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Published on December 20, 2007

 When it comes to helping people feel good about themselves, Oak Smith Arayaskul delivers double.

The handsome 27-year-old is a dermatologist by profession, not just treating clients on weekends at Bangkok's Siam Dermatik Clinic but appearing on the kids' TV show "School Bus" to advise adolescents on dealing with acne and other problems.

The rest of the time you can find him onstage singing pop songs, especially his hit tune "Sue Gulab Hai Tua Eng" ("Buying a Rose for Myself"), which has given comfort to millions of lonely hearts.

Someone from music label GMM Grammy spotted Oak's potential during a visit to his own  clinic, in Siam Square, and signed him up to record the single with several other men, collectively known as Voice Male.

"Sue Gulab" stayed on top of the radio charts for weeks, and Oak got a chance to record a whole album of his own in August, titled "How R You?" He's been touring upcountry ever since.

Oak had been taking singing lessons before Grammy came around, so, once he'd passed the audition, the transition to semi-professional performer wasn't difficult.

"It was a good opportunity for me and I took it," he says. "Being a singer doesn't affect my work as a dermatologist, since I have a specific time when I'm at the clinic seeing my patients."

Some of the younger customers do ask for his autograph, and he welcomes the chance to find out what kinds of songs people want to hear. But most of his clientele is older, and they usually request anti-ageing treatments rather than "Sue Gulab".

"They come to the clinic for treatment, not to hear me sing," Oak laughs.

Oak is tight with the fans, though. One of them maintains a fan site online for him. It's another way he can communicate with people, and those interested in him as a singer tend to be friendlier than his clinic crowd, where keeping a professional distance is essential.

"If you get close to someone you can get absorbed in his problems, but a doctor has to see his patients' problems from a different perspective," he says. He stresses that both professions, nevertheless, require good communication skills.

Grammy lets Oak choose the songs he sings and gives him plenty of time to rest, which perfectly suits his policy of being able to set his own rules and not getting lost in the business.

He likes to get eight hours of sleep a night and eat regularly, which isn't the norm among pop stars, who tend to work odd hours and diet a lot.

Oak says his insistence on sticking to his own style of music lets him be entirely himself.

"Music fans in Thailand are very smart," he says. "If we fake our personality, they'll know it."

Lisnaree Vichitsorasatra

 The Nation