Tai Orathai , a famous country singer, opens up on the show “Burn AM” and tells the story of her life and career in the music industry, from a factory worker to a legendary wild flower in the concrete jungle, creating phenomenal sales, once touring so hard that she had to be admitted to the hospital, and the deep connection with her grandmother, a major inspiration in her life, before becoming an artist loved by the entire country.
What province are you originally from?
Tai Orathai: My elder sister Tai is from Ban Khum Saen Chani, Phonsawan Subdistrict, Na Chaluai District, Ubon Ratchathani Province. Our house is right on the border.
Have you loved singing since you were a child?
Tai Orathai: When I was in elementary school, around grades 5 and 6, during student activities during free time, the teacher would know that I could sing well and would tell me to come out and sing for my friends. The village would praise me for my good voice. The teacher would hear this and let me come out and do activities like this. I wasn’t a very confident person, but when it came to singing, I was most confident, more so than anything else.
And did you get to enter the competition as well?
Tai Orathai: When I was a child, I didn’t. But I tried. I tried hard. Because at home, there weren’t many stages for me to showcase my talent or gain experience like nowadays. My house was on the border. Most of the competition stages were in the city. If it wasn’t on the weekends, I wouldn’t have the opportunity because I had to go to school. I actually started in high school. In elementary school, I only sang at school activities. In middle school, I remember there was a merit-making ceremony at Ban Non Daeng. There was a Morlam troupe. We went to the merit-making ceremony as usual. I wanted to sing. They were looking for singers to join the band on tour. I tried out, but I didn’t win. Then I started competing seriously, representing Na Cha Luai School. That was my first year, around Mathayom 4. I went the first year and lost. The second year, I went again as a representative and lost again. And the third year was the first time in my life that I won. I was extremely happy. The first and second years that I competed, I met Dok Or Thung Thong.
Do you have a vocal idol who makes you want to sing?
Tai Orathai: In the past, we would listen to music, mostly on the radio. The one that I listened to and really liked was Mae Honey Sri-Isan’s Namta Lon Bon Tee Nan. That’s it. Why does her voice sound so good? Because the song was popular at that time, I felt like I wanted to be a singer like Mae Honey. Then there was Phi Jintra and Phi Nang Siriporn, whose popular songs I’d heard since I was a child.
What year did you become a singer?
Tai Orathai: At the end of 2001, P’Tai started to join Grammy. The song “Dok Ya Nai Pa Poon” was released around 2003. When I was a trainee, I didn’t know that I would come this far because my teacher, the label, the adults, or the team, no one told me. But I just felt that a kid from the provinces, suddenly getting in, even though I wasn’t famous, but getting this kind of opportunity. Back then, there were no cell phones and no income. I had to borrow from a manager or a label that supported me first and then returned me later. I had to fight first. They let me go study, so P’Tai went. I came back to my room crying every day, missing my grandmother (tears welling up). I was also a trainee and had to finish an album within that one year.
Is there any album that you think you worked so hard on that you think you can continue after this?
Tai Orathai: The 5th album, because we had been touring like that all along and our schedule wasn’t good, it affected our sound, our rest, and our work. Then we were knocked out. The 5th and 6th albums were just without energy. I remember one thing that Nang Siriporn said… Tell E-la Euay that listening to Euay’s grown-up voice, it’s not fun. It’s like there’s no emotion in the music, it’s not fun, I’m not happy at all. So it ended up that I had to be admitted to the hospital. I remember that the concert was a product event, and we had to tour very frequently, including other paid gigs. We alternated. And that day, as soon as I got off stage, I had to go to the hospital. From that day on, I never did that again. I changed my life schedule, got enough rest, took on work, and exercised. Until now.
If one day we don’t become Tai Orathai, do you have a backup plan for what we would be like if we didn’t become singers?
Tai Orathai: I have no idea. Because I was a kid from the countryside, organizing my thoughts and life plans was quite difficult. My parents were farmers, and they didn’t have a plan 1, 2, or 3 for me. I just knew that I couldn’t continue my studies in Ubon Ratchathani. I had to come and work in Bangkok. What kind of work? I only finished high school at that time. I worked in a factory. I was a factory girl before. That’s why I understood. When there were factory activities, I would always think about it because for many months I was there. I understood the hardships of living in a rented room. I felt that if one day I didn’t become a singer, I might still work in a factory. If I didn’t become a singer today, I might get married, have a family, and still be a factory girl. That’s all.
So, what type of guy do you have right now? Do you have a boyfriend?
Tai Orathai: Not at all, to be honest. But there was one a few years ago when P’Tai broke up. I posted it on social media, but I didn’t post it with anyone. I’m not someone who would reveal personal matters.
Did your grandmother encourage you and have a part in making you successful?
Tai Orathai: A lot. Because my parents separated when I was 11 or 12 years old. I was very young and it was the time when I was about to enter my teenage years. I had so many questions in my head. Why was I different from other people? Why did my parents break up? But in the end, I didn’t get any answers. Ever since I can remember, I’ve seen my grandmother. As soon as my parents broke up, I became a grandmother until the last day when my grandmother passed away. I’ve had my grandmother my whole life. It doesn’t mean that I forgot my parents. I had a warm life for a while. They didn’t abandon me. It’s just that I lacked the warmth of my parents not being there. They used other ways to take care of me. But actually, I never lacked the love of my grandmother, my aunts, my uncles, and the relatives around me. I think that my grandmother, my family, who were always there, nurtured me, so that I didn’t fall away. Whenever I talk about my grandmother (voice shaking, tears welling up in her eyes), she’s always been like this.
What has kept Tai Orathai in the entertainment industry until today?
Tai Orathai: I feel like it’s not just me. There are many factors that have contributed to the name Tai, and the path it’s taken to this point. First of all, it’s opportunity. It’s a life story, even for myself. And then there’s the story of my music, which answers my questions. My teachers, my entire team, and the people who support me want me to have a better life in every aspect. I feel like without those people, it would be difficult to be where I am today. Thank you for all the advice, criticism, and praise from everyone who has always wanted me to be here for a long time.
