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Girl power
By Ubonwan Pongpat, Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb
Zaza are back with some bounce
After an absence of four years, Zaza have staged a surprise comeback with their fifth album, Travel. And from the looks of it, this won’t be their last.
• Did you know •
Zaza shot the music video for “Ror” on a real plane.
Formed in 1998, Zaza are one of the biggest Thai girl groups of all time. With their irresistible charms and dazzling vocals, Zaza — Pimmada Bariraksupbakorn (Pim), 26, Charina Sirisingha (Kaew), 23, and Pimmara Charoenpukdi (Waan),23 — appeal to male and female audiences alike.
And with the dancehall act Buddha Bless featuring on the album this time around, the three sultry girls also manage to pull the heartstrings of reggae and hip-hop fans.
Zaza recently sat down with Student Weekly to talk about their surprising and successful return and the rumour that almost caused the band to split up.
Student Weekly: What can you tell us about this album?
Pim: It’s pop, like previous albums. We put in flavours of J-pop, hip-hop, and R&B — those kinds of genres that are all the rage.
Student Weekly: After Zaza formed in 1998, you guys put out four albums in four consecutive years. Then you disappeared for four years before releasing the fifth album. What took you so long?
Pim: We couldn’t find new things for a new album. It was like we ran out of new ideas. So we took a break to refresh ourselves and to get more experience. We were afraid that our fans would be sick of our faces. I believed it was the right step to take a break.
Waan: At first we thought that it’d be just a short break. We never thought that it would take almost five years.
Student Weekly: What made you ready to return to the scene?
Pim: Everything was just right — time, ideas and the concept. Around the middle of last year, we put our heads together and presented our ideas to the Grammy people. Coincidentally, they also had the idea of making an album for us.
Student Weekly: How has the feedback been so far?
Kaew: It’s a lot better than I thought it would be. I hadn’t put out any albums for a long time — and we changed our looks. I wasn’t sure what people would say. But so far, everything has been great. I have to give the guys from Buddha Bless credit for this.
Waan: Buddha Bless are popular. Having them featuring with us helps us a lot. If you love Buddha Bless, please love Zaza, too. [Laughs.]
Student Weekly: Previously, your debut singles were slow-tempo ballads. Why did you change to a fast-tempo song this time?
Pim: We would like our song to be played in the pub like other singers’. It’d be cool to have people moving along to our song
Student Weekly: Rumour has it that you almost called it quits because of some feuds between band members. Is there any truth in that?
Waan: This rumour has been flying around the media — even until now. But the rumour is just that — a rumour. We aren’t just colleagues. Our relationships are a lot stronger and deeper. If we faked it, we wouldn’t have been together for 10 years. The words fighting or splitting up aren’t in our dictionary.
Student Weekly: It’s been said that you did this album to cover up the rumour.
Kaew: That’s so not true. I’d been waiting for years for a Zaza album. We disappeared for that long because the timing wasn’t right.
Student Weekly: How have you taken care of your 10-year relationship?
Kaew: By being honest and not talking behind somebody’s back.
Student Weekly: There are a lot of new girl groups out there. Are you afraid that they’ll take your place?
Pim: I love to see new girl groups. I’d like them to get the same opportunities as we got.
Kaew: We don’t mean to compete with any bands. We just are who we are.
Student Weekly: Have you ever thought about a day when there will no longer be Zaza?
Pim: Of course. Every party has its end. But I haven’t thought about what I will do without Zaza. But before that day comes, I want to make the best of Zaza.
Kaew: Because of time, age, trends and external factors, Zaza will have to be gone one day.
Waan: Even though there will no longer be Zaza, our friendship will still go on.
Any words to all your fans who were waiting for your return?
Pim: Thank you very much, indeed. Thank you for waiting for us no matter how long we disappeared for. I’m glad that I’m a part of something that makes members of our fan club get along well with each other. They come from different places, but they became friends because of us.
Waan: I’d been asked when Zaza would come back. Here we are. Please support us and don’t buy pirated CDs. I don’t mind about sales. It’s about the feelings of people making music.
Credit to student-weekly.
This post has been edited by kluay: 30 April 2007 - 07:54 AM
&& the wun beur pleung ruk is cute too lol dey hab realli grown n gotten soo prudy! i used to realli like pim more but waann has realli grown herself to me && i realli admire her n her singin` isnt bad too keke danx ja p`klauy 
&& deir blue ouotfit are realli cute....short but cute 
