Going solo

Daniel does his own thing

Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb and courtesy of Sanamluang Music
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb and courtesy of Sanamluang Music

Daniel does his own thing

Penny Time and City Plant are popular acts on the local indie scene. One factor that has helped them to win fans is the talent and charisma of Daniel Didyasarin, the frontman of both bands. You’d think it would be very tiring being in two bands. But for the hardworking Daniel, it’s not enough.

The young singer-songwriter has recently released his debut solo single, “Koy Doo (Waiting to See You)” on GMM Grammy’s Sanamluang Music label.

This is a departure from the sound that we have come to expect from him with Penny Time. “Waiting to See You” is a catchy acoustic indie pop tune that deals with the painful emotions we all go through when we know a relationship is ending.

S Weekly caught up with the young singer-songwriter to talk about his new music.

How did you come to do a solo project?

Daniel: I feel like I’ve entered a new era in my music career. Recently, I’ve been writing many different pop songs and I don’t think they fit well with the Penny Time style. Most of these songs feature Thai lyrics, which I haven’t done before. So I thought it would be special to put them together and release them under my own name.

Why do you think these songs wouldn’t work with the band?

Daniel: Most of the songs I write for Penny Time start out as demos. I bring a new tune to the band to listen to. Then we finish the song together in the studio. But with these songs, I thought they already sounded great the way I’d recorded them. I didn’t want to change them or have anybody else play on them.

What is “Waiting to See You” about?

Daniel: I wrote this song when my relationship with my girlfriend at the time was in a really bad state. I went out to meet her and we had a big argument. When I got back home I wrote this song in about 30 minutes. Unfortunately, we’ve since broken up, but at least I have this song to show for it.

How would you describe your sound?

Daniel: It’s different from the music I make with Penny Time. The melodies might be similar, but the sound and production are very different. Before working on this project, I was listening to a lot of stuff by groups like Little Fox, Selina and Sirinya, My Post Life and Yellow Fang. That definitely inspired my work.

Is it easier to write lyrics in Thai than in English?

Daniel: No, it’s much harder. In the past, I couldn’t write in Thai at all. I didn’t speak much Thai growing up. I used English with my family and friends at high school. But now that I’m in university, my Thai is getting stronger. I’m much more confident using Thai in my music. It’s not perfect, but it sounds pretty good to my ears.

How did you end up releasing the single with Sanamluang Music?

Daniel: I self-released “Waiting to See You” a little while ago just for fun. One day the label heard the song on the radio and they contacted me to see if I’d be interested in working with them. They offered to help me do the PR and marketing and they gave me a lot of creative freedom. I thought it would be fun to work with a proper music label, so I said yes.

Are you planning to do anything with Penny Time soon?

Daniel: We’ve just released new song called “Jam.” And we’ll be going into the studio very soon to record a full album. So I expect to be very busy!

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Vocabulary

  • catchy: pleasing and easily remembered - น่าดึงดูด, ที่จำได้ง่าย
  • charisma: a strong personal quality that makes other people like them and be attracted to them - ที่มีเสน่ห์ดึงดูด
  • creative: involving a lot of imagination and new ideas - ซึ่งมีความคิดริเริ่ม, ซึ่งมีความคิดสร้างสรรค์
  • departure (noun): an action that is different from what is usual or expected - การแตกต่างจากปกติ หรือที่คาดไว้
  • era: a period of time that has a particular quality or character - ยุค, สมัย
  • melody: a tune, especially the main tune in a piece of music written for several instruments or voices, the arrangement of musical notes in a tune - ทำนองเพลง
  • state: condition - สภาพ
  • tiring (adj): making you feel the need to sleep or rest - น่าเหน็ดเหนื่อย, น่าเหนื่อยหน่าย
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