Setting the stage for a comeback

Setting the stage for a comeback

After a break from the spotlight, pop singer Sunita 'Beau' Leetikul is back headlining a star-powered show.

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
Setting the stage for a comeback

On the bus to school each morning in the early 1990s, Sunita "Beau" Leetikul would plug her ears, seal her lips and sing in her mind while imagining herself on stage. Sometimes she would be standing beside idols Aed Carabao or Asanee-Wasan, sometimes she would be belting out songs they wrote for her, always she had the audience in thrall.

"While my peers wanted to be doctors, nurses or soldiers, I dreamed of being a singer," Beau said. "When I watched music shows on TV and saw singers performing in front of the audience, I just knew that I wanted to be like them. The whole scene just looked so delightful to me. It was inspiring."

At 41, most of those dreams have come true -- and more than she imagined. Beau did get to sing beside Asanee-Wasan's Chotikul brothers, and has delighted audiences from the moment in 1996 her debut album became the fastest to sell a million copies until her break to have a baby.

Now Beau is back, one of six platinum record holding women headlining the sold-out Laan Talap concert at the Royal Paragon Hall on Oct 7-9. She will be appearing alongside Christina Aguilar, Mai Charoenpura, Tata Young, Nat Myria and Nicole Theriault. Each are headliners in their own right, but none were quite the same overnight sensation as a 21-year-old Beau who rocketed to the stratosphere with her self-titled debut album. >>

>> "Yes, it was phenomenal," Beau said. "Of course, it's every company's goal to break a million sales records, but the thing is, for me it was a success from the very first day my album was released. I was so out of my mind when my producer [Tana "Pond" Lawasut] called me to tell me 800,000 copies of Beau had been sold, that I somehow responded, 'Well, that should be enough already.'

"Really I was so innocent and couldn't care less about business or figures. To have the music shared all around the country, and to be acknowledged by the listeners -- those were my actual milestones."

After releasing the traditional follow-up track to celebrate reaching the million sales mark, Kor Pen Khon Khong Ter (Let Me Be Yours), Beau's run of hits continued for a decade with a string of songs that put her at the top of the charts. In 2006, after her seventh studio album Music, Beau began to step away from music in order to focus on family.

"Well, raising a child is not the easiest job in the world, I'd say, especially with a kid like my daughter," she said, introducing seven-year-old Hani.

"Hani's very stubborn, just like her mum," she laughed. "And also very individualistic and outspoken.

"She's never afraid of expressing her thoughts, even if they contradict mine, which to me is a good thing because I'd like to know what her opinion is. And then it's up to me to refine her thoughts again later, to discuss which part is fine and which is not. I personally think every discussion between parents and kids need to be explained and explored, just like the way I always wanted my mum to. We can't just tell our kids 'don't do that!' without telling them the reason any more.

"Hani would tell everyone in school that her parents are celebrities. So I warned her not to say that because it sounds like bragging. And I don't like people who brag. Still, to this day she thinks she is a megastar."

The break, however, is not permanent. Beau said she never intended to say goodbye to music for good, and has kept recording and performing in a limited fashion since becoming a mother. She does admit to having bittersweet feelings about motherhood, as she wishes she could work more.

"When I go out, people always ask me, 'Where have you gone? We miss you a lot.'

"And I tell them, 'I sang on such-and-such a soundtrack', but in my heart I've always wished I could tell them news about my own new singles."

Her voice has been heard on the theme songs to popular soap operas, with the latest being Sak Wan Nam Ta Ja Mod Pai (One Day These Tears Will Be Gone) for Channel 3's much talked-about lakorn Luad Rak Tor Ra Nong. Still, a couple of songs from time to time are not enough for Beau.

"To tell you the truth, I did cry after seeing the two stripes [on the pregnancy test]. I even went as far as wondering if this baby is going to be able to make me love her more than I love music."

She said it was kind of a delightful yet upsetting moment for her.

