Young female singers from different countries were selected to lend their speaking and singing voices to the titular character of Moana, Disney's latest animated feature which opens today in Thai cinemas, in their own respective languages. In Thailand, the honour fell upon 19-year-old Thai-American singer Myra Molloy, who gushed that it was always a dream of hers to voice a Disney character.
"I kind of grew up with Disney movies," said Myra during an interview with Life conducted online. "Songs like Reflection from Mulan and Beauty And The Beast were really the first two songs that I ever started singing."
Disney's Moana marks the first time Myra has done a voice-over for an animated character -- a process she said was fun and enjoyable. For her work, she has seen the film three to four times and still finds herself laughing and crying every single time.
"The message is amazing, and the movie and the music is so beautiful. I just loved all of it," she said.
"[Moana] is very motivated. She loves her family. She is very outgoing and cheerful. And I see myself in her," Myra added, citing the similarities she shares with the Polynesian character.
The biggest difference between the two goes down to their pets.
"She has a pet pig and a pet chicken," Myra sighed. "I only have a pet dog."
Thai audiences would be most familiar with the young singer from the first season of Thailand's Got Talent -- a nationwide competition in which Myra won when she was 13. While it called for a celebration, her victory also drew harsh criticism.
Myra auditioned for the show with a beautiful rendition of the Italian-English classic Time To Say Goodbye. Still, many didn't think her choice of operatic pop and Western classical-crossover, as well as English songs, would be popular enough in Thailand to win a show that thrives on popular votes.
Some were outraged at the result and even accused her family of pouring money into the votes to buy their daughter the title.
It's been six years from that point, and Myra said she has walked away from the backlash without so much as a glance behind.
"Not everyone's gonna love you," she said quite matter-of-factly. "Haters are always out there. It didn't matter. It doesn't matter, and will never matter to me because I know there are people out there who love and support me. I believe in what I do. And so many other people -- so much more than the haters -- believe in what I do. There's no point listening to the negativity when there's so much out there for you to keep you going."
The singer later moved to the US to pursue her singing and acting career seriously. And while she may have faded from the Thai showbiz scene, Myra began to bloom elsewhere. In the US, she was placed sixth on Rising Star -- ABC channel's reality TV singing comp in 2014. She also joined the cast of HBO Asia's fantasy thriller series Halfworlds earlier this year.
Over the course of her short though spectacular career, Myra has sung at an Andrea Bocelli concert, and even performed with the likes of David Foster and Kenny G. She deems it all an extremely overwhelming experience, while also admitting that she was trembling inside, even if she may appear a calm and collected professional singer on stage.
"I'm always nervous every time I have to sing," she revealed. "I'll never not be nervous. At the same time, there's also this extreme sense of pride and gratefulness in what I get to do. I'm really proud that I was able to do all these things. Every time I think about it, I was like, how did I do that? That was so scary."
The singer said she grew up listening to jazz, classical and pop, and of course Disney music. She's also fond of indie pop and rock.
"I have such an eclectic taste in music." And she can't tell what her favourite song is as it is always changing. If given the chance, Myra said she would love to collaborate with Australian artist Flume and perform with indie rock talents like Young the Giant and James Bay.
"I don't wanna say Beyoncé because she'll probably make me faint and die on stage!"
To keep her voice and her vocal range of F3 to C6 in check, Myra said she tries to practice and do vocal warm ups daily.
"People asked me, 'Do you not eat anything or drink something to help?'. No, I eat chips. I drink soda. But I guess if I were to go on stage and sing, I'd probably drink lots of water, and warm my voice up."
Currently, Myra is studying singing and songwriting at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. To be able to do what she loves every day is a privilege she acknowledges that not many people get, and not something many would support either. For this, she thanks her parents for allowing her to pursue her dreams.
"I think my life is good right now and I hope it'll keep getting better."
The young soprano was quick to say she has no definite plan for the future.
"I just let things happen the way they should happen -- just go with the flow, and hopefully something good will come along. But that doesn't mean you should stop working hard. You should still work hard and just hope for the best.
"Don't give up on your dreams," Myra insisted. "It may take time, but you never know what opportunities will come your way. Don't ever stop doing what you believe in, because something good will come out of it if you believe in yourself and are passionate in what you do."
