No stopping Chaleeda Gilbert
Despite her young age, the singer is focused on her career, writes Tahir Alhamzah
YOUNG singer Chaleeda Gilbert, who is from Thailand, didn’t expect much prior to her showcase in Kuala Lumpur last year. “I expected no more than 20 people there,” recounts the 17-year-old singer of Thai-British parentage of her showcase at The Bee, Publika on Dec 14 last year.
So imagine her surprise to see the venue crowded with fans.
Naturally, that evening saw Chaleeda shedding joyful tears while onstage.
“The audience that night were very supportive and sang along to my debut single Ready For Love, which is partly in Thai,” says Chaleeda.
DREAM COME TRUE
Chaleeda, a YouTube star, signed on as a recording artiste last September with Malaysian recording company Rocketfuel Entertainment.
After releasing her debut single which featured fellow Thai artiste Twopee, Chaleeda released her solo English single Mind Over Matter in October, a pop tune written by Malaysia’s award-winning artiste SonaOne. To date, the music video of the song has 3,677,821 views on YouTube.
MAKING MALAYSIA HER SECOND HOME
Chaleeda is a frequent visitor to Kuala Lumpur, travelling to Malaysia’s capital city twice a month. “Each time, I’ll spend about a week here as scheduled by the recording company. Usually, the schedule is packed and can be quite tiring. But it’s okay, this is what I’ve always wanted to do since I was small,” she says.
VOCAL CLASSES
Chaleeda likes Kuala Lumpur, a city which is not very different from Bangkok.
“I grew up in Phuket, but my family moved to the capital city when I wanted to pursue a career in the entertainment industry,” says Chaleeda who has been singing since she was seven.
When in KL, besides being in the studio, her schedule includes giving interviews to the media and vocal classes with former Akademi Fantasia winner Vince Chong.
“I like Vince a lot. Besides being a brother figure, I can talk to him as a friend. “It’s not like I cannot find one who is as equally gifted or talented in Thailand; rather, the vocal teachers there could not make me a better singer or encourage me to improve my singing skills.
“No matter how well or bad I did, they’d still smile and say it’s good. How is that supposed to help me?”
MUSICAL FOCUS
Last year, Chaleeda acted in the Thai horrorthriller The Promise directed by Sophon Sakdaphisit.
“But right now, my focus is on music. This is what I’ve always wanted to do for as long as I can remember,” says Chaleeda who dreams of making it big on the international platform.
In April, Chaleeda released her third single, Pretty Boy, co-written by MVQ Music’s Kuizz and Yuna Room Records’ Bil Musa.
The music video on YouTube has recorded 1,196,495 views.
FUTURE AMBITION
My focus is on music. This is what I’ve always wanted to do for as long as I can remember. Chaleeda Gilbert
Asked if she’d like to collaborate with Malaysian singers, Chaleeda says that US-based Yuna is on her wishlist.
“While I’ve worked with SonaOne, I wouldn’t mind recording a number with him. He’s a talented artiste and it’ll be a great honour to share the stage with him. It’s such a breeze working with him.”
Chaleeda hopes to write her own songs in time.
“I’d like to gain more experience in this industry before I come up with songs which will become my identity.”