Just over a year ago, Rangsan Panyaruan, aka Songkran, wowed The Voice audience and coaches with his hard rocking yet soulful vocals. Thanks to his talent and the watchful guidance of his Voice coach — prolific singer-songwriter Apiwat “Stamp” Eurthavornsuk — Songkran pushed through to win the competition.
Photos by Thanarak Khunton
A few months earlier, he was selling grilled meatballs.
Now, a year on from that life-changing moment and Noom crowned the Season 3 winner, Songkran is making movies. He is one of the stars in the ensemble romantic comedy Rak Mod Gaew (Love on the Rocks), which opens in cinemas on Thursday, Christmas day. Still, Songkran cannot help but look back at the experience of The Voice and see it as surreal, saying he received more than he ever imagined.
“Imagine you saw a movie — say it was The Avengers. Have you ever thought of being one of those heroes in the movie?” he said, in what at first sounded like a set-up for a joke.
“And imagine if one day some kind of god came to you and said, ‘Hey, you’re chosen. I’ll give you the power to help people.’ Then it goes bam, and here you are, becoming one of those characters in the movie you just saw. How would you feel? Stunned, right? That was basically how I felt while I was being on the show. I think I was that baffled. I really don’t know how else I can put together a proper explanation for you.”
Having struggled with financial hardship in the past, the singer from Nakhon Ratchasima needed to hold down several jobs during his teens, one of which was selling grilled meatballs — a job which became his trademark later on.
“I had no time to do anything else except work. I never thought one day I would be on TV and do things people in TV do, let alone going as far as winning such a grand competition like The Voice.”
Songkran revealed what drove him to push the “go for it” button. “My initial goal was only to get my name out there for the sake of my band. I only thought that if I got to appear on national television, people would recognise me and then our record sales would improve. So I went to the audition.”
He made the right decision. Songkran’s newfound success did help him make some money to pay the bills. And life after The Voice is working out well so far.
“It’s been great,” he said. “Now I can live my life much easier than before. I can finally take care of my family properly, and we don’t have to be entangled with a distressing calculation every time we spend money any more. I wish I could support my mum and grandma until the end.”
Post-show problems seem to be a hurdle that stars of any singing competition ultimately have to clear, because the audiences is waiting to see if a contestant’s original music will capture them the same way as the cover songs they sang on the show.
Fortunately in Songkran’s case, his first post-Voice release, Kong Mai Tun (Maybe it’s too late), which he wrote and composed himself, has been well received. The song managed to top several charts while its video on YouTube reached 100 million views.
As much as the spotlight has shone on him as a solo artist, Songkran is not the only one who has stayed busy. For the past year, Songkran has reunited with his indie band-mates, who he played with under the name Bantam before the popular TV show entered his life.
“I’ve been on tours with my band. We’ve performed around the country and it was a great experience. In fact, it’s going to be our 10th anniversary next year,” Songkran said proudly.
From his fierce rocker looks to the ancient warrior moustache, one might get the impression that Songkran belongs to the steely, hard-to-approach type. The 24-year-old singer pondered a little before giving a clarification.
“I think I’m not unapproachable,” he reflected. “However, going from my looks, I realise some people do think I must be a stuck-up guy. Especially if they saw me when I was deep in some serious thought, they probably assume I’m intimidating or trying to act cool and whatnot.
“But if you really get to know me, you’ll see that I’m not really dark and poised like that. I am, in fact, a mischievous kind of friend.”
He is lively company. Songkran was definitely in a great mood — bright and playful — throughout our chat, and at the same time exuded a steady, forthright confidence and clarity in his demeanour.
But Songkran said he had no interest in forming a public persona. After a year of getting used to the fishbowl that comes with being named The Voice winner, the singer assured Brunch that he is the same person inside. >>
>> “I don’t know how to be anything other than myself. I never want people to like me for what I’m not,” he said.
“Happily being myself at home, but suddenly changing to be someone else when I go out? That’s not how it works for me.”
