Music

Double vision

By Suwitcha Chaiyong, Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb

Lipta click with another hit

Lipta�s self-titled debut came out almost three years ago, but the album�s hit song �Fuen (Force Myself)� still gets regular radio play. During the break between Lipta and the new album, the duo � Taron Liptapallop (Tan), 22, and Arrom Pohanratanakul (Cutto), 26 � separated and spent time working with other artists.

Tan wrote �What Do I Do� for Ploy Nutcha and rapped with Funky Wah Wah. Cutto worked with Boyd Kosiyapong, producing the hits �Khod Tuaw Aeng (Hug Myself)� and �See Her.�

• Did you know •

The name Lipta comes from a Thai phrase that means far from your sight.

The guys recently reunited to release their second album, Can U See Me?. The record proves that Lipta aren�t just one hit wonders, with the popular single Mee Chao Khong (Eyes Only)� already getting fans fired up.

When the guys recently met up with Student Weekly, frontman Cutto was funny and friendly, while lyricist and producer Tan was more calm and mature. The guys teased each other as they talked about their work on their latest album.

STUDENT WEEKLY: How do you guys decide what projects to work on?

Tan: I work with people that I click with. I have to be able to communicate with them.

One artist asked me to write a song in the style of Potato, but I couldn�t because it�s not my style.

Cutto: My dad didn�t want me to work in showbiz, so I had to prove that I can survive and succeed. I did everything I could � from singing to DJ-ing.

Now I earn enough money to support myself, so I can concentrate on the quality of the music.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Why does your music sound similar to other Bakery artists?

Tan: We�ve always been fans of Bakery Music. Their music influences our work, but our songs target high school students. Other Bakery artists try to reach older listeners.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Why is that?

Tan: Our lifestyle is similar to teen life. We hang out at Siam Square, chat on MSN and play on hi5. Our record sounds really good when you�re playing hi5.

Cutto	Tan

Cutto: We meet our fans through these channels. I�ve met lots of my hi5 friends at our gigs.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Did you guys have to adjust yourselves to

work ing with each other again?

Tan: It�s like dating � we didn�t have any problems during the first album, but after hanging out a lot, we started having issues.

After Lipta, I was studying for my master�s and was too stressed to write songs.

Cutto: When I had a couple of hits with Boyd, Tan felt a bit annoyed. His mom noticed and called me to talk to him.

Tan: We talked and decided to work on the second album.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Where do you find inspiration for the songs?

Tan: A lot of songs are inspired by conversations � like a friend coming to us when he�s heartbroken. We gain new perspectives from other people.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Tan, how did you come up with the latest hit �Mee Chao Khong [Eyes Only]�?

Tan: I created a situation. I noticed that a lot of beautiful girls hang out at iberry. I wondered what I�d do if I saw a pretty girl at an ice cream outlet while I was there with my girlfriend. I could only watch her because I care about my girlfriend.

Cutto: That�s Lipta�s style � flirting with good manners!

STUDENT WEEKLY: Were any of the songs written specifically for Cutto?

Tan: �Tan-Arrom [Taron-Cutto]� was written after my problem with Cutto was solved. The lyrics thank our fans and my mother because without their support, Lipta wouldn�t exist today.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Why did you get Way Thaitanium to rap on �Santa Claus�?

Tan: That rap lyric was written by Way. His language is very unique, so it�s better to have him sing it.

We always like to feature a song that�s different from our usual style.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Do you think that any of the hits from this album will match the success of �Fuen�?

Cutto: Not really. This album doesn�t have one outstanding track like �Fuen.� But overall, the songs are more beautiful than the ones on Lipta.

Tan: I can�t tell whether we�re going to have another hit like that or not.

�Fuen� was written in 15 minutes. I didn�t expect it to be such a big hit. I feel pretty lucky.

	regular (adj): done or happening often separate (v): to move apart reunite (v): to come together again fire up (phrasal v): to make somebody excited or interested in something mature (adj): behaving in a sensible way, like an adult click (v): to work well together target (v): to try to have an effect on a particular group of people channel (n): a method or system that people use to get information or to communicate issue (n): a problem or worry that somebody has with something perspective (n): a particular attitude towards something; a way of thinking about something specifically (adv): connected with or intended for one particular thing only IDIOM one hit wonder: an artist generally known for only one hit single