The way she moves

The way she moves

After the frenzy over her twerking, Lamyai Haithongkham remains one simple thing — the hardest-working 19-year-old

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
The way she moves
Supansa Wedkama, 19, a singer who goes by the stage name Lamyai Haithongkham. (Photos by Jetjaras Na Ranong)

What's life like as the most in-demand luk thung star of the moment? After an unexpected catapult to national fame following PM Prayut Chan-o-cha's comment on her twerking, after a frenzy of media coverage sensationalising her stage name and persona, and after becoming an accidental symbol of youth and freedom, 19-year-old Lamyai Haithongkham has only one simple wish: more time to sleep.

"All my free time goes to sleeping on the van nowadays. I use my voice a lot. And if I don't take a rest, my voice will go," said Supansa Wedkama, the Isan-born singer behind the stage name Lamyai Haithongkham.

Video by Jetjaras Na Ranong and Melalin Mahavongtrakul


Supansa, and her Lamyai persona, are best known for sexy, hip-thrusting twerks and revealing outfits, as well as her dance hit Phu Sao Kha Loh (Fun-Loving Girl), which has garnered 300 million views on YouTube since its release. The song is sung entirely in Isan dialect, and is now a hit at every club, pub, karaoke bar and party all over the country.

Supansa Wedkama, 19, a singer who goes by the stage name Lamyai Haithongkham. Jetjaras Na Ranong

When Life recently met Supansa before a concert in Rangsit, the singer said she'd just flown back from the North that morning to attend a photo shoot in the afternoon. At 7pm, she was scheduled for the Rangsit concert. Later that night, she hopped on her van for Si Racha in Chon Buri for another two gigs, taking her well past midnight.

Supansa's manager said her schedule is booked every day until next year. She's also due to appear in two movies: one with Sahamongkol Film studio, the other Phu Sao Kha Loh The Movie -- an independent film and spin-off from her hit, to be produced by the singer's label.

In short, she's one of the hardest-working 19-year-olds in Thailand.

Before stardom took over, the singer was just a student who would sing part-time at events and weddings. That is, until she was discovered by Prachak Naowarat -- managing director of Haithongkham Record and now Supansa's manager and producer -- and became famous with her Fun-Loving Girl tune.

When Prachak first met his would-be star, she was singing at a beer garden.

"She was dancing onstage, making, like, 300 baht a show," he said. That was all in the past, of course. A full show with Supansa and her team of musicians and dancers now costs about 90,000 baht. Recently, the singer was able to purchase a new home for her family after living in an old rental house.

But not everyone is a fan of her hip-thrusting show. Back in June, the luk thung superstar made headlines when Gen Prayut criticised her to the media for all the twerks and inappropriate attire. Following the PM's outcry, the Ministry of Culture sent a letter to the label asking for its co-operation to be more decent. Suddenly, the coverage of Lamyai Haithongkham's clothes became a national matter that raised eyebrows in amusement.

Supansa and the label readily obliged the PM's words. In her shows now, all the hip-thrusting moves have been toned down, her clothes less revealing, in an attempt to produce a show more suitable to all ages.

While she accepted what she called "constructive criticism" from the military junta, it was quite clear during our talk that all the sexiness was never a problem for her. It's not something degrading or outrageous. She is just going with the industry flow.

"We are doing what everyone else is doing," said Supansa. "And it's not limited to luk thung or molam. Sexiness infuses all genres of music. It's just a matter of how we're going to incorporate it or adapt it to suit different kinds of work."

What she said is not too far off reality. In international music, sexual innuendo, suggestive dances and skimpy outfits have long featured in both lyrics and videos. Thailand is no exception, whether it's mainstream pop or rural luk thung.

Rustic stages in local temple fairs, or even weddings, funerals, ordinations or grand birthday celebrations, may just be some of the best places to see coyote showgirls and scantily clad dancers grinding away onstage. And Thais will remember the previous luk thung hit -- the most controversial to date -- Khan Hu (Itchy Ears), from about five years ago, in which the female singer put her hand on her crotch, all the while moaning loudly for the cheering crowd. The song and video clips of her performing it went viral throughout the country.

Cutting down on the hip-thrusting moves, the singer now features the 'bending bridge' in one of her songs. Jetjaras Na Ranong

Going even further back, listeners can pick up sexual innuendo hiding in the words of past luk thung hits, even those from the legendary Pumpuang Duangjan.

Sexiness indeed draws crowds. Prachak, the producer, agrees with this, though he was quick to say it's not everything.

"About three years ago, the industry pretty much competed with songs that have hidden sexual meanings and sexy moves. The market was there. Every label was in on it. And there is a consumer base for it."

But, now, he feels the trend has changed, shifting and opening up more space for fresh and unique characters, not just traditional pretty faces. Globally, we have seen figures like Psy (Gangnam Style) and Pikotaro (Pen Pineapple Apple Pen) winning over the world in recent years.

Locally, Prachak pointed to another of his prodigies, 18-year-old Chutima "Arm" Sodapak, who penned Fun-Loving Girl. The young singer-songwriter has her own hit, Adeet Khoey Phung (My Past Was Broken), which has garnered 127 million views on YouTube. And hers is an image in stark contrast to that of Lamyai Haithongkham, often seen performing her ballad in black shirt, jeans and scarf. "People now seek a character that is raw and new," Prachak opined. "You can be fat and old -- anything -- but you've got to have something new to offer. A singer doesn't need to be sexy. It now depends on whether the music is right and new, and whether it can grab listeners. There's really no definite way to say which combination works best, or sells best, with the crowd."

To strive in the music industry is no longer about releasing an album and hoping for the best. Once a single hit works its magic, it's the live show's turn to take over.

"We don't make money from digital downloads and ringtones anymore. Music is now about the ability to entertain, not so much on how full or professional the sound is."

Prachak then recalled the humble origin of the 300-million-views Fun-Loving Girl. Starting small, low-cost and independent -- as he put it -- the crew was making video clips on smartphones and editing them on a second-hand computer. They later put it on YouTube, an online platform open for all to present their works to the world.

The onset of social media also served to decentralise the monopoly within the music industry. From just a few big labels sharing the market in the past decades, Prachak said there are now many independent figures popping up. People are writing their own music, renting studios to record songs to release on their own.

"Everyone is his or her own label now," he said. "With access to online platforms like YouTube and Facebook Live, it puts everyone on equal ground. Listeners can connect to the artists directly, and vice versa."

Looking to the future, Prachak said he and the crew are under quite a bit of pressure to match the stride set by the Lamyai phenomenon.

"It's gonna be hard to top that," he admitted. "But we will try our best. If the new songs don't touch the people, we'll keep on making more. We just have to keep trying."

He is also unfazed by those who criticised Lamyai Haithongkham's quick rise, that she may just be famous and known for this one hit song, soon to fade away like those before her.

Getting here at all, according to Prachak, is a once-in-a-lifetime shot only a few have been lucky enough to experience.

"Many people have been here their whole life without a single hit," he said. "To have just a single hit in your lifetime -- I think those singers should consider themselves fortunate already."

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