You came up with Metals after a long hiatus. Why the long break?
After seven years of touring I was totally depleted. Things weren’t slowing down so I drew a big thick line eight months in advance in the calendar, and after that I would stop completely. When I hit that wall it was a dead stop, and I collapsed with my suitcase next to me.

How did you begin writing again?
The most important thing was waiting for there to be a silence around me after the last album (The Reminder). Eventually I started writing again, very quietly with nobody waiting, watching or listening. That was how I used to record, so it felt right. I made myself a space in a shed behind my house and wrote a bunch of songs, and then in the summer of 2010 went back to the studio in Paris to finish it off.

Why “Metals”?
A metal can mean either the raw material, or what something can become after a long process. It can always be melted down and turned into something else. The main point is that there’s a raw version buried deep in the earth, and it’s a heavy and industrial process to extract out of rock. Then you melt it and everything reacts to different temperatures and has different properties, and something new is formed.So there were a lot of thoughts that related to the mood of the record. Metals was one word that could give each song its own tool or weapon to expand its own identity; to make it mellifluous, mercurial, more responsive or more malleable. It could give one song a sword in its hand and give another this dazzling precious cover.

Feist will be performing at Laneway Festival Singapore, February 12, 10.20pm at Fort Canning Park. See other interviews with Chairlift and Cults.

I love being back. I haven’t felt bored since returning home six months ago.

Being able to say “jialat” and have people know what I mean was one thing I missed. The others were local food and predictable weather.

I was a bit of a troublemaker at school. I would try anything to get out early, including cycling to school every morning just so I could make a quick escape after flag-raising, and escaping to sleep in the sick bay during class.

I’m the type of traveler that doesn’t plan. I go and figure things out when I’m there.

My husband and I want to pull each other’s hair out every other day. Seriously. However, working together has made us closer than most. We see every aspect of each other. And we know what each other’s strengths are, and how to harness them to function as a team.

My three wishes would be to be healthy, wise and always hungry—for food, and for learning and growth.

Rude people make me angry.

We once got stranded in a boat at night, in choppy waters off Koh Phi Phi. Instead of calling for help the boatman called a friend to chat. We finally rowed our way back to shore. Lesson learned— always check that your boat is equipped with lifejackets and a flashlight. If possible, make sure your boatman is not crazy either.

We got too old for hostels and too tired of staying in dinky budget hotels. And we were renting out our place whenever we were away, but the process was cumbersome and frustrating. So we set up Roomorama.

The hardest part of starting this business has been educating the public on what Roomorama is about and how it makes it safe and reliable to rent an apartment or home while traveling.

If I were president of Singapore for the day, I’d reinstate my old salary of $4m a year. Haha.

Perfect bliss is traveling with my husband and dog.

My parents are my role models. They have shown me the importance of working hard and being humble.

I’d tell my younger self to listen to your older advisors when they caution you, because they’ve been through it before and it will save you some pain and suffering.

I feel proudest when I mention Roomorama to someone new, and they know of it independently of me telling them about it.

The best advice I ever received was that you’ll make mistakes—just pick up, move on and make sure you learn from them.

Free-spirited, adventurous and sociable. That’s how my best friend would describe me.

If I wasn’t doing this, I’d probably be trying to convince everyone to recycle and reuse their stuff. Everyone needs to do their part!

When the going gets tough… the tough keep themselves busy.

The last time I danced… it was sometime in August and I didn't stop for hours.

To work up the crowd, I… make a little “M” sign with my thumb and index finger.

My poison of choice is… whisky.

Girls to me are… a beautiful distraction.

I like it hard when it comes to… tequila.

Catch Ming weekly on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10pm onwards at Velvet Underground. $25-32 includes two drinks.

What sort of a dude are you?
I'm an asshole at heart but a sweetheart most the time.

How does it feel like to be called “a band”?
When Twin Shadow is on the road we are "a band" so it feels good. Off the road, it's just me.

