London-born musician life reads like an epic novel. Stemming from his upbringing in Thailand, his musical endeavors have taken him from the Mekong River to London and recently to the New York office of one of the greatest music moguls of our generation.
The catalyst for ܲ’s current success in the music industry is his song “Disappear,” which made it on to Beyoncé’s best-selling album “I Am…Sasha Fierce.” The track not only shows off his strength as an incredible collaborator, but it also inked Hugo a deal with music management and publishing company Roc Nation.
“As a result of that song being on the record I was approached by executives from Roc Nation,” says Hugo. “I was without direction so I signed based on instinct. My heart really wasn’t in it straight away and it took me a while to figure out what kind of record I was going to make — I had a lot of trial and error because I was still reeling from the music industry. Itap tough.”
Q: When and where in your life did you start to seriously pursue music?
A: My first serious band was in Thailand when I was a Thai actor. I had a band that I was sort of funding through that and eventually got signed to a label. We did a record and went on the road; it became a full time thing and I’ve been doing it for ten years now.
You seem to draw inspiration from many cultures and styles of music. Is there a certain genre or style at the core of what inspires you?
I suppose that the early ‘70s, late ‘60s is my most favorite period of time; not just the songs but how they were recorded. If given a choice I would want to be listening to records made between 1965 and ‘73.
Is it true that your music was banned from the radio in Thailand?
We had a couple of songs that were banned, though to be honest I don’t know if that really affected the eventual sale of the records. Some of the lyrics from the second album were about control and corruption but on a personal level it was a difficult period and I was in a bit of an angry phase.
Do you still draw inspiration from politics or controversy in your music?
No, not really. Now that I’m not in a band and now that I’m sort of moving around like a moon man I’m looking for commonalities between people rather than differences I suppose.
You recently made your U.S. television debut on Jimmy Kimmel with your cover of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems.” Whose idea was it to record the song and will that track be on your album?
Yes, it will. It was my idea; there were several reasons. I liked Jay-Z’s original version from “The Black Album,” I like the instrumentation and I like Rick Rubin’s production on it. And I’m on his label. I dunno — itap like a weird act of gratitude I suppose.
ܲ’s (pop) debut album “Old Tyme Religion” will be released in March 2011, but fans can pick up the EP at shows throughout the current tour.
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Paige Montgomery is a Denver-based freelance writer. Check out more of her work on .
