Phanganist speaks with wonderful musician and singer Nok who is currently based on Koh Samui...
Hey Nok, so have you been enjoying Koh Samui?
Yes I'm enjoying living here as I have so many different places that make me enjoy playing so much!
Do you plan to come to Koh Phangan at all?
Yeah sometime, if someone wants to book me and if I'm available haha!
Actually I have a gig booked at Sanctuary in Koh Phangan on 21st of August.
You have been playing some gigs in Samui, have you been singing since childhood?
I remember I started to sing when I started to talk, when I was young maybe, and I started to play guitar when I was sixteen.
Then I became a musician and let music lead my life when I was twenty one maybe....
And how did you start your professional career?
I don't know if I can call myself a professional or not but this is the thing that I can do best in my life for the moment. And I'm lucky because I love to do it too!
And now it's become my passion!! So I just keep doing it, practicing, learning and finding a way for a good connection between my feelings with my six strings on the guitar and my voice.
Explain your style and influences for us....
Well, I think this is always the hardest question for me to answer....Ok, I can play some soft, smooth or smash it with all kinds of music like Soul, Blues, Funky or Rumba or mix it with Reggae or swing rhythm, and sing with what I am feeling about that song......all of it's my enjoyable!
For me the music is like food. There's lots of foods in this world! It depends on what taste I like to add more or less in each food, and the ingredients that I want to keep it in an original way or make and mix it in fusion. So if I cook it my way and if you like some of my food, we both can enjoy and happy.
And what would you say to aspiring singers and musicians to help them overcome hurdles on the way...?
Well...I would like to say, If you love what you like to do then go for it, and keep doing, trying and make it better and better because you'll be the first one who enjoys and is happy with doing that.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
Well, I'll keep living here for the moment as I have good friends and people that love to see me playing, places that let me play what I love to, so it's kind of a good job for me here.
And I keep trying to write my songs and then hopefully I can have a full album of my own songs one day.
And leave us with your music philosophy...
My music philosophy!....Wow...I’ve never thought about this before..
I just feel free to listen and be honest to what I am feeling in my heart, then let the music lead me somewhere that I can play and sing from my soul.
You can find Nok regularly playing at these places on Koh Samui;
Billabong (Fisherman Village)
BEACH (Bang Rak)
Sea Dance Resort (Cheung Mon)
Belmond Napasai Resort and Villas
And next month at Intercontinental
To contact Nok click here.
All photos courtesy of Helen Stockings.