How did the name come about?
From a motorcycle.

Who would you like to collaborate with?
Lykke Li.

What’s playing in your iPod right now?
Drake’s “Take Care.”

What’s your guilty pleasure?
George Michael.

Best gig ever…
New York’s Webster Hall in 2011.

Will Laneway Singapore top that one?
We aim to please.

Twin Shadow performs at Laneway Festival Singapore on February 13. See other interviews with Anna Calvi, Chairlift and Yuck.

How is the latest release different from previous ones?
It is our first album recorded outside of France and Europe, we wanted to create something epic, similar in scale to The Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness.

Nostalgia seems like a common theme in your band’s musical approach, why is that so?
I really find it difficult to explain but it has been part of my personality since I was young. For example the track “Raconte Moi Une Histoire” in the album was inspired by a Japanese TV show about a frog that I used to watch as a kid.

How has touring with the likes of Depeche Mode and Kings of Leon influenced your creative process?
We have been very fortunate to play alongside such great performers and the lessons you learn from watching them upclose are invaluable. In fact, my bolder vocal style can be attributed to becoming more confident and playing in big arenas with them.

The saxophone infused “Midnight City” has a hallucinogenic big city vibe to it, what’s it all about?
Blame it on the drugs for the vibe but it’s also our homage to imaginary cities, great architecture and the big lights of a city like LA.

What can we expect from your set at Laneway?
We are really excited to bring our music to new audiences in a festival setting; one can certainly expect our a fun set-list to heighten the carnival like atmosphere.

M83 will perform at Laneway Festival Singapore on February 12, 12.05am at Fort Canning Park. See other interviews with Chairlift and Feist.

I’ve been in love with music ever since I was three. When I was working as a teenage model, I did it to further my career in the entertainment business.

I will always respect P’Ter of GMM Grammy. He isn’t just a man who founded a record label. He has intellect and vision, and I knew that if I had a chance to work with him, I would be in great hands.

The Thai music industry relies too heavily on media exposure. There are lots of great artists in Thailand that just can’t find a channel to distribute their music. In places like the US or the UK, most record labels do not own the radio stations, and that allows musicians to have a better chance of getting their work out to the public. Here, it’s different because radio stations are often owned by networks connected to record labels; this presents obstacles to new musicians.

If I was born today, I probably wouldn’t be famous. My best selling albums were my second and third albums, more than 20 years ago. I don’t really know how I got so huge. Things are so much more competitive in today’s world.

I always have a Plan B. Whenever I do something, I always prepare myself for the “if” part, as in what if this happens, or what if this doesn’t work out. A lot of times people just go all in without thinking about the fact it might not work.

When I’m at home, I’m like an uncle; I’m only a rocker on the outside. I take off my shoes and relax. I don’t live glamorously. A lot of people think that just because I’m in the entertainment business I live luxuriously, which isn’t true.

I love to cook and would love to open a restaurant and cook for others, but cooking only for two people (my wife and I) costs a lot, so I don’t get to cook often.

I don’t like new clothes because I feel that wearing them makes me look like a dork. I love old, used t-shirts. They just fit your body better and look great. I also love used sneakers, I make an exception for leather shoes, but used sneakers just have a better shape than new ones.

As a television host, you give a shit about what people are going to see or how you’re going to look if the camera shoots you from a particular angle; it’s all about timing. But if you’re a musician, it’s completely different. Your voice is the most important thing, so you’ll think about what people are going to hear. You have lots of factors, lots of equipment to control—how to use or adjust them. In music, there’s a lot more going on and it’s all about the tempo.

I’m a sucker for 60s movies. When I’m not working, I love watching the MGM channel. They play these old movies and I’m just hooked. I love the movie stars from those times. Steve McQueen and Barbara Streisand are my favorites. They just don’t make movies like that today.

There just isn’t anything new in the Thai music industry. It hasn’t changed one bit. Of course, you see different things and get to meet different people, but it’s like the same movie with different casts.

