Disappearing from the scene after their first album seven years ago, Gravity, comprised of Siraphop “Joke” Natsomboon (vocals), Dokmai “Jerd” Insee (guitar), Nuttaphol “Meng” Treeinthong (keyboards) and Peerawas “Fai” Pholphoke (bass), are now making a comeback. Here they tell us about where they’ve been, and their recent hit “In Chiang Mai.”

How did you guys first form Gravity?
Joke: We’ve been friends since we were kids at school. We learned to play guitar together. At first, all the members in the band were guitarists. Then we tried to figure out who should play what. For example, Meng also knew how to play keyboards, so he became our keyboard players.

What have you guys been doing for the last seven years?
Joke: We’ve spent most most of the time doing songs for other people.

How did you get a contract from a record label?
Joke: We released our music on YouTube and one of Sony Music’s producers heard our stuff. And they called us to sign a contract. We’ve now released two singles, “Mai Roo Ja Reurm Yang Ngai” and “Na Chiang Mai” which tells people to vacation in Chiang Mai, since we talk about a lot of the city’s hot spots.

So what’s cool in Chiang Mai?
Joke: Well, all the places we mention in the song. But I especially want to point out the elephant farm Patara. It’s different from other elephant farms which only do shows like elephant painting. At Patara, you learn how to take care of the elephants and get close to them. You can touch a real live elephant.
Fai: Less pollution!

What inspires you to make music these days?
Meng: Every view and like on our music videos on YouTube. It’s great to see those views increasing.

How’s your promotion coming along?
Meng:
There was a TV show that wanted to come visit us. The appointment was at 2pm, and they called us about ten times to tell us they were on their way. And guess what? No one answered the phone. We were asleep! The night before, we had spent hours rearranging stuff in our house so it would look good for the shoot. We went to the market so we could cook for the crew and prepared everything to welcome them. The next day, when they arrived, we hadn’t even showered. Joke was still in his pajamas preparing food in the kitchen, and that’s when the cameraman came in.

What would you do if you were governor of Chiang Mai?
Joke:
I’d get rid of all the ugly buildings. Also, I’d arrange an annual carnival and music festival. I want to transform Chiang Mai into the official capital of arts and music. But I have to save money first. Interview by Nat Tantisukrit

Advertisement

Leave a Comment