Tata makes a deal

Published on February 6, 2008

With Europe, Australia and another assault on America in the works, Tata Young has ended lengthy speculation about her recording plans by signing a fresh contract with Sony-BMG Music Entertainment, her original label.

The three-year deal comes after extensive negotiations with other music companies, including GMM Grammy. The Thai singer who's gone further in the American market than any other took her time in deciding.

"We invested heavily in the bidding," Sony-BMG business chief Birathon Kasemsri Na Ayudhaya said at a press conference last Friday at a Bangkok hotel. He declined to put a price tag on the contract.

"This isn't just about money - it's about something much better: giving Tata strong support for her highest goal so far in America. Our involvement will be more creative than any of the other companies were offering."

The new arrangement calls for two Thai-language albums and two in English. The first in Thai, "One Love", will be released on Valentine's Day, and an English-language disc will be out by the end of the year, with distribution in Europe and Australia as well as the US.

Tata said she's feeling "more comfortable" about her persona "after being the exhausted 'sexy, naughty, bitchy' singer". The songs on the upcoming album, she said, are about "love, broken hearts and happiness".

That, said Birathon, is what the fans want.

"We'll come up with songs and albums that come from the innermost recesses of fans' hearts," he said, while also promising some special projects.

These include the promotion of recycling in Bangkok and other environmental efforts elsewhere in Thailand.

"We'll also offer scholarships for schools around the Kingdom, with the proceeds from the concerts going to these projects," he said.

"We want people to know Tata more in depth, rather than just her image on TV. This year she'll be working harder than ever, because she'll have to tour all over Thailand, which she hasn't done in 10 years. She'll be closer to her fans nationwide."

Birathon said Sony-BMG will be recouping its hefty investment in Tata through music sales, licensing products and turning her into a computer-game character. He admitted the company was somewhat anxious about the deal.

"Investing in any superstar is risky because of the uncertainty - the superstar of today won't be the superstar of tomorrow. So the challenge for us is to maintain her status as the No-1 artist in Thailand.

"I think that she can be the next Bird Thongchai," he said, referring to long-reigning mega-star Thongchai McIntyre.

Playing a prominent role in last week's press conference was Love Is, the music-production house. Sony-BMG is promoting and distributing two new albums from Love Is - "Songs for Tomorrow" by the group Friday and 7th Scene's self-titled debut.

Love Is managing director Cheewin "Boyd" Kosiyabong explained that his firm continues to make album-by-album deals with different music companies, and decided that these two albums are best suited to Sony-BMG.

"Of course it's a big load off my mind not to have to worry about the distribution and marketing," he said, "but it's still a matter of collaboration, and Sony is giving me good support. I hope it will be the beginning of a good relationship."

Kitchana

Lersakvanitchakul

The Nation