If I could go back in time, I would want to be a doctor. Doctors are cool because they have amazing tools that they use to save lives. It’s like a one-of-a-kind profession. If you want to fly a plane, you could just use a flight simulator, but the high-technology equipment that doctors get to use are for doctors only.

I don’t care if people are posing as me on Facebook. There’re dozens of accounts using my name and none of them are me. I don’t use Facebook anymore and haven’t for a while. I don’t really pay much attention to social media.

We need to stop fighting and strive for global standards. We used to say that we should go global, but are we really trying or are we just going to be stuck with political crisis every year?
Our country’s leaders must be able to make the people happy and lead our country towards global standards.

I am thankful for everything that gave me a chance for new love. I’ve always believed in soul mates and that for a person to find their soul mate, their lives must have intertwined in their past lives.

It’s a great feeling to be able to make someone think about love again. This is what the film Ruk (An Ordinary Love Story) is about, which is why I decided to get involved.

I don’t know if I’m successful or not, who knows, only God. When I was younger, I loved the adrenaline rush of doing risky things, but as I grew up, I really started to realize that the world always introduces you to new things.

Originality lives in simplicity. Just keep things simple and not worry about success.

Life doesn’t always have to be exactly as you plan, that’s what makes life interesting. God always has a better plan for you.

My dream job is to open an American fast-food restaurant. It would be called Uncle Billie’s Steak House and would be on the highway on the way to Pattaya. There would be a picture of me on the restaurant sign wearing a bib with lights flashing just like in old Western movies. The kids would love it. I would serve steaks, burgers, fries, milkshakes, and have farm animals and magic shows. I’ve got it all planned out in my head; it would be a really fun place.

BK: How did you guys come together?
Chris: I met Guang nine years ago when he was forming the band. We’re friends of friends. I heard that Alliance Francaise de Bangkok was running Fête de la Francophonie, a French music competition, so we decided to take part, as I am Thai-French and I have written many songs in French and English. They used my songs to compete, and we finally won first place.

BK: Why did it take nine years to get your first single out?
Guang: Nothing concrete happened after that competition. We went to play at Fat Fest and tried to reach many record companies, but they all refused because Chris couldn’t sing Thai clearly. We finally met Boyd Kosiyabong, and he was interested in our songs and let Chris sing on his single, “Puen Sanit.” Anyway, we didn’t get the record right away because we didn’t have much experience. He let us play as a backup band for various artists, like Lipta, "Two" Popetorn, “Pun” Paiboonkiet, Stamp, The Begins and “Mint” Maleewan, to gain more experience. We’re also doing our own songs as well as going onstage as a band.

BK: Why did you choose Shining Star as a name?
Meng: We love R&B and soul music from the Motown era. Back then, they loved to use the word “Shining Star” both in lyrics and in praising up-and-coming artists. We think it’s a good name and love the way it translates, too.

BK: What sets you apart from others?
Meng: We might not be good at entertaining people while we are playing, but we focus on passing on the emotional feeling through our lyrics. Like our first single “5 Years” that talks about lost love lingering in the mind and good memories of the past.
Guang: I think Chris’ voice is unique, too. He doesn’t sing Thai totally clearly, but it’s a unique style. The way we write lyrics is also different. Chris will write the song in English, and then others will translate it into Thai.

BK: Who do you think is a “Shining Star” in the music scene?
Meng: For me, it would be Boyd Kosiyabong. He’s my idol in making music. His songs have stories and inspiration behind them like “Season Change,” which is all about teaching you to get through a tough life by comparing it to the weather—it can be good and bad.
Art: I think Michael Jackson. He was more than just a singer. He was so good in conveying a message in his songs. Most of his songs that I like aren’t dance. It’s all R&B with cool lyrics, like “Man in the Mirror.” In Thai songs, we will only see good story lyrics from peua cheewit [songs for life] artists.
Guang: I like Thailand’s Innocent band. Their songs were simple but really modern in the 1980s. It’s still cool even now.
Chris: I like Jamiroquai. It’s old-style music, but made modern and they also send a good messages, like political ones, in songs.

