True to his nickname as the leader of the baby tooth gang! After singer and skilled producer “Hai Thanwa Ketsuwan” or “Hai Paper Planes” took on the role of producer for the tiny superstar “Nong Gle” the talented daughter of “Mother Chompoo Araya” he created a viral sensation with a hit song competing with other adult artists. Recently, he opened up about the adorable behind-the-scenes work and cleared up all the autotune drama.
Have you worked with Nong Gle?
“I was the producer and arranger. I think I might be lucky with kids. Our team said working with children can be challenging, so we try to avoid it somewhat. Since the 'Bad' project, we thought this moment would be perfect to have Gle look after the kids instead of me. But Gle ended up taking care of the older kids and adults, so I still had to watch over the children myself.”
How was the collaboration?
“It was easy. I had met Nong Gle before on various shows. When we met, it was like chatting and playing with her. When ready, we went into the recording studio. Sometimes it was at my home, which was relaxed with nothing special. We just had to play the same game she liked, which happened to be a spot-the-difference game.”
How do you see her talent?
“If I looked at her without knowing her, I’d say she’s a talented 4-year-old with a natural musical sense. For example, in the song we wrote, some adults might not even be able to sing it.”
What do you think about comments saying suddenly turning a child into an artist?
“Chompoo doesn’t think that deeply. This is a fun time for Nong Gle to have something to do. I know P’Gong personally; at first, he didn’t tell me to do anything specific. I thought maybe he was debuting a boy or girl band.
But when he said he was making a song for Gle, I hesitated because I had never made music for a child. What happened wasn’t even intentional. But I thought, why not? Everyone has an artistic spirit. We shouldn’t judge. Kids can have interests and things they want to do, just like adults.”
When you got the brief, what made you think this song had to be for Gle?
“I was lost for a few days. I made lots of songs in various styles, but there wasn’t a clear brief. They just wanted something fun. Eventually, I made one or two demos and showed them to Chompoo to see what she thought Gle would like. It ended up with the demo we listened to—a rock song.”
Did Nong Gle take long to record?
“I didn’t see that part, but I think she was well-prepared. When recording, I’m a bit of a psychologist—I observe how well someone prepared, what they practiced. That’s what amazed me. If she hadn’t practiced, it’s pure talent; if she had, that’s discipline rare for a 4-year-old.”
People praise her for singing along with the lyrics at 4 years old?
“That’s amazing. Compared to myself at 4, I wasn’t doing anything like that. I try not to overpraise her, but in reality, she’s just a kid—not only Gle as we know her. She really is talented with a strong sense of rhythm. When I see her playing drums, I can tell she has musical sense.”
Was the viewership response beyond expectations?
“Oh yes, far beyond. I give credit to Nong Gle. I’m just one person making music to support her. The project was done, but the one who can carry the song forward is her. Sure, some credit goes to me, but if the song didn’t suit her, it wouldn’t have succeeded. Also, she has many fans, and the song is cute. It feels like she truly owns the song, not just a producer making it.”
Do you think it will hit 10 million views?
“I don’t dare to hope, but what happened is already a lot of fun. Being on charts where adults compete, and suddenly Gle is there—it’s colorful at my house now. After making this song, artists who come to record at my place sing ‘Je Kook Goo’ all day. I think it’s viral. I try not to overexpose myself because I’ve been with this song so long, and I worry about feeling overwhelmed. When I shower or do anything, the phrase is stuck in my head. People I meet sing it to me. It makes me panic, like when 'Bad' was viral.”
You said you wanted to remove a tattoo?
“That was a joke. I’ve gotten so many tattoos, and when I do something cute related to kids, I think maybe I should make products for moms to buy, related to children. Since I can’t resist, I might as well join in.”
What about the autotune drama?
“Everyone knows by now. I believe today no one is excluded from music production; everyone can make music on their phones. The tools I used with Gle are accessible to all. What I want to say is that both Chompoo and P’Gong didn’t intend for me to make her famous; they just wanted to enjoy a fun time together.
As for autotune, this issue should be gone in our country. Abroad, it’s been used for at least 10-20 years. It’s a production standard, like photo editing in modeling. In this song, I didn’t use much because we wanted Nong Gle’s voice to sound natural in expressing the song. So there’s no need to worry about this. We didn’t intend to make her sound better or worse. Both Nong Gle and Chompoo accept this as a standard process we use with everyone.”
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