Q: “Buckle Up” is an emotional story with an impactful arrangement. What was your creative process in making this song?
THAMMARAT: I entered the lyric writing process knowing I wanted to write about my recent experience falling in and out of love with another guy who didn’t feel the same way about me as I did about him. Since I was still getting over the situation, I was able to come up with the lyrics and melody super fast. That said, it took me a week or so to combine it into an actual song. I’m mainly a vocalist, so figuring out what instruments and chords should go under the melody took some time.
I eventually discovered what I was looking for in a video that explained the types of chords Taylor Swift often uses in her songs. I sat down at a piano and started experimenting with various progressions and keys until I found one that suited my voice and the vibe I wanted to achieve. After that, I created a rough draft of the composition in Musescore and emailed it to a friend, who recorded the piano part you hear on the track.
Q: This track was based on a real life experience. How does writing about your experiences help you to process certain situations or emotions?
THAMMARAT: Ambiguity can be challenging, especially for hopeless romantics like me. I genuinely believed that the guy I was talking to liked me more than he was willing to admit, so I allowed myself to fall in love with him, fully convinced that he was also attracted to guys. However, it turns out he is actually straight and never thought of me in the way I had hoped. I realized later on that I had misinterpreted a lot of things in that relationship and it left me feeling a lot of complex emotions. I think falling out of love was the hardest part because I couldn’t seem to find any direction. And I needed to write down what I was going through to emerge with some sense of empowerment and faith in love.
Q: Was there a pivotal moment in your life when you decided to follow your path as a musician?
THAMMARAT: My solo performance at the Washington National Cathedral for the plaque dedication ceremony of Matthew Shepard in 2019 changed how I viewed myself as a musician. I had been participating in various choral ensembles, competitions, and summer programs long before I did that performance. But up until that point, I had not really internalized music as anything other than something I loved to do. It was only after that performance that I truly realized that being a musician, at least for me, is more than simply engaging with music. It’s about engaging with community, society, and politics and showing them the kind of world I want to live in as a queer Asian American. I went from asking myself, “do I want to pursue a path as a musician?” to “what kind of musician do I want to be and how do I get there?” Every decision I’ve made regarding music since has been in service of the socially engaged artist.
Q: In your own words, how would you describe the music that you typically create?
THAMMARAT: Longing, nostalgia, queerness, freedom, life, joy, hopeless romanticism.
Q: What projects are currently in the works?
THAMMARAT: I have multiple songs lined up for an album which I plan to start working on after I graduate from college.
Q: What is coming up next for you?
THAMMARAT: Getting out into New York City to perform!
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