Aon shows promise
By Natchanok Kaewsuriyaporn
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb
Did you know
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The Star has a great reputation for turning rookie singers into celebrities and has maintained high ratings since it began in 2003.
Chiang Mai native Korakot Tunkaew (Aon) chased his dream of becoming a professional singer by participating in The Star contest five times before becoming a runner-up on The Star 9. The 22-year-old singer eventually captivated viewers with his splendid performances of rock songs.
Student Weekly recently met up with Aon at the Exact office, where he told us all about his singing experience and his debut single, the slow rock song “Mai Rub Pak Tae Ja PaYaYam (I Can’t Promise, But I Will Try).”
Student Weekly: Is it true that your father is a loyal fan of The Star?
Aon: Yes. My father has watched The Star since season one, so he was happy to see me singing on the show. That’s why I entered the competition so many times.
Student Weekly: Did your father expect you to become a professional singer?
Aon: I actually had a band and performed at pubs before, but my dad didn’t want me to work at night. He thought The Star would provide better opportunities, so he encouraged me to participate on the show.
Student Weekly: Did you ever feel discouraged after entering The Star five times?
Aon: Never. I always thought I had a chance to do well. My objective was to perform for the judges and listen to their comments. I really wanted to know what they thought of my singing.
Student Weekly: How did you prepare yourself to audition for The Star 9?
Aon: I prepared songs that would allow me to express my personality and musical style for the judges.
Student Weekly: What did you learn from your experience on The Star?
Aon: I developed my skills in singing and dancing, as well as my social skills. It was also great to share ideas with other contestants.
Student Weekly: Since you’re quite a chilled out person, was it hard for you to adjust to becoming a professional singer?
Aon: I had to become more enthusiastic. During the programme, I used to cry because I couldn’t do what my singing trainer taught me. I had to make myself determined to succeed.
Student Weekly: How did you feel about fans matching you up with other contestants as imaginary couples?
Aon: We were all close, so I was happy with it. I’m close to Tum because we have similar lifestyles and we get along well. Dew is from northern Thailand like me, so we speak northern dialect with each other. And Cherreen is good at massage and likes to take care of everybody. She always gave me a massage when I was feeling tired.
Student Weekly: What was it like working on your first single, “I Can’t Promise, But I Will Try”?
Aon: It took me about six hours to record. It was difficult using different techniques and expressing my feelings at the same time. I first heard the song at midnight then had to record it next morning, so I didn’t have much time to learn it. I have to thank my producer for helping me out.
Student Weekly: Why did you decide to study Information Technology at university?
Aon: I like computers and I’m interested in taking care of a computer system for an organisation. In the future, I’d like to work in both show business and the IT field, because I don’t know how far I can go in showbiz.
Vocabulary
- reputation (n): the opinion that people have about what somebody or something is like, based on what has happened in the past
runner-up (n): a person or team that finishes second in a race or competition
captivate (v): to keep somebody’s attention by being very interesting, exciting, etc.
splendid (adj): very good and impressive
loyal (adj): remaining faithful to somebody or something and supporting them or it
objective (n): something that you are trying to achieve
determined (adj): to have made a firm decision to do something and to not let anything stop you
dialect (n): the form of a language that is spoken in one area with grammar, words and pronunciation that may be different from other forms of the same language
massage (n): the action of rubbing and pressing a person’s body with the bands to reduce pain in the muscles and joints
