LLA Pro Musica Goes Viral with Thai Language Song

UPDATE: 1.5m views on TikTok, and counting

Tiktok/YouTubers Sisters' Time powerful response to the choral festival performance resonated with the Thai community. Watch their emotional reaction and read the transcript below: https://fb.watch/tl1ahYM3g4/

LLA Pro Musica performed the song in concerts throughout Thailand during their international tour this summer.

English Transcript of Reaction: 

:08 Today we’re going to do the reaction of one song. 

:013 This is a piece that I (Khun Praew) arranged and a high school choir from California chose to learn and perform it! They are the first foreign group to sing my arrangement! I’m interested to hear how they will do. 

:024 They came all the way to Thailand to perform, to give a concert. 

:026 (pointing at her sister) You actually had the opportunity to listen to them live, didn’t you?

But I haven’t had a chance yet. Let’s listen to it together now. 

:045 The audience is starting to whisper!

:047 It’s because they didn’t announce what they were going to sing!

1:01 Their sound is so open and full

1:03 As they’re humming, they’re wondering whether or not the audience will recognize it

1:16 Wow – their Thai pronunciation is so accurate

1:19 I can’t help it - I’m tearing up!

1:33 The Thai slide(way of singing) – they do it so well!

1:47 The way they hold/stretch those phrases out is so sweet, so touching

The way they sing “งามประกายนภา” – so full! Tight chords!

1:50 The depth and richness of the men’s tone – so good

1:58 Wow – the conductor is amazing! He must’ve memorized the whole piece as he’s not using any music.

2:05 The way they sing “ใจ” (jai = heart) I can’t believe how sweetly they sing it.

2:28 The men! The way they sing “ให้พี่ชื่นใจ” (hai pee chuen jai)!

2:40 That “y” sound is so hard

2:49 The conductor is conveying the message of the song to his singers with his gestures and the students respond so well

2:57 They are so accurate in their pronunciation

3:10 So good “มืด” (meud = dark)

3:15 The word “ยิ้ม” (yim = smile) - they got the entire word, including the pronunciation of the short vowel there!

3:27 Waiting to hear how they do this phrase

3:32 Come on in, sopranos!

3:37 Goosebumps!

3:47 Here comes the Thai fiddle!

3:49 Wait – there is no fiddle…is there? <looking, looking>

3:55 Oh – they cut out a part! That was a good idea – how smart! (When Mr. Leukert received the arrangement, he decided to cut out three pages, most of which was a Thai fiddle solo and a repeat of an earlier section – since we didn’t have a Thai fiddle…)

4:07 “เปล่า” (plao) - again, articulated so completely, so clear

4:16 I love his gestures – so Thai!

4:25 Their crescendos and decrescendos are so nuanced and sensitive, so sweet

4:47 Who’s singing that solo?

5:12 They didn’t drop that last word/consonant at all!

5:19 That final “y” sound – so good!

5:27 Audience is clapping so long – they’re so impressed!

5:35 As I sit and listen, I completely forget that they’re not native Thai speakers/singers! – or that they’re a high school choir!

5:41 they were so good! So good at this song!

5:45 This is the first time we’ve heard this version of “O Jao Oei” - my arrangement - sung by a group like this! I never would’ve believed that a foreign choir would take my arrangement and not only try to sing it, but sing it so well, to this caliber! 

6:02 I am just so impressed with their articulation – just that opening phrase! 

6:12 I think they maybe listened to our choir (Suanplu Chorus) sing it? And tried to mimic the words? They definitely did their homework – had to pick apart each vowel and consonant.

6:21 Again, that “ยิ้ม” (yim = smile) – they pronounced it so well!

6:27 There were so many words that they pronounced and expressed perfectly. And the ones that they didn’t pronounce right – it was still cute! I think it’s because there are some sounds or consonants in Thai that they don’t have in English, which makes it hard. So when you hear it – it still sounds cute, the way they tried. 

