A touch of Thai Hallyu

For Natthew “Nat” Thewphaingam, winning the fifth season of True’s popular reality TV show “Academy Fantasia”, was only a first step to achieving his ambitions. The youngster has always known he has talent and now he’s out to prove that he can win over South Korea fans with his first single, “She’s Bad”, released through the Korean label CJ Entertainment.

“It’s a dream come true,” says Natthew, who is briefly back in Thailand to take his final exams at Kasetsart University.

“Academy Fantasia” has been collaborating with CJ Entertainment since last year on a project that sees a Thai singer competing with the Hallyu idols on their home turf. Natthew was the first to get the chance and went through six weeks of tough training before releasing his debut K-pop single, which has Beast’s Yong Junhyung rapping on the backing track. Brave Girls’ SeoA co-stars in his music video and Rainbow’s Jaekyung designed his logo.

In November, Natthew made his debut performance on stage at M Countdown. He also appeared at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, where he picked up the Best Asian Artist award. He walked the red carpet in the company of such South Korean superstars as EXO, Super Junior, SHInee, Brown Eyed Girls’ Gain, Song Joong Ki and Song Seung Hon.

“My training routine ran from 8am to midnight. I started with exercise and fitness at 8, then studied singing at 10. After lunch, I practised dancing until 4pm. We broke for an early dinner then it was back to class at 7 to work on articulating vowels and consonants in Korean followed by singing in the studio until midnight. After that, I went back to my apartment. I followed that routine until I finished recording my two singles, ‘She’s Bad’ and ‘Oh Please’, both the Korean and Thai versions,” says Nat, who constantly practices his Korean accent by listening to the South Korean artists’ songs and watching South Korean dramas and movies.

“I was so tired, I actually got sick. My throat hurt from all the singing and my arms and legs ached from dancing so much,” he says. 

The 24-year-old kept his spirits up through constant contact with and encouragement from his parents and colleagues.

“The most deep-felt video message I received was from the daughter of the owner of Dreambox, who told me to prove to the Koreans that Thai people can do it. I still think of that message today,” says Nat.

After completing his finals next month, Nat will fly back to Seoul to promote his second single, “Oh Please”, which is known as “A, Jebal” in Korean and “Ying Fang Ying Jeb” in Thai. He’ll stay for four months.

“It’s not just the articulation of the words that makes singing more difficult, it’s also the style. My voice coach doesn’t like me to sing ballads the way we do in Thailand. He says it doesn’t go with the beat,” Nat explains.

The youngster recently extended his contract with “Academy Fantasia” and CJ Entertainment and will also have the chance to star in a South Korean TV series.

A firm fan of the reality talent show since it was launched in 2004, the former Satit Kaset student used to play saxophone in the school band.

“It’s like a singing tutorial at home,” he says of the show. Nat applied for “Academy Fantasia” Season 4 but failed to pass the first round of auditions. Undaunted, he went back the following year and won.

“My parents didn’t encourage me to study music but business. So, I watched the programme and learned by myself,” he says. “I was a already a student in the Faculty of Business Administration by the time I applied for ‘AF4’, and they happily gave their permission for me to audition.

“Having a music background is a definite advantage. I learned a lot from being on the programme, which really does pave the way for the basics of singing, dancing and performance, and also gives you plenty of show experience. Most importantly, I also learned discipline and friendship.”

Nat went on tour after winning the talent contest and released his first single, “Roo Mai”, penned by Sutee Sangsareechon. His debut album, “Natthew the Passion”, came out last year. He also signed a contract with Channel 7 and has starred in TV dramas like “Wai Puan Guan La Fun” and “Nuea Manut”.