I never dreamed of being a singer until I listened to The Cranberries while I lived with my mother in Australia 15 years ago. Her [Dolores O’Riordan] voice is so beautiful, I wanted to sing like that.

I started singing on my own before my mum sent me to a singing class as my birthday gift and let me sing at our house parties.

I made up my mind when I was 15 that I wanted to come back to Thailand to chase my dream of being a singer. But my mum urged me to wait until I graduated from high school, so I did.

I finally came back to Thailand and headed to GMM right away. I told them that I wanted to be a singer, and they accepted me.

My life before being a singer wasn’t easy though. I had to work to make a living while I was working on the album. I went back to my childhood school, and the headmaster let me work there as an English teacher. I worked there for a year and a half until my first album, Palmy, was released in 2001.

My life as a singer has been successful ever since my first album. I don’t feel the need for more fame, but I don’t want to stop making music.

I really thank God that I was born in my family and that I am surrounded by my best friends. They really help me keep my feet on the ground. They always remind me that I’m just a normal person.

Working with a big record label was complicated. There are a lot of rules and processes to follow and sometimes I couldn’t say what I wanted to say. Businessmen always think differently from artists.

I dropped out of the music scene three years ago because the music circle became something that I hated. I didn’t hate music itself but I did hate the things that surround it.

I decided to make music by my own, but a side benefit was getting to travel to a lot of places. It makes me realize there’s a lot more to life than just work.

Nepal is my favorite destination. It has magic. It makes me love everything that I see. Even just a plate of chicken fried rice makes me happy. Sleeping in cheap hotels makes me realize that the simple life is so valuable. It raises my energy levels back up. Afterwards, I can face anything that comes at me.

I think of my fans every time I make a song. When I buy my favorite artist’s albums, I expect it to be better than their previous one, and my fans expect that from me too. That makes me stressed.

I even stopped listening to music because I was afraid of it. This feeling finally went away when I walked into a CD shop with friends in Nepal and listened to a Nepalese folk song. I was like, “Wow, it’s alive.” It’s that image of music that was lost from my heart for a long time.

I finally put those worries aside. I gradually started thinking that you don’t have to be afraid of others not liking your music. Don’t worry about that.

The best thing that happened to me is the fact that I have very strong friendships. I adore all the friends that I have. It’s really hard to find a group of people who are open to listening to each other without getting angry when criticized. These kinds of people are rare to find in Bangkok.

I really admire Dr. Vorapat Poocharoen [a former NASA engineer who is now a Buddhist preacher]. This man saved my life from sinking further.

I always stay away from things that make me feel bad, like mingling with selfish people, but he taught me to learn how to live with that.

I love my privacy. It’s more precious than anything in this world.

I really love decorating my home. I have decorated three houses. I am a small woman, but I love to buy big furniture. I also love gardening. Now I have no space left to grow more plants.

I don’t like to be around people all the time. It’s a paradox in my career. I try to balance it as much as I can. Now GMM and I are more on the same page.

I love to be funny on stage. The fans’ laughs when I dance poorly or do some silly move fulfill me every time I perform.

I am so tired with the rumors that I have a baby and a husband. Why do I have to hide all these things? It’s a human life. I can’t hide someone’s life. I don’t spend my life lying.

I think bad journalists are destroying this society. I don’t know whether they do it for fame or money, but they should have standards and not hurt anyone.

No matter what you do, do your job with a conscientious attitude. If you do well, no matter what others say, you can be proud of yourself.

Love from the one you love is the most valuable thing. That can make you happy, not money.