"I asked myself, 'So, that's it? Seven studio albums?' Having a baby was definitely our plan. It was not, in any possible way, a sad thing. It couldn't be. I just felt that it was a pity I got to sing less than before. I mean, I was totally ready for work, but I was afraid people would assume I'm retiring or had enough with music.

"In my life I have only done one job, and that is being a singer. It's the only thing I can do and do well, so of course, I wish I could make songs as often as possible. But then again, I don't know if people are still waiting for that since, you know, we barely need to wait for anything in this high-speed society."

Patiently waiting for a new release from a favourite artist was part of the joy in the days Beau would block her ears on the school bus. She would save her allowance and rush to music stores at 7 or 8am on the day Christina, Mai or Billy Ogan had a new release and try to be the first to grab a copy.

"People in my generation, they not only like the song but also tended to express their love towards the artists. And obviously back then it was much more difficult to get in touch with artists than today. Now you can see your favourite artists everywhere through your smartphones, on YouTube or Instagram. Not to mention that these days download links are at the tip of your finger. You don't need to stand in line to buy cassettes or CDs any more.

DYNAMIC DUO: Beau and producer Tana 'Pond' Lawasut, who worked on her debut album. photo: Wisit Thamngern

"Not going to lie, it's very difficult. We used to have sales record as the measurement, but today everything is free -- watch for free, download for free -- so it's hard to see a concrete result.

"YouTube view counts probably reflect the most realistic feedback, I think. Still, it doesn't guarantee anything -- say, if you've got 10,000 views on your video, it doesn't mean that only 10,000 people have listened to your songs. People have different ways of consuming. Some listeners like the song even though they don't buy it. Some often use video-sharing sites and some just download illegally."

Beau said this made it harder for artists to assess how well they have done commercially, and difficult to know when performing whether audiences had even heard new material.

But while there are challenges, Beau is not one to stay stuck in the past and says she is excited by a number of young and emerging artists including Atom Chanagan, The Parkinson, Two Popetorn and South African-born Australian artist Troye Sivan.

"I'm still young at heart. And I think I'm kind of open to anything," she said.

"But I'd say artists used to be more treasured. Recently, I met a middle-aged fan who was totally in shock when she saw me. She teared up, so I calmed her down and asked to take a photo with her. I know her feelings because I was once a fan as well. I was a big fan of Billy Ogan, whom I think has the perfect combination of a rocker, natural swagger and recklessness in his language. I got emotional too when I met him for the first time."

Beau wonders whether members of the younger generation are too shy about showing how starstruck they are -- either through feeling intimidated or acting reserved so they are not seen as a groupie. She encourages fans to show their love if they get the chance to see their favourite stars.

"Go for it. Whenever I see such cases, I always encourage them, 'Come on, don't be shy! We don't get to see each other often.' I'm more than happy to be captured in the moment with my fans."

Beau's style stands in contrast to her contemporaries, being less edgy than "Sexy, Naughty, Bitchy" Tata Young or "Dancing Queen" Christina. Her voice has always been at the forefront of her act and image, and that hasn't wavered.

"Well, I realised that I couldn't pull off a full-blown girlish or sex-queen style like them, because I am not that type. I mean, I'm beauty loving but I don't usually wear skirts," she joked. "And I was lucky that my artist management team saw my singing potential first among other things so they played it up."

MIC CHECK: After a break, Sunita 'Beau' Leetikul is back headlining the sold-out Laan Talap concert. photo:SUPPLIED/GMM Grammy

SOUNDING OFF: Beau got to live out her dreams when she performed alongside the Chotikul brothers, below. photo: Toon Akkanibut

SEEING STARS: Christina Aguilar, Mai Charoenpura, Tata Young, Nat Myria and Nicole Theriault will join Beau as the six platinum record holders headline the Oct 7-9 Laan Talap concert. photos: Bkk Post Archive

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