Likay a lot

Likay a lot

Ann Mitchai has promoted her new album Priyavatar in India, the US and Thailand

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
Likay a lot
Ann Mitchai in the video for Live My Life My Way. (Photos courtesy of AMC WORLD)

Bollywood is one of the world's most competitive movie industries, making Thai viewers and the media alike excited to see Thai performers be a part of it. So when musical folk drama and likay actress Priya Samanabaramee, aka Ann Mitchai, became part of the industry in 2013, starring in Ishk Actually, her fans were thrilled.

However, after this great opportunity, the 33-year-old Thai performer has turned to singing, which allows her to do what she loves: live shows.

"I have grown up working on live shows. They are great fun. I once was seriously sick and vomited in a waiting room. Yet, stepping onstage and seeing a lot of audience members, I forgot my sickness," Ann said happily.

Recognised from Ishk Actually's soundtrack Lucky Tonight, Ann released several English-language singles, such as Live My Life My Way and Dance Like We're Crazy, under Universal Music India, which introduced her as the "Queen Of Likay". Recently, the Thai singer made a surprise decision by leaving the giant music label to the Mumbai and Chicago-based music company Red Winds Productions.

"I am happy with the deal. If the recent contract expires, I will earn copyright on all of my songs. Red Winds Productions is good at producing live shows. The CEO of the company admired my likay musical show, which I would like to perform for international audiences," the Thai performer said in explaining the reasons she chose Red Winds.

Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb

Under Red Winds Productions, Hindi, Thai and English language album Priyavatar officially released in Mumbai this month, and will be promoted in India, US and Thailand.

"The album title Priyavatar means Priya playing several roles such as being a likay performer and an Indian singer. The main language in the album is Hindi because Indian listeners prefer Hindi to English-language songs, but there is the Thai edition for my Thai fans."

Learning Hindi is still an obstacle for the singer, though she has been learning the language for six years. In Priyavatar, Ann chose to work with celebrated Bollywood composer Chirantan Bhatt, who composed her 2013 hit soundtrack Lucky Tonight in Ishk Actually. On this six-track album, Chirantan composed the first single, Mannhua Naughty (Naughty Heartbeat). Working with the professional composer helped ensure a high quality of work.

"Chirantan is amazing. He takes the job seriously, but creates a fun atmosphere in a studio. He encouraged me to sing out difficult words. He always said they weren't that hard, so I wasn't worried and stuck on some words which were difficult to pronounce," Ann said.

In Thailand, popular stars don't really have their privacy. If they are in public places, people flock to them or take photos or ask for autographs. Ann has lots of fans in the Kingdom and they can get close to her easy. How about in India?

The Thai singer explained that Indian celebrities don't hang out in public places. If they appear in public for work, they will leave immediately after an event is over. Security guards always watch out to protect them. A manager warned Ann to not go out alone, but she didn't listen to him.

"While staying in India, I felt bored and decided to go to a temple. After making merit, I was swarmed by people. My driver tried to get me, but there were too many people and they tried to grab me. I was scratched and bled. In India, if you dress up beautifully, people would ask to take photos with you. So, if they know you're a performer, they will suddenly crowd you," Ann said.

Things may be different from her motherland, but Ann considers working in India a challenge. In the Land of Smiles, she has worked on several types of performances -- likay, lakhorn, movies. The Thai performer eagerly wanted to try something new. After learning Hindi, which she thought was very tough, Ann found Gujarati much more difficult. Ann practised Gujarati to perform a song about nonviolence, Vaishnava Janato, as a Thai representative at the United Nations in order to mark Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary and the international day of nonviolence on Oct 2 last year.

Ann Mitchai produced and performed Ajatashatru.

Her great effort on singing Vaishnava Janato was noticeable. The prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, uploaded the video on his YouTube account and tweeted about it. India's Ministry of External Affairs sent her a letter of felicitation to express its appreciation to her performance. The singer has become a cultural ambassador who performs at Indian festivals in Thailand such as the recent religious celebration Dipawali.

"Singing Vaishnava Janato was one of my proudest moments. I'm happy to be a cultural ambassador. I think this will help people know more about Thailand."

Ann's future plan is to work in India as much as in Thailand, but she will concentrate on singing and likay rather than other performances.

"I was offered several roles in Bollywood movies, but I turned them down because the characters were too sexy. I already wore a bikini in Ishk Actually. I don't want viewers to think Thai women can play only sexy characters. I also have an offer to play a goddess in a TV drama about gods, but filming a TV drama takes a long time. If I accept the part, I won't have time to work on other stuff."

Having grown up in a well-known likay family, Ann aims to continue to produce likay shows, but her show Likay The Musical has been developed to mix Thai and Bollywood dances. Since 2017, the singer produced two Likay The Musical episodes -- Ajatashatru and Amrapali -- adapted from Hindi stories. Two Bollywood actors, Himanshu Soni and Abhiram Nain, also starred in the show last year.

"I want likay to be easy to watch," she said, "so I mix two cultures together. I don't care if some people criticise me for still performing likay after breaking into international showbiz. I have a solid background in likay and will keep my distinctiveness. This month, I will tour India for my album, and likay will be a part of my performance in order to present my own identity."

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