Songkran’s latest gig does have something to do with pretending to be someone else. Rak Mod Gaew marks the singer’s first taste of being an actor.
Rak Mod Gaew relates complexities that creep into a no-strings-attached relationship between Fai-leaw (Pilaiporn “Namwan” Supinchompoo) and Bugjo (Napratch “Pond” Rattananit). Bugjo starts to form a deeper emotional bond beyond the sex-friend zone. The complicated romance is told in parallel with a frank portrayal of the urban drinking and partying culture.
The literally alcohol-fuelled flick was produced by M39, the production company behind charming year-end rom-coms like Bangkok Sweety, Fabulous 30, Sud Khet Saletpet and 32 December Error.
Songkran explained why he decided to jump into the project despite having very little acting experience.
“At first, I was confirmed to sing the movie’s soundtrack only. But then they asked me if I was interested to do some casting and to try out too. I did it and finally got picked for a role,” he said.
As for his film debut, Songkran admitted: “It was so much fun. I was so nervous, but I’m glad I got the chance to do it. It wasn’t hard, nor was it easy. The reason I’m saying it wasn’t that hard was because there’s about 80% of me in this character, so I was able to deliver the performance quite naturally.
“My character is called Jet. And just like me, he is a mischievous, rambunctious kind of guy. But compared to me, Jet is on another level in terms of over-reacting,” Songkran laughed.
“I’m not as wild as him. He got dumped by girls over and over. And enjoying a few drinks with a group of friends is his way of therapy,” added Songkran. “This movie provides you with a wide array of emotions. All of the actors were great, especially Namwan and Pond.
“I can guarantee you will see something more than just revellers getting drunk. Even if you’ve totally abstained from alcohol, you may find from this movie a sensible reason to drink. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”
Although he’s starting small, Songkran is obviously happy to be an ensemble player alongside senior singer-turned-actors Marsha Vadhanapanich, Pongsak “Aof” Ratanapong and Pongkul Seubchua, or “Pop Calories Blah Blah”.
The new actor shared his feeling about having these top names as his “drinking buddies”.
“They are such nice people. How lucky for a stumbling rookie like me to get to be in the same movie as them. I definitely felt welcomed,” he said. “They made my first acting experience even more meaningful.”
The film-makers certainly did not recruit The Voice to only show off his acting ability. Songkran also features in the movie’s soundtrack with a cover of the break-up anthem Jai Nak Leng by Pongpat Wachirabanjong. “Yes, I did a cover of Jai Nak Leng. My version is quite different from the original. No lingering ‘good old days’ memory, only pure anger,” the singer chuckled.
But Rak Mod Gaew is not the only iron he has in the fire for the rest of the year. Songkran revealed that another bad-love track is on course to arrive at the end of this month.
When asked whether it is a mere coincidence or if there is specific love-gone-wrong inspiration behind the constantly passionate and heartbreaking songs he’s done since his Voice days, Songkran replied: “All of the sad songs I’ve sung are not entirely autobiographical. It’s just that I’m easily drawn into sad lyrics and melodies.
“These type of songs are absolutely my cup of tea. I don’t think I suit other genres. Just imagine me singing bossa or R&B songs.” He couldn’t even finish the sentence before shaking his head in denial.
As Songkran continues to enjoy the success of his efforts since the show that let his talent shine in the national spotlight, he realised breaking out of The Voice’s mould has not been easy. However, he is convinced he can win this hard-fought battle sooner or later.
“What if I won a gold medal in some 4x100 relay, then should I be called ‘Songkran who won the 4x100 relay’ for the rest of my life? I certainly don’t want to get typecast as ‘a guy from The Voice’. I want to push past that and be known as Songkran Rangsan.
“But that’s not to say that I’m ever going to forget what The Voice did for me. I’m just excited to move forward with my career. There is a new season and new contestants coming out every year as you all know.
“At the end of the day, the show goes on as it’s always been, so why shouldn’t I?” n
