Bear's back

June gets closer to her fans

By Tatat Bunnag

Since her 2005 album, Love is Sweet Suicide, and her popular download-only album A Friend Like Me Don't Be Afraid in 2008, Somsiri Sangkaew (June), better known by her stage name Bear-Garden, has kept a fairly low profile.

Now the 33-year-old indie pop maverick is back and sure to please her fans with her latest single, "Klai Klai (Closer)." The song offers a good dose of the unique, beautiful and melodic pop that Bear-Garden is renowned for.

Student Weekly recently caught up with June to hear all about her creative life and her new Bear-Garden album, due for release later this year.

Student Weekly: What have you been up to since your last album came out?

June: During the past two years, I went back to my day job as a graphic designer. I also directed some music videos. I still played live shows, but not too often. But I wrote lots of new songs during that time, so at the moment I'm choosing the tracks for my next album.

Student Weekly: Can you tell us about your latest single?

June: "Closer" is a mellow pop tune about not judging people by the way they look. You'll never really know somebody if you don't try to get a bit closer. It's a simple, catchy song and it's already getting played on the radio. Lots of people have said they really like it.

Student Weekly: When will your new album be coming out?

June: It should be out in a few months. I don't have a title for it yet, but hopefully I'll think of one soon!

The new album will be full of poppy songs that people can sing along to. The songs are quite simple. I also used real instruments and drums, rather than the synthesisers and drum programming that I used on my previous records.

Student Weekly: Has your style changed much during your 10 years of making music as Bear-Garden?

June: I think that my music has matured a bit over the years. I used to work on my Bear-Garden music mostly with the computer. It was more about programming than live musical performance, so it was hard to play some of the songs live. But over the past few years I've really started to enjoy performing with a live band. That has changed the way I write music.

Student Weekly: How do you feel about the local indie music scene at the moment?

June: It's pretty much the same as it was before. There are a lot more new bands these days, but there's still not much variety. Most new bands sound similar, and the indie bands aren't much different from the music released by bigger labels.

It's easier for indie artists to promote their music nowadays with sites like Facebook and YouTube. But at the same time, it's becoming harder to sell albums.

Student Weekly: What's the most memorable concert that you've played so far?

June: I was touring Japan a few years ago, and I got really sick one night when I was meant to play a gig. It was freezing cold and I had the flu, but so many Japanese fans came to see me that night that I decided to play. I kept coughing during the performance and the audience was worried about me. [Laughs.] But afterwards, my team took me for a really nice meal. It was a great night!