Wax job for sexy pop star Tata

Thai Takes
By PHILIP GOLINGAI

YIM mai? (Thai for ‘Do I smile?’),” asked Thai pop star Tata Young after 10 minutes of “passport photograph” expression during a photo shoot in an empty office in Silom, Bangkok.

Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks Pattaya general manager Somporn Naksuetrong glanced at a portfolio with photographs of the singer and answered “Yes”.

Instantaneously, Tata smiled so sweetly.

Fresh from a lunchtime charity walkabout, wearing a pink T-shirt with the slogan “Those who give are those who get” and khaki shorts, the 28-year-old superstar was in the middle of a sitting for a life-size wax figure.

She’s among 10 Thai icons picked by Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks together with 60 international celebrities (Michael Phelps, Jet Li, Tiger Woods and his Thai mother, Kultida included) for its waxworks museum that would open in Pattaya, Thailand, in October.

No Thai politician was picked.

“With the political situation right now it is not a good time to feature a Thai politician. Abhisit Vejjajiva is too new as prime minister while Thaksin Shinawatra is too controversial,” he explained. “Maybe we will consider in the future.”

Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks, according to Somporn, chose Tata from a shortlist of 50 Thai celebrities because she was not only well known in Thailand but also internationally. In November last year, Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks Pattaya asked Tata whether she wanted to be immortalised as a wax figure.

The artiste had just returned from Berlin where she recorded her third English album, set to be launched in June. At the German capital she visited Madame Tussaud’s Berlin.

“It was pretty cool to see David and Victoria Beckham, Julia Roberts and Elvis. I said ‘yes’ because it would also be pretty cool to see myself as a wax figure,” said the luk kreung (Thai for “half-children”), who is half-Thai, half-American.

“And not everybody gets the chance to be a wax model.”

Her wax model, according to Tata, would be “something that will remain in the wax museum for a long time”.

“So in the next 10 years when I have children or my fan club members visit the museum they would say ‘Oh, she looked like that 10 years ago’,” she said.

When Tata was told luuk thung (Thai country music) superstar Bird Thongchai McIntyre was also on the list, she said she felt honoured to be chosen together with him. “I’m his biggest fan.”

Paradorn Srichaphan (the Thai tennis star) would also be featured, she enthused.

“Oh, I was told not to ask you about Paradorn,” I said. Her ex-boyfriend is married to former Miss Universe Natalie Glebova (who will not be featured in the museum).

“That’s OK. He really did something for Thailand. And he deserves to be one of those chosen,” said the singer, who is known for her sizzling sexy performances.

Earlier, Tata jokingly said “Make sure you make me look skinny” to three artists from Silpakorn University (Thailand’s leading university in fine arts) and a photographer.

They were taking hundreds of measurements and photos of her to ensure her wax figure would be lifelike.

The tattoos on her neck (her late mother’s name, Bunchorn, written in Thai), wrist (a star as she’s a superstar) and ankle (a butterfly as she travels a lot) were also photographed.

Not photographed were tattoos on her belly (her name) and her back (a clef).

Tata also discussed with Somporn the pose for her wax figure. He showed her a photograph a Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks Pattaya designer from Canada had picked.

The pose was provocative – the singer standing with her hands tucked behind her head and her legs spread wide.

“That pose is good. But I have a lot of pictures to look at. Wow! I really have to look through them as this is going to be quite legendary,” said Tata, who is also featured in the computer-generated video game The Sim 2.

The image she wants her wax figure to project is “a Tata that everyone knows – outgoing, fun and confident”.

“Yeah, it should be maybe a little sexy as everybody knows that about me,” she added.

Tata can’t wait for her “clone” to be completed in six months’ time.

“It will be freaky to see a twin of myself,” she said.

(Published in The Star on March 7, 2009)