'Well, I still don't know how I really got here," says Phum Viphurit, a Thai born, New-Zealand-raised singer-songwriter.
"Here" means international stardom. Phum, now on tour in the US and Europe, is struggling to explain why so many indie music lovers outside his homeland have fallen for his charms.
Maybe it's because of his groovy, catchy tunes in the pop-funk strand, or his trademark bright smile that shows his braces. But whatever it is, Phum is considered one of the newest Asian superstars. The singer has just returned from a successful Asia tour earlier this year with sold-out shows both in Hong Kong and South Korea where the crowd screamed his name and sang along to all his songs, which he wrote himself.
The 22-year-old singer is speaking to us while on his first European and US tour where he will be performing more than 20 shows across the two continents. One of the highlights will be at "Tropicalia Festival 2018" in Long Beach, California, on Nov 3 and 4, where Phum will be sharing the stage with big names in music such as Morrissey, Massy Star, Mac DeMarco, Toro Y Moi and Devendra Banhart, to name a few.
Phum Viphurit. Photos © Rats Records
Having grown up in a music-loving family, Phum started writing his own material at the age of 17. On returning to Thailand from New Zealand, he became a YouTuber where he uploaded his original and cover songs, and soon they attracted the attention of local independent label Rats Records. The label released his first full-length English language album last year, called Manchild, which Phum composed, produced and arranged himself. But his international fame still hadn't arrived until the release of two new singles, Long Gone and Lover Boy, with the accompanying retro VHS-styled music videos that have more than 22 million views and counting.
"When I released Long Gone around June last year, the single didn't seem to do that well here, but somehow it went viral online and attracted more listeners outside Thailand," says Phum.
"Then more and more promoters from different countries started contacting my label and invited me to go perform over there."
South Korea seems to be one of the places where people are embracing his music the most, and his concert in Hongdae in April sold out within three hours of tickets going on sale.
"I was really surprised that many people in Korea recognise me and ask to take photographs with me on the street, which rarely happens in Thailand. Maybe because the kind of music I play sits better with people's taste over there than here -- I'm not sure." Phum's music is known for well-blended retro and modern pop together with elements of mellow funk, soul and jazz thrown in for good measure, then topped with his reverb-soaked, jangling electric guitars and soulful vocals.
"I listen to all kinds of music, old or new," he says. "I grew up listening to soul, disco and Motown from my mom's music collection, and then I discovered artists like Maroon 5 or Jason Mraz and Mac DeMarco as I got older, and all these influences and sounds just organically blended together in my head when I tried to write a song."
Phum Viphurit Rats Records
Phum believes that the secret for his songwriting is to be open-minded to all kinds of music and try to discover something new to listen to all the time. And musical open-mindedness has led him on many new musical journeys, including his collaboration with Japanese hip hop artist STUTS.
"I met Yuya Kita the first time when STUTS was an opening act at one of my shows in Shibuya in April," he recalls.
"Yuya approached me after the show to give me one of his albums, and asked me if I'm interested to collaborate with him at some point, so I said of course. Three months later he emailed me an instrumental track and asked me to write melody and words on top of it, and the rest is history."
That collaboration became Dream Away, a smooth R&B song tinged with groovy hip hop beats which proves Phum's talent and his ability to do something outside his comfort zone. The track and video premiered on Sept 5 and promptly received critical acclaim.
"It was definitely a surreal experience, and I am very fortunate to have worked with many creative people in music," he says. "I'd love to do something like this more often, maybe with Thai artists. I'm a big fan of Napat Snidvongs' music, so it would be nice to get to work with him in the future if possible."
Lover Boy was the first single from Phum's soon-to-be-released sophomore album which he said should be slightly different from his debut.
"To me, Manchild was like a kid writing his diary," he explains. "It was full of emotion and stories about heart-aching and whining. I also used to worry a lot about how to write songs to satisfy listeners and forgot about being myself and having fun. So the new album should change all that. I plan to put out a few more singles before its official release early next year."
Phum's current long tour kicked off on Oct 6 in Poland, followed by Germany, England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, and then a few more dates in the United States, including "Tropicalia Festival 2018" in California, before making a few stops at "Urbanscapes 2018" festival in Malaysia where he will be playing on the same bill with R&B singer Khalid and British rock group Wolf Alice, and then at "Neon Lights 2018" with Caribou, RHYE and Sticky Fingers in Singapore before returning home by mid-November.
"I always wanted to travel all around Europe and the US when I graduated, maybe like a backpacker or something, but this is even more than dreams come true because I will get to play music too," Phum says.
"My friends and family are also concerned about my health because of this hectic schedule, but now I look at myself as one of the lucky few that get to travel and work at the same time. And when opportunity comes, you know you better grab it. Music is definitely taking me everywhere."
Phum Viphurit Rats Records
