Interview with the Thai female fronted metal band the 8th floor

Below is an interview with the Thai female fronted metal band the 8^th floor.

It may be something different than Luk thung, Mor Lam and Thai dance. They make beautiful ballads such as ร้อยเรื่องราว “Roy Reungraaw” - “hundreds of stories” but are not averse to heavier work such as in the English song Quarantine.

They also combine Thai and English like in the song “Reason of the damned”. In Belgium and the Netherlands there is a large subculture of female fronted metal bands such as the bands Epica, Within Temptation and Valkyre. The Finnish group Nightwish is a world-famous group that has also played at rock Werchter and Lowlands. Hence my interest was piqued when I discovered this Thai metal band. I had an interview with the singer of the group.

8th Floor's Interview

Can you describe the music you make?

Absolutely Dark, Realistic, Full of Symbolic, Not fairy tail.

How did the group come about? Where does the name come from?

The first members of the group met at the 8^th floor of an apartment building in Bangkok. It was a big surprise when it turned out that they played different musical instruments. Guitar, bass guitar and drum. One day they decided to form a group together and that is how the 8th floor was born.

How hard is it to find performances in Thailand in a country where everything revolves around Luk thung, Mor lam and Thai dance?

Very difficult. There are much bigger budgets involved with the styles you mentioned there because they are the musical roots of Thai music. Rock music is only popular in big cities. If you want to play this style of music you can't make a living from it, you have to see that you have a professional career in another field or are lucky enough to belong to a wealthier family.

In recent years there has been a strong growth of female fronted metal groups. Do you think it helps your group or is it rather difficult to distinguish between those many bands.

That is a European and an American phenomenon, we are quite unique in Thailand. I haven't met a Thai female fronted metal band yet. It does make me quite lonely sometimes (laughs).

How do you distinguish yourself from other female fronted metal groups?

I think our band is different from the others because we don't follow a pattern. We are always creating new music. We don't fit into the boxes like metal core, scream or gothic, we make music that we find interesting and that we like. I myself make melodies and lyrics from a pure feeling because I can't read music notes.

How do you write the music for your songs?

Krit, our guitarist writes the music and also does the recordings, he's a genius at those things. I don't play instruments myself, but I've already tried (laughs).

How do you write the lyrics to your songs?

As I said before, I make the melodies and lyrics purely based on feeling because I can't read musical notes. I am inspired by the things that happen to me, such as tragedies, visions of life. I think there's something else that makes our music different from other Thai music groups and that's the story behind the music. The lyrics I make seem to come from a crazy hardcore gamer guy rather than a girl. (laughs)

Where in Thailand have you already played?

Only in underground concerts.

In which other countries have you already played?

We have already been invited by many countries for performances such as Malaysia, Indonesia, France and Germany.

Do you have plans for a tour through Europe? Can we expect you in Belgium or the Netherlands?

A tour through Europe is a big dream of ours. Invite us!

What are your future plans?

We have many plans for the future, but in Thailand these are not easy to realize. Maybe we should look to other countries to launch our music. The internet can offer a solution through social media and iTunes.

Is there anything else you would like to say to the reader?

If you want to listen to our music you can find us on youtube, type “8th floor” and you can follow us on www.facebook.com/8thfloormusic.

We are going to launch our songs on iTunes in 2017, we will keep you updated. Thank you for the interest and pleasant acquaintance.

Some songs from 8th floor on youtube:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1Zjxv4ClmI – ร้อยเรื่องราว (hundred stories)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzTQBLKYWwA – คำพูดสุดท้าย – (the last word)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OU1JycthgY- Reason of the damned

Submitted by Luke