6:41 They really seem like they understand the meaning of the words they’re singing! Do you think that maybe they actually can speak Thai?! <laughing>

6:57 There is a saying that music is a universal language – so even if they don’t understand the words, they still understand the music’s intent

7:06 I love the way they carry those phrases – the highs and lows, the beginnings and ends – it really follows the intent of the piece

7:24 Honestly, the original song is already beautiful – 

7:33 I arranged it originally as an acapella piece – but I’ve actually never heard it performed acapella! Suanplu Chorus sings it with piano accompaniment and a fiddle, lots of different elements. But to hear it acapella – it’s so pure and clean. It makes us listen more intently and really hear the intricacies of the harmonies

7:58 We did send them the score with piano accompaniment – and they have a pianist! - but they chose to do it acapella. They must have been very confident and intentional about that!

8:06 I love that they surprised people, that the audience didn’t know what they were about to sing. In the concert, the conductor would sometimes introduce the next piece, but he didn’t for this one! And then they began – they must’ve known that everyone would recognize the song!

8:21 It makes me think that everytime we go and sing for an audience, I want to sing something in their language. We see here how when everyone recognized the piece, they clapped! It really connected with them.

8:35 And even though they didn’t get 100% of the pronunciation, we are all still so touched

8:39 It must’ve been very difficult and tiring for them to learn it!

8:44 We might be more sensitive to that than others because we’ve learned songs in other languages and we know how hard it is.

8:55 Let’s talk about the details now of the song – what were you most impressed by?

9:00 I’m most impressed by how they pronounced all the words. They really got about 90% of the words – those were so clear. I’m also impressed by the phrasing – our group sometimes doesn’t do it as well! They also phrased some of the lines differently – it was their own take on it and it worked

9:26 What I really liked – from their opening line – here they are, a foreign choir… when they speak Thai, their sound is actually very open. The chords they sing are so tight. Each chord – it’s more than just three notes, right? There are some places with really close harmonies. And so when you have an open sound, those chords will just sparkle.

9:53 I also REALLY like how they did “ชื่นใจ”

10:03 All of it – it really sounds like they understand what they’re saying! I don’t know if they do, but it sure sounds that way!

10:05 Did you write the meaning for them? Of the words?

10:08 No – their score didn’t have any meanings – just the phonetic interpretation (karaoke version)

10:14 There were also some slides and glissandos that are not written in that they somehow got.

10:20 And finally, I really love how they did that penultimate chord - “jao” – they sang that so well! I actually didn’t even think I arranged it that way!! <laughing> I couldn’t remember! But they did it right – they worked it, they emphasized it – they made it clear that’s what we should listen to.

10:58 I admit - sometimes when I sing and get to the end of a song or phrase, you just kind of let it go, throw away the last consonant.

11:11 That last word “เอย” (oei), it’s a diphthong - two different sounds put together “eh + ee) - but they finish it off perfectly.

11:19 If this was a competition, we’d give them full 10 points

11:27 Is there anything we’d deduct points for? No – there’s nothing! If anything, we’d like to add bonus points!

11:30 Oh, there’s one thing I’d deduct for – making me cry and giving me goosebumps!

11:35 Thank you

11:45 I wish everyone had an opportunity to listen to them live; the video clip is fine, but really, when you hear them in person, in a hall, it’s just a feast for your ears. When the sound comes at you from these 40-some singers, it just hits you full on.

11:56 Of course anytime you listen live, it’s better than a clip – that surround sound. 

12:05 Just imagine, if we are this impressed watching and listening to this clip, how much more so would it have been in person! Goosebumps already just through the clip!

12:08 Speaking as the one who arranged the piece, I’m delighted that many schools have requested the music to perform or to learn. Some choirs have even taken it to competitions! And this - I’m so moved that a foreign choir would take my arrangement and learn it.

12:35 As choir members ourselves, we love the support and encouragement of Thai choir music, especially those written and arranged by Thai people. The more people know about this kind of music, the wider our reach can be.

12:50 Please follow “Suanplu Chorus” on social media. We have sung this piece ourselves, in many different venues and countries, actually – go listen to it on Youtube! But today, we are just thrilled to have heard this foreign choir sing it, too.