What's your songwriting process like?
Patrick and I wrote this album as a two piece. We rented a spare room at the back of an antique shop, with a very minimal setup: a piano, a guitar, a bass, a synth and a drum kit. Unlike our first album, every idea on this record was thought of in that room together, which made it a much more conversational process. Our typical hours were about 12-10pm every day, which made this album much more of a “daylight” record than our previous one. We wanted it to feel very awake and bright, even aggressive, like the feeling of leaning forward. Some of the songs started with lyrical ideas, like “Sidewalk Safari” (about running someone over with your car) or “Wrong Opinion” (about disregarding the negative opinions of others). Other songs started with musical ideas, like "Amanaemonesia" and I "Belong In Your Arms". It's less about a story in those cases, and is often more absurd because we have to obey the feeling of the music.

The difference between recording in the studio and playing live…
In the studio, you can really control every small thing; it's more like being the director of a movie. On stage, you can only control what you yourself are doing at the moment, so it's more like being an actor in the movie. There's a lot of trust and vulnerability. It feels like a bigger risk, and that makes it exciting for us and the audience.

Who are your biggest influences?
David Lynch, Delia Derbyshire and Meredith Monk. They remind me that there's no limit to how far you can push your own dream world.

Any Spinal Tap moments to share?
I once threw a half-filled wine glass at the crowd at a show in Liverpool, England back in 2008. It was a terrible night; the sound guy was drunk and the crowd was talking through the entire set, so I threw a glass at them and walked off stage.

Biggest musical guilty pleasure.
"I Love You Always Forever" by Donna Lewis.

What have you prepared for Laneway Singapore?
Almost entirely songs off our new album. I'll be playing synthesizers myself for our Singapore Laneway show, which is also a special occasion. We really can't wait to go, this will be Chairlift's first ever show in Asia.

Chairlift will be performing at Laneway Festival Singapore on February 12, 3.15pm at Fort Canning Park. Also, see our interviews with Anna Calvi, Cults & Yuck.

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.

BK: How long have you been a van driver?
I began about eight years ago. My life was pretty boring. I didn’t know what to do with myself after my wife left me. My brother asked me to join the driver team at Piya Tour, which runs between Bangkok and Petchaburi, so I agreed to join right away.

BK: Do you like it?
I do. During the first couple years, it was really good. I loved to do it. I meet new people every day. It’s good to see many types of people. But then again, after driving for eight years, I’m getting bored again. My life doesn’t have much excitement. It’s a lot of waiting around to drive.

BK: How is your work environment?
It used to be better a couple years ago. We had a lot of drivers, and I had to drive only once a day. Nowadays, I have to drive two times a day because there are fewer drivers than in the past. They quit to do something else or drive for other operators. The number of operators has grown rapidly in recent years, so our customer numbers have also dropped.

BK: How do you start your day?
Our van service operates from 5am-8pm. If I have to start as the first driver of the day, I have to wake up at 4am and catch the first van from Petchaburi to Bangkok. If I have to drive from Bangkok early morning, I might just sleep in the car and drive to Petchaburi.

BK: How much do you earn?
I first started at B10,000 a month, but now they give me B12,000 a month.

BK: Have you ever had an accident?
Never. I drive fast but I don’t drive recklessly. I don’t like to drive close to other cars because that can lead to accidents.

BK: How do you feel about the gas price hike?
I’m OK with the hike, but the thing that I worry about is if gas will run out. We have recently faced this problem at gas stations, where they say they’ve run out of gas and we have to switch to diesel. The prices are so different—B1,000 versus B400 for a full tank . Anyway, I think the people who will really worry about the hike are our customers, because when gas prices go up, we have to raise our fares. The burden falls on the customers.

BK: Do you ever want to do something else?
Not really. I might stop driving next year and go home to help my family business. We sell coconuts.