ASERICAN
Toey Singhajatturas
Tall, lanky, scruffy and full of style, Jarturong “Toey”Singhajatturas has, and is dabbling in everything from fashion, modelling, acting, DJing and event organizing, to selling vintage items at his girlfriend’s store. But right now, he’s focused on music, and everything’s faded out in the meantime.
AN: What are your passions right now?
TS: Right now, it’s music. For fashion, I wouldn't call myself a fashionable person, but I dress up as myself and in my own style. It’s just from my own attitude and character.
AN: How did you get yourself into the music and fashion industry in Thailand?TS: I’ve always liked and listened to music since I was young, and I’ve never had the opportunity to do it. My friend invited me for years before I finally agreed to do it. I heard the songs that he wrote, and I liked it so I agreed to work with him.
But for fashion, when I was young, I was rowdy and I didn’t study at all...I didn’t graduate like my friends, and I worked aimlessly. I was a sales staff at Greyhound around twenty years ago when they only had a few stores. That was when I started to know the insides of the fashion industry [in Thailand]. I ended up hanging out with fashionable people, so I ended up in that zone. Then a bit of modelling came after. But when I came back from London two years ago, it probably looked good [laughs], so I got modelling jobs from old contacts who saw that I was back.
AN: When did you form your band and how’s it doing so far?
TS: It was only four to five months ago where we started becoming serious. We play in parties and such. The [only] projects that I currently have now is creating music. I’ll be playing in Chiang Mai later on, and we’ve played in festivals such as Happy Alone.
AN: How does the two-man band work?
TS: I play guitar, bass and keyboard. We both play the same instruments but we switch it around. In some songs he fits the bass more or the guitar more, so we switch around depending on the song. And we both sing. We help each other out.
AN: What are some of your favorite bands, and have they influenced GALAGA in any way?
TS: Which band should I pick? I listen to music randomly, but I do like oldies. I like bands from the ‘70’s and I like glam rock like David Bowie. I like brands in that region - around England. For example, The Kinks, David Bowie, The Cure.
There are some influences. There are some songs inspired by their sounds. We don’t do it exactly like them, but we take them as an example and go back and think on how we could generate a similar feel.
AN: Where can we get a sample of your music?
TS: The recording should be done soon, since we’re in talks with an interested junior who owns a music label. If he likes us, he’ll sign us up. It’ll be easier to be signed to a music label so we get more jobs. We’re going to work on a music video in the meantime. We do it all ourselves, it’s more fun that way and we want to make it in our own style. So yeah, we’re pushing to get that done now.
AN: You seem to be a free spirit that didn’t have any fixed goals in life in the past, do you have any now?
TS: From what I see now, it’s only music. It’s something I see that I can do, do it well, and I can be happy doing it.