One of Thailand’s leading actors Bright Vachirawit Chivaaree undeniably captured hearts around the globe amid the pandemic, offering people a slice of fluff and comfort when they needed it most.
Now, he delves into a new era in his musical ambitions starting with his first English language single Lost & Found, a nostalgia number that strikes an intricate balance between treasuring special memories while also acknowledge the void someone has left in your life.
Led by his tender voice and a cinematic music video, the track produced by Karn Kasidej Hongladaromp (from HYBS), takes us back into a world filled with treasured memories, establishing the musical passion and talent that Bright has always carried within him.
In conversation with 1883, Bright delves into the narrative of the track and music video, developing his own unique sonic style, his most precious and happiest memories, and so much more.
Your latest single Lost &Found is inspired by loneliness. How do you personally deal with feelings of loneliness?
To deal with feelings of loneliness, for me I’m like normal people. If I’m doing nothing and feel lonely, I’ll find something to do; exercise, or play with my cat, or find a good movie to watch maybe. And if those activities don’t help, then I’ll call my friends and invite them to come and play with them, something like that.
The track is also hinged on memories and nostalgia. How do you personally go about cherishing memories – do you need physical souvenirs like photographs , are your memories connected to places, dates or events?
When I was a kid, I had a pair of futsal shoes that were meaningful to me. I had the opportunity to try playing futsal when I was about six or seven years old. I really loved it and wished to have a pair of futsal shoes because at that time I used student shoes to play futsal as my mother didn’t buy it for me, maybe because it was too expensive. I had been waiting all year until my mother bought it for me on my birthday. It was the model that I always wanted in those days. Oh, I really liked it!
It was the birthday present that I have always remembered most in my life because it was something I really wanted then. It really meant a lot to me and I wore it so often. I used to wear it everywhere, not just to play futsal. I liked these pair of shoes so much that I wore it almost on every occasion with jeans.
You make an interesting point about how there are instances that jolt us back to a specific memory. For you, what’s something that always brings you back to your happiest memory?
It was the moment that I was on the stage at GMMTV FanFest in Japan. I felt so much happy because I didn’t have the opportunity to go out and meet international fans for quite a while, and that was the first time we met foreign fans. There were a lot of fans at the concert. I saw the number of fans who came to see us and the support they gave us. They’re from other countries – thousands of kilometers away from Thailand. I was very touched by the love that they have given. Every time when I think about it, that moment always brings me back to my happy memory.
Can you delve into the narrative of the music video a bit more as well as the making of it?
The inspiration behind the making of this MV was that we think about love that is special, but it is in its most ordinary form. I want everyone to see and understand it together because it is a kind of moment that can really happen to everyone. I think everyone probably has had a similar kind of love experience at some point in their lives.
We can see in the MV that nothing is perfect, whether the messy room, untidy bed, and sofa, these make me feel that despite the non-special things, the imperfection, the simple normal things, these two people in the MV have very special moments.
Preparation at the time of the shooting was really simple. All shooting process was very simple. We acted without scripts , we just knew that we wanted to collect some footage of a couple who loved each other very much and had been together for a long time. In the morning, all scenes of the past were filmed. From the morning until evening, we just filmed these scenes where we enjoyed and were very happy together in the past. All the break up and dramatic scenes were filmed in the evening.
Talking about the music video, you also mention there being Easter eggs hinting at your own memories hidden in it? Can you give us hints on what they might be? and what inspired you to add them into the MV?
They were things or items and some scenes that were really happened in my real life, or they were the events that actually happened in my life, which I had made a comparison of the similarities in order to create some of these scenes in the MV.
You mention the lyric “part of me, you took it away since the day you were gone” as being your favourite part of the song. Who is someone through your life who has left lasting impression or memory – a part of themselves – with you?
This verse does not apply to anyone in particular. I like it the most because I just feel that this verse alone already describes the meaning of the song very well and quite completely.
I feel like the story is about the day when someone you love very much has left you, and when they leave they take away the special moments, the memories, and a part of your life, all together at the same time. I feel that it covers the key message of the song well, that’s why it’s my most favourite part.
Moving to your sound, when you look back at your artistry so far, how do you feel you’ve improved or evolved as a singer?
I am trying more to express my own music style this time. Previously I had the opportunity to work on the music part as a co-project with other artists or making the soundtracks for the movie/series which had a clear framework and instruction that I had to follow. As a result, I couldn’t express 100% of my music style and make it the way I want them to be. But now, I have more freedom to produce my own songs, to create more works the way I like, so I feel, after this, I like to call it “an introduction period of my own music style” to my fans. I will continue writing songs and producing music with my own style from now on.
I think the most obvious thing for my improvement in music work is probably the language because I’ve never released a single in all-English before – this is the first song. There is some difficulty in that and takes a bit more time than other songs, but I am satisfied with what came out.
You mention this track being a point where you’re engaging back with your passion and ability in music, what was the most challenging part of engaging with the musical side of you after being more focused on acting for a while?
Actually, this is a song I have secretly been composing for a long time, since the beginning of filming the series. And then I had the opportunity to play and it over and over. Actually, there are many more songs that I have been secretly writing and have not yet been made. But during that period, I had more time to work on my music.
I hope that after this, I will be able to bring various songs that I have secretly written as well as many ideas which I want to do in music, to work on making and producing more songs for my fans to listen to.
Going forward, where do you hope your music goes/takes you? Is there a particular bucket list you’d like to achieve where your music is concerned?
I am very grateful and overwhelmed with my fan’s feedback after releasing my first single Lost & Found. It encourages me to keep on doing what I am doing and doing what I love to do and going forward, I’ll continue working on my music and release more songs.
Besides this song, what’s one song you can think of that evokes a memory in you personally – what is the memory about?
I really like Somebody Else by 1975. I was heartbroken when I was a kid in high school, and after listening to this song, I really liked it. I like the sound of the music and I feel like I related to the song’s lyric as well. It is one of my favorite songs which I still listen to it nowadays. It is on my timeless playlist, and I believe in five or ten years from now I can still listen to this playlist without feeling that it is an old song.
Having spoken so much about your memories, I have to ask what’s been the most memorable or surreal moment of your career so far?
As an actor, the most memorable moment was probably when I was given the opportunity to take on the leading role in F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers. It was the most important moment and opportunity because it was my dream role. I knew and have seen F4 since I was a child. Through various versions until mine, everyone would be very excited to find out who’s going to star in each version of the series.
Finally, what one message would you like to give your fans?
I’d love for all my fans to enjoy my series and music, as well as stay tuned for my upcoming works. I’d like them to rest assured that I will be happy with all my works that come from me, no matter what kind of works, and that I can really fully enjoy doing them. I wish everyone to open up their minds and try experiencing my works and be happy together.
Lost & Found is out now, for more info visit www.gmm-tv.com/
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