G-JUNIOR'S WORLD : Golf-Mike, G-JR, Preppy G etc.

LET'S GO GIRL

(Original English Article)

By Tatat Bunnag
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb

Source : http://www.student-weekly.com/220107/220107_entertain_02.html.

Grammys newest teen group takes the stage

Last year saw the massive success of the hot boy band G-Jr, a group recruited through the GMM Grammy development project G-Junior. That programme nurtured the talents of youngsters who company executives believed were capable of eventually becoming stars.

The boys and their album, 10 Club, stole girls hearts all over the kingdom but left most teen boy fans longing for someone to scream for and swoon over, too.

Luckily for adolescent males everywhere, Grammy had their next group waiting in the wings, even as G-Jr were taking the country by storm. The same project that spawned the G-Jr heartthrobs produced their female counterparts, Preppy G, a group with enough fresh-faced 16 to 19-year-old girls to form a football team.

After four challenging years of training to develop their singing and acting skills, the girls of Preppy G Pimnapa Wongwisawakon (Tan), Hassaya Isariyasereekul (Praew), Patjaree Pimsamaee (Teen), Natcha Chatlaong (Ploy), Phutrapee Wongsittipat (Bewty), Pitcha Petcharoen (Pang), Nattanan Kiadladathanit (Great), Nanthiya Wright (Tina), Jocelyn Gandy (Skye), Suthinan Ampornchatchavan (Lek) and Sitapar Uttaburanont (Mae) are ready to take on the Thai pop scene.

To find out more about these 11 junior divas, their four-year training programme and their plans for the future, Student Weekly headed to the GMM Building for a group interview.

>> Question: When you were auditioning for the G-Junior project, how many competitors were you up against?

<< Mae: A lot. More than 1,000, I think.

<< Ploy: Yes, that many. At first, I couldnt believe that I was chosen.

>> Question: You spent four years training with the G-Junior project before releasing this album. What were you learning during that time?

<< Great: We learned everything: dancing, singing and acting. We worked every day after school and on the weekends.

<< Teen: After that, we made appearances in a Bird Thongchai concert and at the Pattaya Music Festival. We also worked as presenters for commercial advertising, did fashion shoots and appeared in music videos.

<< Ploy: They helped us learn and get as much experience as we could to get ready for today.

>> Question: How would you describe your music?

<< Mae: This album is a mix of different types of pop music.

<< Great: Each of us has a different personality, so a variety of pop styles works very well when were together.

<< Praew: Our album is called Lets Go. Our first single is the title track. Its an accessible pop song with a mix of retro, disco sounds. The next single Rob Guan Mar Love Gun (Lets Love), is a cool hip-hop song that features a rap by our friend Chin from G-Jr.

>> Question: Are you guys good friends with Golf and Mike?

<< Great: Yes, but we dont see them that often any more. Theyre always busy.

<< Pang: We met a lot during the training programme. They taught us a lot of outlandish dance steps. Theyre really good at those. [Laughs.]

>> Question: With so many members in the group, how do you divide up the singing duties?

<< Pang: Most of the songs on the album are group songs.

<< Great: But there are four songs on the album that feature solos by Tan, Tina, Bewty, and Teen.

>> Question: Have you ever had any arguments or found it hard to spend so much time together?

<< Praew: Were not people who are together just to put out an album.

<< Mae: Yes, weve been together and shared good and bad times for four years. Now were more like close friends than just co-workers.

>> Question: Whats the concept behind your fashion?

<< Great: We all dress in white, but you can tell whos who by the colour of our socks.

Tina: Yes, we all have different coloured socks. We also have dolls that we carry with us all the time. Theyre all different and reflect our personalities.

>> Question: Do any of you have plans for solo albums in the future?

<< Tan: Maybe, but we havent decided yet. For now, Mae is the only one who has a solo project. She working with a Japanese music company.

<< Mae: Its a cooperative project between the Japanese company and Grammy. Theyre trying to find new Thai artists to make music in Japan.

Ive only recorded two songs, but Ill be going back soon to work on more. Its kind of lonely, being there alone. But Ive had a really great time working with them.