My passion for singing comes from my dad. He can’t really sing but loves to turn the music up loud all the time. His music was blasting out everywhere, from our house to the farm, so I started to memorize the lyrics and learned to sing. 

I’m not good at studying but I do have a good memory. I never had a singing class but I’d memorize the lyrics sentence by sentence and add my own dance moves. My teacher knew that my grades were not good, so she let me sing at school and helped me with my studies. I was 14 when I had my first singing lesson from a teacher who conducted the school band. 

My signature song was “Bow Rak SeeDam” by Siriporn Aumpaipong. When people hired our school band to perform, I would get paid B300, but if I sang Siriporn’s song, I would get a bonus because the song was such a hit. 

Seeing people enjoy my performances gave me more and more confidence. I had the support of my family and my teachers, plus the audience’s applause, so I chose to keep following this path.    

Singing makes me happy even if sometimes things go wrong. I haven’t stopped singing since I was 14, it’s my job. Every job gives you both happiness and sadness, but that’s life. To entertain people, sometimes you need to forget your sadness and put on a smile. 

My first molam-sing [a more upbeat version of molam] album was banned by the Ministry of Culture. I was 20 when I made “Bor Yan Bab” [Shameless] with composer and producer Sawad Sarakam. The feedback was great. Then the ministry came out and said the lyrics were immoral and against Thailand’s traditions. 

I was really heartbroken. I’d got the chance to release an album, but was denied the opportunity to be famous. That didn’t stop me. I told myself, maybe this is not my time. 

My life got even worse when I was 25. Everything I did was a failure. I lost all of my money in a beauty salon business, as a fortuneteller said it would work out but it didn’t. My friends turned their backs on me. I felt all alone in this world. 

I’m not shy to cry. I cry as much as I can to relieve the stress. When there are no more tears, I treat myself to a good meal and move on. Some people have lost their arms or their legs, some people have far less money than me, but all of them survive. That’s what brings me back to doing what I do best, singing. 

Producer Sawad contacted me saying Grammy Gold wanted to do molam. I went and auditioned and, finally, Krij Tomas [CEO of Grammy Gold] chose me to be the first molam-sing singer of the record label. I was so happy. I wanted to tell the world that finally my time had come. 

Being signed doesn’t guarantee anything. My bad experiences have taught me that nothing is certain—things can change suddenly and you need to be prepared.         

Shooting my first music video for “Kha Khao Sao Lam Sing”[Lum Sing Girl’s White Legs] was one of the best days of my life. I felt like my dreams had come true. I was nervous but my work was nearly ready to reach the public. I cried and thanked the producer after the shoot, then called mom and dad to watch it on television when it first aired.

“Kor Jai Ter Leak Ber Toe” changed my life completely. I was dreaming only of doing more shows when I signed to Grammy Gold, but this went way beyond that. We didn’t even plan to promote the song, but it hit number one on 90FM’s top 20 chart. We saw people liked it so we launched a video [in February 2013] and it became a big hit.

There’s been a lot of cover versions from fans. I’m so proud that artists like Aof Pongsak and New-Jew have covered it and helped make my song even more famous. It’s now got nearly 100 million views on YouTube.  

It’s in the nature of molam and look thoong to dress a little sexy. It’s not a bad thing. We sing funny lyrics and blend traditional Thai instrumentation with the old molam singing style. It’s much more than a sexy dress. Plus, I think everyone has the right to design their show. For me, I wear what makes me feel pretty and confident. 

I also encourage people to get plastic surgery. Why should it offend anyone? But please be picky and choose only the surgery that suits you. There’s a limit to these things. What’s the point if it makes you look like a plastic doll? 

Being famous doesn’t mean you can do no wrong. On the other hand, it makes me conscious of my every action. If I mistreat just one of my fans, that means I’ve lost myself to fame. And I don’t want to be like that. 

There are two sides to the online world. When you do something good, people will share it and support you. But if you make a mistake, word spreads even quicker.

2013 was totally my year. From a girl who used to walk around a rice farm, now I’m on the red carpet. I think I’ve reached the highest point in my career. But, as I always tell myself, things can change at any time.   

Why would you want to be rich when you can only eat the same amount every meal? I enjoy singing and entertaining people because it makes me and my audience happy, not because I want to be rich. And if there comes a day when I have to go back to live with my family, I will always be ready for it.