Music

Double act

By Suwitcha Chaiyong

Now that the warm up acts have packed up their gear, it's time to let the headliners take the stage. They're the tops of the pops, the acts that get your tear ducts pumping, hearts thumping and hips bumping. From inter to indie, the soundtrack to your life wouldn't be complete without them.

Here to rock the Top 40 are Student Weekly's favourite music makers.

With their sensational singing, dancing and acting skills, it's no surprise that Golf-Mike top the Student Weekly Top 40 list of music makers.

The two brothers - 22-year-old Pichaya Nitipaisalkul (Golf) and 19-year-old Pirat Nitipaisalkul (Mike) - are one of the few Thai music acts to hit big overseas in countries like Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

• Did you know •

Golf-Mike and Ice Sarunyu will play a gig together in Tokyo this July.

Along with their recent local hit Mai Phit Chai Mai�Thee Rak Thoe ( It Isn't My Fault If I Fell in Love With You), the guys have just released a new album in Malaysia called Get Ready.

Student Weekly recently caught up with Golf-Mike at GMM headquarters to hear about their international success and their future goals.

STUDENT WEEKLY: What's the best thing about going inter?

Golf: We can sing in foreign languages to make overseas listeners like our songs, but we feel more proud singing in Thai. We'd love it if our fans in other countries could sing along with us in Thai.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Which countries have your calmest and boldest fans?

Golf: Japanese fans are the calmest, because they're used to keeping their distance from artists. They were surprised when we let them take pictures with us.

Our Thai fans are the boldest, because we speak the same language, and they're more used to us.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Which live performance has been your most nerve-wracking so far?

Mike: Our first concert in Japan. We were on stage with popular Japanese artists, and there was a huge audience. Luckily, they gave us a great welcome. It was so exciting!
Golf: The 2007 Asia Song Festival was held in a huge venue, and it was jam-packed with people. There were a lot of high-profile artists there, too.

STUDENT WEEKLY: What's the best time for you guys to write songs?

Mike: I usually get into an artistic mood after midnight. Ideas for songs often come when we're not actually planning to write anything.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Do you write songs based on real experiences?

Golf: Yes, I try to find different ways to write about real things. I wrote "My Superstar" after thinking about what it would be like to be part of a fan club who gets to meet a superstar.

STUDENT WEEKLY: What kind of acting roles do you find the most difficult?

Mike: Dramatic scenes are tough for me, because I'm not used to expressing my feelings much. I still have a lot to learn.
Golf: I had a hard time when I was supposed to act serious while doing a scene with a comedian. I couldn't stop laughing when he made funny faces.

STUDENT WEEKLY: If you could act in a Hollywood film, what kind of movie would you like to do?

Mike: An action-fantasy movie. I think it's boring to act in a movie that's just like real life. It'd be more fun to be a superhero in an action film.
Golf: I'd like to be in a movie with heaps of special effects. I want to play a villain, and I'd love to work with Twilight actress Kristen Stewart! [Laughs.]

STUDENT WEEKLY: Our magazine is now 40 years old - what do you guys think you'll be doing when you're 40?

Golf: It's rare for singers to stay popular for that long. I'd like to produce a teen idol album. I'd also like to work in movies. I study films frame-by-frame to learn how they're made and edited.
Mike: The future is unpredictable, but want to keep working in the music industry. I might help our dad run the family business. I'll probably also be married and have kids by then!

	sensational (adj): extremely good; causing great excitement or interest goal (n): something that you hope to achieve bold (adj): brave and confident nerve-wracking (adj): making you feel very nervous and worried venue (n): a place where people meet for an organised event, for example a concert, sporting event, etc. jam-packed (adj):very full or crowded villain (n): the main bad character in a story, film, etc. rare (adj): not done, seen, happening, etc. very often unpredictable (adj): hat cannot be predicted because it changes a lot and depends on too many different things

Idiom

keep your distance: to make sure you are not too near somebody or something