Little rockers

Talento’s got talent

By Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb
and courtesy of www.facebook.com/thetalento

Young rock band Talento consists of five members — vocalist Thunwa Natethai (Proo), bassist Paphangkorn Daechawongpakin (Prompt), guitarist Sethanun Pornvoravanich (Mic), keyboard player Jirapat Kanokvilairat (Ryu) and drummer Supanut Pornvoravanich (Mac).

The band formed in Assumption College’s music club. The quintet, whose members are all 12 years old apart from 11-year-old Proo, was first seen by the public when they performed on the TV talent show, Thailand’s Got Talent Season 4 last year. After that they became Thai representatives at the first Asia’s Got Talent TV show. They were the only Thai band to make it to the final, where they performed Europe’s “The Final Countdown” and won fourth place.

Student Weekly recently met the boys and asked them about their brush with fame.

POLITE ROCKERS

Talento impressed all four Asia’s Got Talent judges from the first round when they played Deep Purple’s “Highway Star”. The tough judge and prominent producer David Foster commented that he believed they were real rockers and he liked their badass look.

Though the boys rocked the stage, they would always wai the judges after they made comments, to cheers from the audience. The Indonesian star Anggun called them the most polite rockers she had ever met. The boys said they were proud.

“During the show, we gave our all to present rock music in our style,” Proo said. “Also, we were proud to bring Thai culture to the celebrated judges.”

SCHOOL OF ROCK

The role models that inspired the boys to become a part of a band were their seniors who performed at a school event.

“We liked their performances,” Mic said. “They could play various kinds of music and their shows were great fun.”

HEAVY RHYTHMS

The boys started playing many styles of music like their seniors, before their teacher asked if they wanted to focus on rock music. The boys all wanted to try.

"Our teacher gave us difficult songs like "The Final Countdown" and "Highway Star" to play and we enjoyed them," Mic said.

Mic and Mac, who are twins, explained that they love rock music because they could hear every instrument clearly.

“I also like the heavy rhythms of the music, which are fun for a drummer,” Mac said.

FANTASTIC FEEDBACK

The boys practiced "Highway Star" for two months before they performed on Asia's Got Talent. Though their hard work paid off, they admitted that they were initially afraid of hearing negative comments from judges, and worried of getting eliminated by a judge’s buzzer.

"We were excited, yet confident. Cheers from audience also gave us encouragement,” Mac said. “But we were so nervous to hear David Foster's feedback. We were relieved that there were no harsh comments and we didn't get a buzz from any judges."

TERRIFIC TEAMWORK

At the show in Singapore, the band had opportunities to work with music directors and crews who arranged their songs and helped with their costumes. The boys were impressed by the team.

"Everyone was so professional. They were disciplined and really punctual,” Mic said.

“They also helped to calm us down when we were nervous,” added Ryu. “They encouraged us by saying we could make it, but we needed to really concentrate.”

NEW EXPERIENCE

Though Talento didn't win the grand prize, the experience was well worth it.

"We made new friends and had opportunities to exchange cultures with other competitors,” Mac said. “We still keep in touch with other teams and the crew through the Line application.”

DREAM SONG

When asked about their next step, Proo said he dreams about the band writing their own songs. However, they will probably have to change their style to suit the music market.

"We may make a pop rock song or some other genre,” Mac said. “We can play many kinds of music and audiences may like it.”

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