How did you become a composer?

I started off my music career in a band playing mainly peua-cheevit [Thai country rock] and look thung covers in a restaurant before going solo and doing my first album with Sure Audio Records. Ya See Fun Kab Khan Tak Nam [Toothpaste and Bowl] came out in 2004 and had one hit single, “Namta See Muang [Purple Tears],” which led me to become a freelance composer. I like to compose and wanted more freedom so I could work for any record label. 

So how did you ended up composing for Ying Lee?  

I worked with look thong producer Prof. Sawad Sarakam, who has produced albums for many artists including Ying Lee. He sometimes lets me compose my songs without telling me who the singer will be. In the case of “Kor Jai Ter Laek Ber Toe,” Ying Lee’s album was actually finished with 10 songs and ready to be released, but he decided to cut one song at the last minute and replace it with mine. Who knew it would be such a hit?  

What’s the inspiration behind “Kor Jai Ter Laek Ber Toe”? 

I actually composed this song for someone I like. I had to call her to wake her up to go to work every morning but then one day, it was already late when I called, so I got the auto reply, “Welcome to the voice mail system, please leave your message after the signal.” I was so upset I couldn’t reach her. But at the same time I was haunted and annoyed by that sentence. I thought to myself, “No, I don’t want to send a message, I’d rather send my heart to wake her up.” That was the inspiration for the song.      

Does this girl know the song was written for her? 

Yeah, I showed it to her after I finished composing it. I thought she would be the only one to download it. Obviously, that’s not the case. Well, even if it hasn’t made me lucky in love, at least I’m in the game. 

What’s your fanbase like one year on?

Now everyone asks me to compose a song for them, saying I want a song like Ying Lee’s but different. I’m not sure I can do that for everyone. It’s not like anyone’s created a Facebook fanpage for me, but I’d say I’ve gotten a lot more friend requests over the past year. I’ve had to create another account and both are at the full friend limit [5,000 people].   

What’s it like working behind the scenes? 

It’s the classic story of working as a composer in Thailand, unless you’re Boyd Kosiyabong or Nitipong Hornak. I can’t really tell how much I make from each song as it’s tied to sales. 

What makes a song a hit?

All of my songs are carefully structured to elicit a feeling from the audience, not just from the hook. For this song, it’s a perfect combination of a catchy melody, straight-forward lyrics, Ying Lee’s performance—basically, everything in the right balance.   

What’s next?

I’m taking a film scriptwriting class with Five Stars Entertainment. Pen-Ek Rattanarueng is one of my teachers. It’s my dream to make my own film. So hopefully after taking the class, I can make a musical comedy with the look thung songs I’ve composed.