Pop phenomenon

 

 

When pictures of rising star Matanawee Keenan (Zee) were posted on the Zheza Idol section of RS Company’s www.zheza.com website, many young Internet surfers were intrigued.

Zee was soon offered the chance to be a singer, releasing several singles including the hit track, “Ngang Ngang Tae Naow (Easy But Lonely).” More recently, the 23-year-old singer has been promoting the beautiful ballad, “Pra God Garn Rak (Love Phenomenon),” which will be included on Zee’s upcoming album, Believe.

Zee’s popularity was given another great boost when Hunan Satellite TV’s popular talk show Day Day Up invited the singer to chat with Chinese fans.

Student Weekly went along to RS to meet up with the friendly Zee, who prefers to be referred to with the masculine pronoun, to hear all about his new single and international adventures.

Student Weekly: When did you realise that you wanted to be a professional singer?

Zee: I’ve always been interested in music and singing. My father was a singer when he lived in the UK, and he sang karaoke every evening when I was little. I was always too shy to sing with him, but I grew up with music and loved it. So when a producer from RS asked me if I was interested in singing, I didn’t hesitate to give it a try.

Student Weekly: How did you overcome your shyness?

Zee: It went away bit by bit when I started acting in commercials. I kept reminding myself how much I love to sing and telling myself to just do it.

Student Weekly: Have you ever felt that fans are more interested in your look than your music?

Zee: Sometimes. [Laughs.] When I perform, if I feel that fans have come to see me more than to hear my music, then I tend to talk to them more than usual. But fans at my gigs can always sing along with my songs

Student Weekly: Was “Love Phenomenon” a difficult song to record?

Zee: Yes. I had to have some voice training to learn more singing techniques, because it was a complicated song to sing. There are lots of really high notes.

Student Weekly: What was it like filming the video of “Love Phenomenon” in Singapore?

Zee: I was hospital with food poisoning a couple of days before I went to Singapore, so I was exhausted during my first day there. I even fell asleep on the street when we took a break! [Laughs]. But I like Singapore. It’s a beautiful city and very clean.

Student Weekly: How did you feel about being on the Chinese TV talk show Day Day Up?

Zee: I was very surprised. The TV crew was laid-back but very professional, so it was fun.
I didn’t know I had so many Chinese fans. They brought copies of my CDs for me to sign. They also gave me lots of candy because they heard that I liked it.

Student Weekly: Do you think that many people still have misconceptions about the third gender?

Zee: Some people think that a romantic relationship between two women could never last long. They think that when the girls grow up more, they’ll eventually want to go out with guys. But I’ve seen lots of female couples who have had long-lasting relationships.

Student Weekly: Do you still think it’s good to have a separate rest room for third gender people?

Zee: No. I used to say I wanted that because before people knew me, I often got kicked out of female restrooms, even though I tried to explain that I’m a woman. Sometimes I had to use the male restroom.

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

Zee: I hope everybody listens to my latest single. The lyrics are different from my previous singles because they’re not written specifically for the third gender. Please give it a try!