This week on the show “Born to Talk” we meet “Kantong Thung Ngoen”, the singer of the hit song “Ji Bo”, who will tell us about her life story, from her journey as a singer to the day her songs became a nationwide sensation, giving her a steady stream of work. She used to be criticized for being a child of connections, and only got into the industry because of her older sister.
The song “Zi Bo” is very popular. How has your life changed?
Kantong: Actually, I have been a singer for a long time. I have been for many years until I felt that my songs were not popular. When the song “Ji Bo” came out, it was very popular. It gave me more work and concerts all the time. In the central language, the word “Ji Bo” means “Do you remember?” “Are you scared?”
Have you ever thought that one day people all over the country would know our songs like this?
Kantong: Actually, there was a song that the 3 of us sang, the song “Pai Thon Kham Saan”. At that time, people knew the song, but people probably didn’t know us very well. After that, we started to have more and more songs, with about 20 million, 30 million views, but they were only famous in the northeastern region. People all over the country might not know us well enough. Our names are Dok Aor Thung Thong and Kantong Thung Ngoen, and at that time, no one knew us individually.
What is the relationship between Dok Ao Thung Thong and Kan Tong Thung Ngern?
Kantong: Sister Dok-or is my real sister. In the artist’s name, it’s Dok-or Thung Thong. Thung Thong is paired with Thung Ngern. It’s a stage name that was set up to match because money and gold must go together. Teacher Sala was the one who gave it. When using this name, it made some people confused about who was Dok-or and who was Kantong. But when more and more songs started to come out, people started to recognize whose voices were whose. And then the song “Ji Bo” came out. This song was like a turning point. It made it known all over the country at once.
What is your perspective on social media that has made our work more popular?
Kantong: Social media has a huge impact. Nowadays, social media is easy to access. No matter where you go, everyone is using social media. Everyone has their own channels, regardless of gender or age. Even small children can use it. It’s like a medium that makes it easy for people to reach us. In the past, releasing music had to be on tapes or CDs, on the radio, or if you wanted to be on TV, you had to be really famous to be able to be released. This made it difficult for people to see our work. But with social media, everything changed. Everything is faster and easier to access. But the downside is that there are more competitors because anyone can release their work. This makes us have to develop our work to be better than before.
Where are you from?
Kantong: I am from Ubon Ratchathani Province, Buntharik District.
What was your childhood like?
Kantong : I’m like any other little kid, but my family is quite poor. There are 5 siblings. Sometimes there is no rice to eat. My mother has to borrow rice from neighbors to feed the children. My parents work in the fields and do ordinary jobs. I’m the 5th child. Dok-or is the oldest child. I have to take care of my siblings like an adult. I teach them, warn them, and help raise them.
Because 500 baht made me discover my talent in singing?
Kantong: That’s right. I was still very young then. I remember I was about 4-5 years old. Phi Dok-or was the one who took me to a civil servant’s party where there was electronic music playing. They hired a singer to sing. At that time, Phi Dok-or told the people there, “Young lady can sing,” and carried me onto the stage without even asking me if I was ready or if I dared to sing. At that time, I was both singing and crying at the same time. I had to sing because he carried me onto the stage. If I didn’t sing, I would be afraid of embarrassing my sister.
Singing has allowed me to earn money since I was a child, enough to send myself to finish my bachelor’s degree?
Kantong: It’s true. Since Mathayom 2, I started singing with an electronic band to earn money for books and tuition. Then, when I was in university, I got a scholarship because I was an active student. I didn’t have to pay any expenses. My father passed away, so I had to try to take care of myself and send myself to school until I graduated. I come from a poor family, so I had to be diligent and try.
How did you become a singer in Grammy Gold?
Kantong: To be honest, Phi Dok-or was the one who brought me to the camp. The teacher at Grammy Gold was looking for a singer. Phi Dok-or recommended me because the teacher had seen me in a contest before. Even though I didn’t win at that time, the teacher gave me the opportunity to try singing in the song “Mai Chai Fan Tam Taen Mai Dai” by Phi Nang Siriporn. It was like a jam session on the album. That was the starting point of my entry into Grammy Gold. At that time, we hadn’t released a full song yet. They let us try singing first, like practicing first.
Have you ever encountered a drama about us being “connected”?
Kantong: Yes, I got in because of my sister. But actually, being a sponsored student already has pressure on yourself about how people will think. They will think that you got in because of connections, not because of your abilities. We have to prove to them that we didn’t get in because of connections. We have real abilities. We have to show them that what they say isn’t true. Sometimes we feel envious of people who got in on their own, but we try to think that we are lucky that our sister brought us in. But what we are not lucky about is that we have to face comparisons all the time. In the end, we have to ask ourselves why we are pressured by things that are not our fault. If we don’t develop ourselves, if we are not really diligent, there is no way we will be able to survive until today.
Was there ever a time when you were discouraged before you got to where you are today?
Kantong: Yes, I am not someone who can sing as well as others. I always think that others have better voices than me. But what I have more than others is more patience and effort than others. To be good, we have to put in a lot of effort. People who are very good don’t usually practice much. But people who are not really good practice all the time.
What is love like?
Kantong: Actually, love has been coming in all the time. If there are good people coming in, we talk to them. We have to take it slow. Like when we are in love, everything looks good. When we break up, we become strangers. Therefore, love and break up are normal. We see it as the truth of life. No one stays with us for our whole lives. And no one stays with us until the day we die, except ourselves. The type that we like is just understanding. If he loves us, he must love our family too. If he doesn’t love our family, it’s useless. In the end, the people who have been with us all along are our family.
What direction will the goal be from now on?
Kantong: Not having a goal, what I have now is already beyond my dreams. Sing happily and do your duty to the fullest because this career gives us everything today. This career gives us food and money. The life from now on is the profit of life. The word profit of life means we get what we want and more people know us. If we expect too much from life, we will not be happy.
