PETALING JAYA, Nov 2 — Thai wunderkind Phum Viphurit is not just another indie musician belting out songs about everything from the trials of growing up to the excitement of young love.
Instead, the Thailand-born musician who was raised in New Zealand wants to craft his own brand of Neo Soul-influenced melodies that he describes as music that is ‘human’.
The star who achieved fame on YouTube last year is on the tail-end of a European tour at present.
Phum spoke to Malay Mail over the phone about the experiences of bringing his music to a global audience.
“I’m currently in the Netherlands and we did 17 shows on our European tour, it was crazy. We’ll be touring a bit of Asia as well and it’s been very surreal.
“I’m very grateful,” said the 23-year-old.
Besides singing and playing the guitar, Phum is pretty handy with a camera too.
Tha film school graduate directed the music video for his song Long Gone, a charming music video filled with the best of 90s fashion and fuzzy, lo-fi visuals.
He explained that it was inspired by old karaoke videos, specifically those from Thai pop princess Tata Young whose career blew up in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“A lot of the aesthetics that (Young) had was very reflective of that time. I thought, why not pay tribute to the late 90s and make something similar?
“So I went out with my DSLR and I got a friend who just danced for the whole day. Then we came back, I took a while to edit it, and then we put it out and the rest was history.
“It’s pretty cool how it found its way around the internet,” Viphurit said, referencing the video’s eight million views on YouTube.
As Asian artists continue to find newfound popularity with Western listeners, Viphurit is no exception.
He was recently featured by social media channel 88rising, a company best known for spotlighting Asian talent and culture to a wider audience.
This gave birth to a collaboration between Viphurit and China hip-hop quad Higher Brothers for the song Lover Boy 88.
“It was pretty random. I woke up one day to a direct message on my Instagram, and it was from 88rising.
“They were like, ‘hey, we’re vibing (enjoying) to your song. We’re making this album and representing Asians making music for Western audiences’ and all that.
“So I sent them over the track. Within three days, the Higher Brothers did a remix and I was like ‘yup, let’s do it’,” he said.
Despite his music’s rapid growth, much of Phum’s work is still rooted in his upbringing back in the city of Hamilton, New Zealand.
“I think New Zealand was my biggest musical influence,” said the singer.
“There’s a attitude or a way of living in New Zealand that’s very laid-back, very relaxed, very chill, and very optimistic.
“That was the kind of atmosphere I was influenced by and I’m certainly influenced by that now, and I want to continue to spread that feeling,” he said.
Malaysian audiences can expect a taste of Phum’s good vibes on November 10 where he will be playing as part of the Unlimited Grooves Festival at Urbanscapes 2018.
“I hope people will dance with us and sing along.
“Whatever fun you want to have there, we’ll be there to join you,” he said cheerfully.
* Malay Mail is the official media partner for creative arts festival Urbanscapes 2018, happening from November 3 to 18 across several venues in Kuala Lumpur.
