It's very easy to see why people are so taken with Chanon Yodhong. As the sole art director for Genie Records under GMM Grammy, Chanon, 32, works closely with the likes of Bodyslam, Big Ass and Cocktail, a few of Thailand's biggest rock bands, and also holds strong personal relationships with these musicians, which pushes him, reluctantly, under the spotlight.
With long hair, a lithe body covered in tattoos and big doe eyes that seem to beg for affection, Chanon is handsome in a roguish, bad boy kind of way. Lately, he has also been teased for his newfound "net idol" status _ his social media updates attracting many Likes and considerable amounts of comments from strangers when he posts cheeky details of his life, insults directed towards his friends, and his thoughts and slightly dirty jokes, which offer flashes of his sense of humour, easy-going temperament and kindness that are easily detected when meeting him face-to-face. Chanon's extreme nights out are often documented, at times going viral.
"I think it's because I work with really famous bands, and so the fans tend to know me as well," he said. "Also, I go out and meet people all the time. I like to have fun, as a lot of people know. At first, I wasn't really comfortable that more people began to recognise me. Some take pictures of me in paparazzi styles, while some say the weirdest things to me on the internet.
"It got to the point that I wanted to close all my social media accounts because I didn't want to get big-headed, or swept up by this public interest, but my wife said I should just relax and learn to ignore things that I don't like because social media is useful when it comes to publicise my works. And I am happy that people like my works enough to want to take pictures with me."
Chanon not only designs all record sleeves to print and social media materials for all artists signed to Genie Records, but he also takes on freelance work and has his own T-shirt line, Dogkillmen, which has been selling like hotcakes.
Chanon's hard-edged, rockish style is a perfect fit for Genie Records, which houses many different kinds of rock bands.
"Basically, I transform music into visuals. I think I am quite lucky that I am friends with the artists as well, so I know them intimately, and that helps a lot. It's a lot of talking and spending time together.
"I am also quite lucky that all our bands have distinct styles and characters. I don't really create anything new for them, but I pull out what's already inside them and turn that into visuals," he said.
Chanon's job description does not require him to design album sleeves, but he asks to do so, because it's one of his childhood dreams.
Growing up in a musical household with few toys, Chanon played with vinyl records and CDs while his peers slaved away with video games. He spent his time studying the albums' artwork as well as listening closely to whatever music was available at home. Record sleeves became his passion and he developed an interest in drawing, but his family pushed him to take an academic route. Chanon passed an entrance examination to study engineering, but it didn't turn out exactly the way his parents had hoped.
"After one year, I was retired. I didn't understand anything I was studying," Chanon said. "It was too difficult. So when I flunked out, my father sat me down and gently told me to study whatever I wanted, and to pursue my interests and passions."
Chanon then enrolled in Bangkok University's Fine and Applied Arts Faculty, majoring in communication design, where he could concentrate on his drawing and graphic design. Upon graduation, Chanon worked full-time with different companies, but when his friends decided to throw a concert, he was called in to help with art direction and design. That was when music shops spotted his potential and began commissioning him. Genie Records came calling in 2009.
"All the puzzles fitted right there and then. I gave up everything and joined the company because this was my opportunity of a lifetime. I am so fortunate to get to do what I've always wanted to do, and I'm loving it beyond words can describe," Chanon said.
Working under a giant corporation can sometimes pose difficulties, especially when it comes to artistic freedom and the complicated chain of command, but Chanon never feels any restrictions in his surroundings. He keeps his own schedules and attends official meetings only when needed.
"Once again, I am lucky that I work with really cool people who share the same wavelength as I do. I also think about the audience, of course. I don't expect them to understand the underlying meanings, but I just want them to say if this is pretty or not pretty. When they understand what I try to convey to them, it's a plus," said Chanon. "There are times, of course, when I don't particularly care for some music that I have to design for, or I don't know the artists very well. It usually happens when I take on outside works. I try to pick bands that I like, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. But then after talking to the artists and management, I'll do a lot of research into what their fans want, and what their fans expect out of them to find what would be the best results."
For aspiring music designers, Chanon suggests strongly that they must love music before anything else.
"It has a lot to do with your musical tastes," he said. "You really have to have a thirst for music, new and old. Also, passion is very important. Then again, passion is important in every job in this world. It's another must. As for me, sometimes I feel like I've achieved my dreams of designing album sleeves, and I always ask myself, 'Where next?'. But the answer is always I will continue to do this until my ideas run out. I always find fault in my works, so I won't stop until everything is perfect, and I can't find any mistakes."
