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[W]aab [S]ite >> Music
Dome: Exclusive Interview
Handsome Thai idol Dome is not just a singer, but a great songwriter and even produced his latest album Dome Naked himself. The hot news is that he will also represent Thailand at the Glay Expo 2001 Global Communication in Fukuoda, Japan, on August 11. As well as featuring this legendary Japanese band Glay, this a celebration of Asian pop music will also feature MayDay from Taiwan, Jaurim Nicholas Tse from Hong Kong. The official website Glayexpo.com has more details.
Glay and Dome appeared at Bangkok's Bitec center in May to promote the event. POPidols spoke to Dome about his new album and his role as a Thai pop ambassador.
POPidols: How do you feel about joining Glay in concert?
Dome: Right now, I'm very excited, because I have to be the representative for Thailand and introduce Thai music to other countries. I'm sure that I'll be even more excited when I stand on the stage. I'll do my best, this is a promise!
POPidols: What songs are you going to sing?
Dome: I will sing Thai songs and I will the take a "kan" (Thai traditional reed instrument) to the show too.
POPidols: How much do you know about Glay?
Dome: To be honest, I hardly know them. I'm a fan of British music. I just found out about Glay when they invited me to join this concert. However, now I've bought their albums and other J-pop/J-rock albums to listen to so that I can learn about their sound.
POPidols: Do you think you will have any problems with language and communication when you perform in Japan?
Dome: My backing band has a Japanese member, Mama, who can help me.
POPidols: Have you asked Glay if they had heard your songs before?
Dome: Yes, they said they have every album of mine and like them, especially the latest album. They said they like the tracks "Wela" ("Time") and "Pha Lao" ("Black Sheep") best.
POPidols: We heard that they are going to play a concert in Thailand too…
Dome: Yes, we talked about that. They said that the Thai people had given them a warm welcome and that they would love to play here. If we are lucky, they might come after the Glay Expo 2001.
POPidols: Changing the subject, what do you think about illegal CDs and cassettes [which are a big problem in Thailand at the moment]?
Dome: They must be destroyed. We must stop this [the illegal manufacturing] and I think that the consumers must stop buying them too. We should always buy originals. And trust me, the illegal ones are very bad quality -you listen to them only a few times and then you have to throw them away.
POPidols: Let's talk about your latest album. How did you prepare yourself for Dome Naked ?
Dome: I had only two months to prepare, which was the least time I had to do an album. However, I can tell you that producing this album was more difficult than the others, as this time I had to take care of everything by myself. I wrote the songs, composed music, sang and controlled the mixing procedure.
POPidols: How long did it take to get together all the information?
Dome: Not very long, I was burnt with my own fire [laughing]. Everything was easier because RS knew that I could do this. For the previous albums, I co-produced. This time, they trusted me to do the whole thing
POPidols: Which part of making an album is the most difficult?
Dome: Every part is difficult, especially when I had to make a decision about something. You have to make clear decisions and always focus on what you really want.
POPidols: What genre did you intend this album to be?
Dome: It is not a specific type of music. I really don't understand why we have to limit or categorize albums. I can only say that this album contains music that will make you feel something when you listen to it. For the previous albums, we focused on dance music; this time it is more electronic rock.
POPidols: What makes this album different from the previous ones?
Dome: I admit that my previous albums were mainstream - we made them to please the market and the fans. But this one is all about myself, a teenager who is different from others. People might think of someone like me as a freak, but I do no harm. I have many different sides to me - and all of them are the real me.
POPidols: Tell us about your love songs.
Dome: The idea for the song "Wela" ("Time") came to me while I was driving. What I would like to say in the song is that "time" makes love happen and that time also helps us to know if a person is the right one.
POPidols: What do you expect from this album?
Dome: When I started making it, I only hoped that I could finish it, because I was afraid that it would go out of control, as my music is really not mainstream this time. If the album just sells a little bit, that will be a plus.
POPidols: Are you going back to study soon?
Dome: Yes, I will stay in Thailand until early next year, as I want to spend as much time with my mother as I can. Then I would like to go and study sound-engineering and recording in San Francisco. It will take two years for me to get a certificate.
POPidols: Why do you want study this?
Dome: I've been working in the music scene and I love it. I dream of having my own studio, so I want to learn more about making music. My life these days is about living with music. If I'm not making my own music, I will go to clubs and help them DJing. If I stay at home, I spend time downloading music from the Internet.
POPidols: So you could say music is in your blood…
Dome: Yes, you could say that. I really hope that Thailand's music is going to develop more. People think of music just as a kind of entertainment, but I would like to see the listeners understand the structure of music more. It would also be better if we had a "singles" system like other countries, where we release singles before the full album.
POPidols: What do you plan for the future?
Dome: I would like to make better music and to reach out to people who have the same ideas as me. I also want to produce a movie soundtrack or music for commercials. And in the future, I hope I have my own music studio and bring new technology to Thailand. We have a lot of good musical efforts here but we have to mix them in other countries, so I hope I can build a studio of world-class standard.
POPidols: What would you like to say to your fans?
Dome: Thanks for supporting me. As you'll see, I'm trying to develop my music all the time, but I hope old fans can open their hearts to [the new stuff]. I put all my ideas and my energy into this album. It reveals everything about me, so please give it a try…
--Taken from Pop Idols
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