This week on Prime Cast, we’ll take a look at the life journey of the idol girl Pimma PiXXie or Pimmada Jaisaksern, before becoming a super hot TPOP idol. From never thinking that she would get to this point, to the path to stardom, she admits that she once gained weight to the point of having to fast, eating only bananas and steamed potatoes before her debut! She also reveals the behind-the-scenes story of how she took care of herself and how she dealt with being compared and bullied on social media.
Where does the name Pimma come from?
Pimma: My real name is Pimmada. When I was born, my nickname was Pim, but my friends at school changed it because it was the same as my friends’.
How to become a Pixxie Pimma?
Pimma: I was born in Chiang Mai until high school, then I moved to study at university in Bangkok. I never thought that I would be an idol because it felt so far away. In the past, I didn’t like singing at all. I didn’t sing, but I liked dancing only. I thought that I might be a dance teacher or dancer more.
Singing experience?
Pimma: I didn’t have that much experience in singing, but when I was about to enter my second year, a senior who is Dome’s younger brother (Bonchon) invited me to audition because Dome was going to open a label, so I wanted to try auditioning. So I sent in a clip 6 years ago. At first, I was a little scared because I didn’t think I could do it. But in the end, I became the first trainee in LIT. I often joke with my friends that if I had told him now, I might not have gotten in because at that time I didn’t have anyone to compare to.
Is there anything you want to tell the younger ones who want to be idols?
Pimma: Keep fighting! If we set our minds to doing something, whether the end result is successful or not, Pimma believes that we will definitely gain something along the way. I want the youngsters who want to be idols or artists to enjoy the process and enjoy the journey before reaching their dreams. I believe that they will definitely gain something, no matter how little or how much.
When did you start taking care of your physical health?
Pimma: I’ve been a dancer since I was a child, so I don’t have many health problems because I like cardio. I have a bit of attention deficit, so I have to find activities to do all the time. But if I really started taking care of myself seriously, it would probably be when I became an artist. I just learned how to take care of my food, how I should eat, or how to calculate the amount of protein I should get per day.
Does the camp require everyone to exercise?
Pimma: Actually, he wanted us to be strong and physically ready to perform. He didn’t force us to go to the gym, but we had to take care of ourselves so that our bodies were ready to sing and dance on stage. Dancing and singing on stage was tiring. At first, I couldn’t handle it. I had to try to prepare my body to be strong and able to handle what I was about to do.
Does the company have a set figure or clothes that must be fitted to match the same outfit every year, like idols from other companies?
Pimma: Pixxie doesn’t have any. If it were a major label, it would probably be more like the character of the kids in the group. It’s not set. Just let us maintain our bodies, like ourselves, and be strong. Focus on strength in performance and wearing clothes beautifully. Do what makes us happy.
So are you satisfied with your body shape now?
Pimma: When I came back from working in Japan, I felt a little fatter. Now I’m going back to the gym.
Is there a big difference between food before and after going to the gym?
Pimma: Actually, it should be different. But sometimes I couldn’t resist eating snacks. There was a time when I couldn’t balance it and lost my will. My weight went up to 10 kilograms. It was like when we first debuted, when we were young and didn’t know how to eat. We all went to eat together. When it was time to debut, our weight went up almost 10 kilograms. All 3 of us were stressed because we all gained weight at the same time. It was probably because we ate late and probably ate more than we should have at that time. At that time, it was also during COVID. There wasn’t much work for us to go out and dance. We practiced, but the calories we ate might not be enough or we ate too much. At that time, we were very stressed. Pimma’s weight went up to about 52-53 kilograms. We talked about what to do because we had to go to film work and got really fat. We were afraid that the footage would be on YouTube forever.
How to lose weight at that time?
Pimma: I lost as much as I could. At that time, I lost about 48 kilograms, which was not a healthy way because I had very limited time. I refused to eat rice. I ate only bananas and steamed sweet potatoes all day. At that time, my body was not very good. I got tired easily. I felt that it was not a healthy way to lose weight. I was stressed and did not feel refreshed. I did not get enough rest.
After that, how did you adjust your weight loss methods?
Pimma: You have to eat enough and exercise enough as well. Actually, I’m not that fat. It might just be a time when I snack and don’t control my mouth. When I realized that I was at a point where my weight was too high for me, I felt that the first thing is to warn myself when eating snacks to have limits. I don’t cut them out completely, but I don’t indulge my mouth completely either. I choose clean snacks or find a middle ground between wanting to eat snacks and taking care of my health.
On average, how many hours a day do you practice dancing?
Pimma: Pixxie doesn’t practice dancing that much. There’s only a practice schedule when we’re releasing new songs or doing new shows. We go to events quite often, at least 3-4 events a week, which is like practicing while we go to perform.
Do you do weight training too?
Pimma: Before, I did Pilates, but recently I’ve come back to weight training. Now I do both, along with cardio.
How is your sleep these days?
Pimma: I sleep much better. Actually, I’m a late sleeper. Around 4 am, I just can’t sleep. I feel like on days when I get off work late, like 11 pm, I still can’t sleep because I haven’t lived my life yet. I have to go back to scrolling through my phone, playing with my cat, or watching a series because I work during the day. So I feel like I’m sleeping without living my life, so I sleep less, sleep in the van, or secretly sleep during the day. I’m a person who needs fewer hours of sleep than the average person. Sometimes, 3 hours is enough. I feel like I’ve had enough sleep. But recently, I’ve been trying to sleep more and I’m starting to sleep better, about 6 hours. I feel more refreshed.
