They've got 'the voice'

ENTERTAINMENT

They've got 'the voice'



Kitchana Lersakvanitchakul

The Nation April 5, 2014 1:00 am


Meet the tear-jerking winner and her fellow contestants from Season 2 of "The Voice Kids Thailand"



Thirteen-year-old Chachoengsao native Pornsawan "Bungkee" Yanvaro was all smiles last Sunday posing happily for the photographers with her winner's trophy after beating Piyatida "Maprang" Lekklang and Yulradee "Nadia" Khumkanokkan in the Season 2 finale of "The Voice Kids Thailand".



"I’m quite jealous of your parents and blown away by your ability to combine emotional expression and vocal talent to make your show perfect," said a visibly moved Prakasit "Pang" Bosuwan, commentator, coach and one half of pop duo the Sumet and the Pang, after listening to Bungkee performing 25 Hours' "Tham Dai Pieng".



Pang wasn't the only one to be astounded by her abilities. The cheerful Bungkee has a natural gift for ballads and managed to infuse so much feeling into her cover of Pause's "Rak Ther Thang Mod Khong Huajai" during the semi-final round that she reduced the audience at Centrepoint Studio in Soi Lasalle (Sukhumvit 105) to tears.



"I was singing the number for my grandfather, who died two years ago. I never had the chance to tell him how much I loved him but just touched his hand the night before he died," says Bungkee, who dropped by The Nation with five other finalists and semi-finalists earlier this week and gave the staff an impromptu concert.



"In fact, I almost cried myself while singing the song! With both very low and very high tones, it's not an easy song to sing and I got quite stressed out about whether to use my head tone," she says.



The daughter of local government officials in her home province, Bungkee has one older brother who she says is a keen guitarist. She's a student at Benchama Rat Rangsarit School as well at Vinyakan music school, where she learned how to sing. She started off studying piano and switched to guitar before making the transition to singing.



"I didn't like singing at first and even less after performing Atom's "Ham Thing" is front of an audience," she laughs.



During the blind audition segment of the talent show, she selected to sing "Dao" ("because I liked both the lyrics and melody), and joined fellow contestants Anawil "Organ" Ngamsanga and Sala "Zen" Viengkao on "Pass the Love Forward" in the battle.



As the winner, Bungkee receives a Bt1-million scholarship and a contract as a singer.



"Singing is my hobby. It helps relieve my stress after school," says Bungkee, who says she admires Tachaya "Keng the Voice" Prathumwan. "But my aim is to be a lawyer."



Runner-up Piyatida "Maprang" Lekklang who hails from Nakhon Ratchasima has never studied music but learned from her father and uncle, vocalist and keyboardist respectively in the Focus Junior Band. She often sings with the band and has taken part in several singing contests.



"I had intended to apply for the first season of 'The Voice Kids' but the audition was held in Khon Kaen, which was too far away for me to travel. This time, I was luckier and the auditions came to my hometown," Maprang says.



Maprang's idol is Zani, so she selected to sing her song "Ku Ka Ki" but in a blues version, for the Blind Audition. In Battle, she sang Yuenyong Ophakul's "Noom Bao Sao Parn", on which she's often karaoked with her father at home. She covered Mai Charoenpura's "Sia Jai Dai Yin Mai" in the semi-final, and Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" in the final.



"Being a singer these days is easier than in the past when it was rare that parents supported their kids. These days, many children go to music schools. Music helps us relax and spend our free time usefully," she says.



Samut Prakan resident Yulradee "Nadia" Khumkanokkan agrees. She's studied singing since she was five years old with the full support of her mother and father. Beyonce is her favourite artist, which is why she chose "One Night Only" for the blind audition. In the battle, she duetted with other contestants on "You've Got a Friend". She performed "Imagine" for the semi-final and covered "Phis Rak" in the final.



"While singing 'You've Got a Friend', I thought about the beauty of friendship while in 'Imagine', I imagined myself asking people how it's possible to live without love," says Nadia, who spends plenty of time with her parents in their home's karaoke room.



Thai-New Zealander Vanessa "Saa" Hemmingsen, a student at NIST, says she prefers country music. "It's like telling a story that reaches out and touches the audience," she says.



Vanessa performed a countrified version of the Eagles' "Desperado" in the blind audition but switched to R&B in the battle with Rihanna's "We Found Love". She covered Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" in the semi-final.



"I tried to warm up with scales so I'd be able to reach the high notes. During the rehearsal, my voice was off key and I couldn't control my breathing," Vanessa says. "I'd like to be a singer or perhaps a producer."



Like Maprang, Nutrada "Donut" Chiansi has been singing with her family's band since she was young and has appeared at several events in her home province of Samut Prakan. Her favourite artist is the late luk thung queen, Poompuang Duangchan. Donut covered her hit "Dao Ruang Dao Roy" in the blind audition.



"The song sounds like it's easy but in fact it's harder to sing that it seems," says Donut, who also performed Poompuang's "Phae Thi Huajai" in the semi-final.



"Being a singer today is easier than in the past because there are a lot of channels for us to showcase our abilities," Donut says. "But like Bungkee, I want to be a lawyer."



Atiwat "Aof" Changnoi was the only boy to make it to the semi-final. The 13 year-old, who hails from Surat Thani, showed his talent for luk thung by covering the country-folk hit, "Sanya Muea Sayan" in the blind audition. It was harder going in the semi-final, when he had to sing "Than Tawan".



"It's a very poetic number. The songwriter wrote it while living overseas," he says.