Stunned singer

Tui is taken aback

By Wasita Cespedes
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb and True Fantasia

Back in 2006, after winning season three of the Academy Fantasia contest, singer Kiatkamol Lata (Tui) released his hit single, “Oak Hak Mai Wa (I Can Handle the Heartbreak).” A year later, Tui took on acting with his first comedy series, Phoo Gong Yod Rak (Beloved Captain), which won the most popular TV series prize at the Kom Chad Luek awards.

After filming two upcoming comedy TV shows — Rodfai, Rueamay, Likay and Gongthay

(Train, Public Boat, Thai Folk Dance Theatre and Film Set) and Prom Dan San Rak (My Dear Land), Tui returned to his music. He’s now busy promoting his latest single, “Ngerb (Stunned).”

Student Weekly recently caught up Tui at the True Fantasia office to ask him about his latest single and his acting career.

Student Weekly: Can you tell us about your new single, “Ngerb [Stunned]”?

Tui: I’ve always sung sad songs about heartbreak, but I wanted a fun song for my live performances. The producer and I came up with the word ngerb, which means stunned and taken aback. In the video, I meet an attractive girl, but turns out that she’s already taken. But what shocks the guy more is that she turns out to be transgender. The leading actress is the 2014 Miss Tiffany’s Universe, Nissa Katerahong [Noey].

Student Weekly: What was it like working with Noey?

Tui: She was easy to work with. Her appearance is flawless. She was perfect for the video. I sometimes really thought that she was a woman.

Student Weekly: As an actor, how do you feel about taking on several different roles at the same time?

Tui: When I first started acting, I acted in as many shows as the executives offered me. But as time went by, I realised that taking on several acting jobs at a time was unproductive. Filming three or four shows simultaneously made the quality of my work suffer.

I once had to play a nice, funny guy and a crazy villain at the same time. The characters were totally contrasting. People aren’t machines, and we can’t change our emotions immediately. It’s possible to try, but the end result is never as good as it could be.

Student Weekly: Which style of acting do you think suits you the most?

Tui: I think it’s best if actors can play all kinds of roles. I’ve never been in an action series, although I’ve had some action scenes before. I’d like to try an action series or a ghost series. I heard that actors in ghost dramas have to work from 6 pm to 6 am. I want to see what that’s like.

Student Weekly: How do you feel about working as an ambassador for the World Health Organization’s World TB Day?

Tui: I’m delighted. I’d never done any social service work before. Being a tuberculosis ambassador requires me to research the disease. My responsibility is to provide accurate information about tuberculosis to the public. The disease is not that terrifying if the patient has discipline and proper treatment. It can be cured in five or six months.

Student Weekly: Did you enjoy performing in the US?

Tui: That was about four years ago, and it was my first time touring overseas. I performed at restaurants in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. People there mostly knew me from my TV acting. I felt honoured that people were willing to pay to see me perform in the US. This year, I’ll be touring Europe and performing in Sweden, Norway and Switzerland.

Student Weekly: What was the best thing about being an AF contestant?

Tui: All the AF contestants learned determination, commitment and precision. We always had one week to learn to sing, dance and perform a challenging song. It didn’t matter how hard it was. Doing that taught the AF contestants lots of basic skills. We became capable of handling things in a short period of time without compromising the quality of the work.

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