Interview
YoungOhm: The anti-idol Asian Hip Hop needs
“One of my biggest life goals is to understand music from every genre, every style, from all around the world”
With the release of his third album Fai Glang Khuen [Night Lights] last month, YoungOhm solidified his stranglehold at the top of Thai Hip Hop, and marked a turning point in his career. One of the year’s most eagerly awaited albums in Thailand, YoungOhm had dropped four singles prior to the release of Fai Glang Khuen, with the biggest song ‘Nakorn Dara’ already surpassing 65 million YouTube views. A native Bangkokian, YoungOhm is the perfect anti-idol and has a wide appeal across Thailand due to his personal storytelling style and the use of catchy, melodic singing on many of his choruses. His mix of raw imagery and honest vulnerability has endeared him to the nation, and on the new album it feels like he is transitioning into becoming a full-blown Pop star. We caught up with him to ask about all the Night Lights and new heights he’s experiencing these days.
Yo, YoungOhm! What’s good? It’s great to finally catch up with you! We’ve been following your career for a few years now.
Thank you! I’ve seen you make a move for Asian Hip-Hop, too. That’s fantastic!
You’re a Bangkok native, and it feels like Bangkok is the backdrop for your Rap stories. But you have wide appeal across Thailand, what makes you connect with your people so much?
I think it's because my lyrics, for the most part, come from my real feelings. When I'm sad, when I'm having fun, or when I'm in love, I just pour it all out into a song. And that makes people feel that emotion, too. It relates to what everyone feels as well.
It feels like you’ve been deep in the Thai Rap game for years, but you’re still only 27. How old were you when you first got into Hip Hop?
I started listening to Hip Hop when I was like 11 or 12, back when YouTube had just started popping off. By the time I was 12 or 13, I was already writing rhymes and making melodies.
Tell us about Fai Glang Khuen. The singles you released before the album are all really big already. From what we’ve heard it seems like you’re singing more now. Are you becoming a straight-up Pop star now?
I’ve always been into every kind of music. One of my biggest life goals is to understand music from every genre, every style, from all around the world. That’s why I never limit myself to just Hip Hop. I can do any kind of sound, depending on the theme of the album I’m working on. If you’ve been rocking with me for a while, you already know I’m always bringing something new into my music.
Your first two albums, Bangkok Legacy and Thatthong Sound were huge hits in Thailand. What’s different this time with Fai Glang Khuen?
My first two albums were all about spending time with my friends, my Rap crew Already Deadd and my High School homies. That was the time of house parties, clubbing, just living that wild teenage life. But this third album hits different. I made most of it on my own and wrote everything by myself. It’s the period where I’ve felt the most focused on making music ever.
In 2023 when LiFTED came to Rolling Loud Thailand, every bar, 7-Eleven, tuk tuk and radio was blasting ‘Thatthong Sound.’ Is that the song that made you a star across the country?
Yeah, maybe. That’s the kind of sound Thai people really vibe to at parties, and I just added Rap and my stories into it. That probably made it connect with a lot more people.
Even though you’ve had so many big hits, you don’t seem to do many collabs. Are international collabs something you’re interested in?
I’ve probably turned into an introvert now, after everything I’ve been through. But who knows, maybe someday things will change. Guess we’ll see, stay tuned for what’s next.
Finally, you definitely have your own unique style, but who were the rappers that influenced you the most when you were coming up?
Everyone knows that person is ILLSLICK. His music style and the way he thinks have influenced me a lot, and I’ve tried to develop what I learned from him into my own style.
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