Hers history

Female trio find fame

By Tatat Bunnag
Photos by Varuth Hiranyatheb
and courtesy of What the Duck

After seven years in the shadows, the all-girl acoustic pop trio Hers is now loving life in the spotlight.

The three members hail from various backgrounds and have different tastes and styles, yet they share a common and strong bond — their love of music. They met in 2009 when their songwriting and musical styles clicked.

Over the years, the group — singer Chollada Thongbai (Ploy), 24, guitarist Nattaradee Patmeteeporn (Jeans), 24, and percussionist Natchaya Taneg-on (Gig), 26 — began performing cover songs at bars and events around the city before catching the eyes of Singto Numchoke and producer Kijjasak Triyanond (Kijjaz) who invited them to sign with What the Duck.

Hers’ debut single “Luem Pai Laew (Forgotten),” a groovy acoustic pop tune that questions the end of a relationship, is currently climbing the pop charts.

Student Weekly recently had the opportunity to chat with Hers who gave us the lowdown on their music and friendship.

Student Weekly: How did the band come together?

Ploy: We met each other before we entered university. We all studied in the Faculty of Music at Srinakharinwirot University, where everybody seems to have their own band. We stayed in the same dormitory and had nothing fun to do, so we decided to form a band. That was seven years ago.

Jeans: At first, it was just Ploy and I playing together around Bangkok. We love to play live so we didn’t care if we’d get paid or play for free. Then we started looking for a rhythm section, and invited Gig to join on drums and percussion.

Student Weekly: Why did you decide to name your band Hers?

Gig: Hers represents all three female members in the band and music from a women’s perspective.

Ploy: We used to be called Thirteenth Floor after where our rehearsal space was located. [Laughs.]

Student Weekly: How did you guys get signed to What the Duck Records?

Jeans: I first met producer Kijjaz a few years ago when I joined the Thailand Ukulele Contest, where he was one of the judges. I think it was 2012.

Gig: We met him again when we were the house band at a bar called Stu-fe’. Kijjaz and Singto Numchoke were there and they seemed to enjoy our set, so they asked if we were interested to release music with them.

Student Weekly: Who are some of your musical influences?

Jeans: I think all of us love many kinds of music, especially pop, soul and R&B.

Gig: There are artists we are all big fans of, such as Beyoncé and Adele. And we love local artists like Singto Numchoke, ETC and Thee Chaiyadej.

Student Weekly: Can you tell us about your new single, “Forgotten”?

Gig: “Forgotten” is an acoustic pop song. Jeans came up with the chord structure and we got Tum from Monotone to help with the lyrics.

Ploy: It’s a song about when we question our self when a relationship ends, like what happened to the person we used to share time with? Where are they now? It’s basically a sad song, but not too sad.

Student Weekly: How would you describe a typical Hers performance for anybody who hasn’t seen you live?

Ploy: Although we’ve been playing live for a long time, we have to admit that we’re still getting used to being known. We used to play in bars and nobody knew who we were, but now people know us and really pay attention when we perform, which makes us a bit nervous.

Gig: Normally we’re really fun when we play live. We’ve all been friends for a long time, so we joke around and tease each other a lot. A Hers show has friendly and intimate vibes.

Student Weekly: Do you have any exciting events coming up?

Ploy: We’re meeting press to promote our single at the moment. Then we’ll tour around schools and campuses.

Gig: We have a surprise too, but it's a secret now. Keep it locked on our Facebook or Instagram pages for Hers updates.

 

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