When there is a lot of work, you need less sleep, and a lot of dance practice, how do you manage this?
Pimma: I can manage some things, but not others. If it’s during a heavy tour or concert rehearsal, I don’t really allocate my life to doing anything else. I just focus on that. When work is over, I sleep. When I wake up, I get back to work. Like when Pixxie went on tour up north for about a week, 5-6 days, I just worked hard. Then I came back to Bangkok to sleep.
Have you ever been compared to your bandmates?
Pimma: There are some. To be honest, now I feel like I’ve grown up and understand people more, so I don’t feel that it’s a negative thing because the 3 Pixxies are very close and talk to each other all the time. When people compliment their friends, even when comparing them to themselves, I feel that I appreciate the positive side of complimenting my friends, which is wanting them to do well. We often talk about how the 3 of us can’t make everyone like us equally. Even when looking at Korean idols or other people, we can’t all like the whole group equally, so it feels natural that they like or dislike us. We talk about how the 3 of us have different directions, and it’s better to have our own identities that we like. In the end, it’s up to the audience to choose who or what they like. For me, it’s natural to like Mabel more, like Pimma a little less, or like Ingo more. I feel that it’s natural that we can’t always feel the same about everyone.
How long did it take to reach a point where you could understand and accept this?
Pimma: It’s been a long time. During my debut period, Pixxie was also a part of it. Because I was new to this kind of work, I read every comment and accepted all the people who didn’t like it or said it wasn’t good. It’s human nature to accept the negative side more than the positive side. Luckily, I had seniors in the label who told me and taught me that I can’t do everything to please everyone in the world. It’s human nature to just respect other people’s preferences and respect each other.
Now, when you see a negative comment, do you just scroll past it?
Pimma: Actually, I don’t scroll past that much. But I choose to read and look at things as facts. For example, if someone really said something bad but had good intentions and wanted to warn us about some shortcomings, I would read and try to see through their words to see their intentions. If the comment was really harsh but constructive, I would keep that in mind. But if it seemed like they just wanted to curse and were just an emotional playground, I would ignore them.
How to talk to yourself when you’re burned out from work?
Pimma: Burnout, I do. Pixxie, I’m lucky that we’re close. When I’m working, it doesn’t feel like I’m going to work. It feels like I’m going to play. It’s like going to school with friends. Luckily, when I’m really tired from work, during the day I can still see two other people who are also tired, so I don’t feel like I can’t do it anymore or want to stop. Because when I’m enjoying myself with my friends, they’re also tired, so I don’t feel lonely.
How old are you this year? Are you afraid of getting old?
Pimma: This year I just turned 24. If I joke with my friends that I might complain about my age, I do, but in reality I feel like I have quite a bit of a childish side to me. But if it comes to my body, I’m afraid because my bones aren’t very good, and I’ve been dancing since I was a kid. My knees are starting to get sore from being used too much that they’re sore. They twist easily, sprain easily, and my knees will be a little creaky. I’m just afraid that as I get older, I might need to take calcium to help.
What is the thing that Pim feels most like she wants to keep as a child right now?
Pimma: Afraid of getting old because being an adult is not that fun for me. I enjoy having fun, I enjoy being a child. I’m just afraid that when I grow up, I might be less excited about this world. I feel that it’s a positive thing to live my life. At this time, if I realize that I haven’t done anything one day, just lie in my room and do nothing, I feel that this life has nothing.
Are you an introvert?
Pimma: I’m an introvert. I’m not good at approaching others, but if someone comes to talk to me, I dare to talk. However, I think I’ve become a better introvert since I started working.
How do you see yourself in the next 10-20 years?
Pimma: There are many things I really want to do. I really enjoy what I am doing. But if in the next 10 years, I might not be able to dance anymore. I still have many things I want to do. I want to continue my studies, I want to do my own business. I am someone who really likes fashion. I feel like I want to start a clothing brand or be a stylist.
What do you like more, being an artist or performing?
Pimma: I like both, but I feel like I like being an artist because I have two other friends. If I imagined myself as a solo artist, I might like performing more (from what I think now).
Your dream is to become a stylist. Have you ever tried making clothes for the band?
Pimma: I used to work for Pixxie. I started out as a stylist’s assistant. For example, for Pimma’s solo MV, I did it myself. For some events, Pixxie helped stylists find outfits. And for some Fashion Sessions, I did them for Pixxie. I found outfits for my friends and for myself. I did everything with my hair and makeup. I have my own styling account called grw_lettie.
The short hair look you’re styling yourself right now?
Pimma: Yes, I didn’t have long hair before. But I had hair extensions for 2 years and my hair couldn’t take it anymore. I felt that I had to do something with my hair. If I just took off the extensions, it would look very thin, so I cut it short and tried changing my look.
How do you take care of your beauty?
Pimma: Before this, I was very easily allergic to cosmetics, sweat, the weather, anything that would cause acne. I had sensitive skin, so I used a lot of skincare products and went to the doctor. Finally, at the beginning of this year, my skin got better because I drank more water and reduced my skincare products. I only took what was necessary for my skin. To take care of my figure, I went to the gym and watched what I ate. I had some cheat days and ate one meal a day. I tried not to snack and ate 3 normal meals a day. If I woke up late some days, I would only eat 2 meals.
