of age movie, Tang Wong (Posture of Traditional Thai Dancing). The 25-year-old singer was also nominated in the best style category for this year’s Guitar Mag Awards.
More recently, Keng has been busy promoting his new slow song, “Tai Cha Cha (Die Slowly).” The singer also directed the unusual music video for the song.
Student Weekly recently met up with Keng at the iam music label office, where he told us about his experience in the music business and his latest song.
Student Weekly: Did you have trouble obeying rules at school, since you usually seem to think outside the box?
Keng: I obeyed the rules, but I also had a rebellious mind. While majoring in Thai music at university, I arranged an unusual show. Students who performed traditional Thai music always dressed in black outfits and showed off complicated techniques on their instruments. But I teamed up with my classmates to create a poster, special costumes and a script for the show. The audience was fine with the show, but the instructors weren’t happy. They wanted the students to stick to a more traditional style.
Student Weekly: Did you ever feel nervous performing at singing competitions?
Keng: The blind audition for The Voice was the most exciting experience because the contestants had to walk to the stage in darkness. I then saw the backs of four chairs in front of me and the music suddenly started. I felt pressure, but I focused on trying to sing well. I was happy that all the coaches turned around to face me.
Student Weekly: How did you feel when you performed at the Summer Sonic Music Festival in 2011?
Keng: Though I barely knew a lot of the performers, I planned to see as many as I could at the festival. It was so inspiring. I saw British duo The Ting Tings, American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Japanese heavy metal band, X-Japan. They were awesome. There were a lot of other groups that gave creative and memorable performances. American nu metal band Korn were also amazing. I thought their music would be too loud, but it was actually clear and fun.
Student Weekly: What was the best thing about participating on The Voice?
Keng: I was lucky to have Joey Boy as a coach. He was the one who told me to mix traditional Thai styles into my singing. For the battle round, he told me to add sepa [traditional Thai poetry reading style] into the look tung song, “Choo,” originally sung by Long Lay. At first I was stress about the idea, but once I relaxed and focused, I created a performance that I thought was incredible.
I used to think people couldn’t make money as a professional singer performing traditional Thai music, but I found a way to do it.
Student Weekly: Was your current hair style inspired by the 2007 movie, Sweeny Todd?
Keng: It was partly inspired by that. I like the film’s director, Tim Burton. His quirky fantasy films are awesome. I also like vintage styles. My hair style combines those influences together.
Student Weekly: How do you feel about some of the comments on YouTube saying that they don’t understand the “Die Slowly” video?
Keng: Even if they don’t understand it, they might take time to try to interpret the video. That means they used their brain and thought about it, which is great. There’s no right or wrong way to interpret it. People can take whatever meaning they wish from the video.
Student Weekly: Do you have any special message for your fans?
Keng: “Die Slowly” is different from other ballads that are out at the moment. Please watch the video before you decide whether you like it or not. It’s unique, and it has some beautiful cinematography. The video was intended to be a piece of art. One message of the video is to be aware of death. Life is uncertain, and people can die at any time. We should be more aware of things as we live our lives.
Vocabulary
- quirky (adj): unusual and slightly strange in an amusing and attractive way
distinctive (adj): having a quality or characteristic that makes something different and easily noticed
runner-up (n): a person or team that finishes second in a competition, race, etc.
flavour (n): a particular quality or atmosphere
rebellious (adj): unwilling to obey rules or accept normal standards of behaviour, dress, etc.
interpret (v): to decide that something has a particular meaning and to understand it in this way
cinematography (n): the art or process of filming something
Idioms
come of age: to reach the age when you have an adult’s legal rights and responsibilities
think outside the box: to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective
