Fungjai Awards 2017: The Exclusive Awards Ceremony for Music Artists and Creators
On November 29, 2017, at Studio9 Show DC, an Exclusive Private Party was hosted by Fungjai to honor to the artists of Thailand who dedicated their lives in creating exceptional music from pure love of the craft and not for monetary benefits. The awards were not only made to show support for the artists, but the private event also hosted the show appreciation towards the fan base that has always been with Fungjai since the start. This marks the 2nd awards ceremony hosted by Fungjai and the 3rd year anniversary since the founding of the community. Let’s take a look at who they are and what they’ve been up to this past three years.
About Fungjai
Fungjai believes in the freedom of music, both for listeners and creators. Over the years they have developed a Music Streaming Platform that is open to all type of artists and record labels. The public can choose to explore the website or mobile application. Fungjai also has an online magazine called Fungjaizine to be used as a channel to raise awareness about the music industry using uniquely twisted contents. Last but not least, Fungjai organizes concerts such as Hed Sod, Tiger Jam, Borderless, and Behind the Band, to give the bands in their community a chance of exposure to their fan base and potential listeners.
Over the years, Thailand’s music industry has witnessed the birth of multiple captivating side projects from Fungjai. Their progress was presented at Fungjai Awards 2017, and it was great to hear that some of them are taking off just fine. Here are a couple of our favorite picks that might intrigue you.
Malama Collective
Derived from the word Hawaiian word ‘Mālama’ meaning ‘to take care of’ and the welcoming Thai meaning of ‘coming over’, Malama Collective aims to create a new alternative for musicians with a potential to grow, but lack financial support. They aim to alleviate their financial hurdle by establishing a fund for its members to borrow to create music and pay for other necessary music-related activities, while still maintaining their creative freedom.
Musicians who leave for Malama project are considered ‘graduates’ and will, in turn, come back to help out with the ‘students’ who are still finding their ways. For more information, check out their official website and for the latest news and updates be sure to follow their Facebook fan page.
Lensod
Lensod.com is slowly becoming the ultimate platform for live artist booking. The team of musicians behind the service believes that no matter what era of music we are in, everybody can agree on the love for live music. And even though everything seems to be downloadable through your smartphones these days, they believe that “live music experiences cannot be downloaded”.
If you’re an event organizer, you can easily look up artists that perfectly suits your needs from their style of music, some of which you might not have heard of before. If you’re an artist looking to book a show, this is your chance to be found. For more information, check out their official website and for the latest news and updates be sure to follow their Facebook fan page.
The Atmosphere, The Guests, and The Performances
As you walk to make your way into Studio9, the first thing that will catch your eye is the way everything is set up. There’s not much regarding decor, but no one seems to care. Everyone was having a great time talking and catching up, and it felt like a very close community and a very special one. Artists dressed their best for the occasion; some men even wore a dress with leather shoes. There was a very indie/retro vibe to the event and having just a polo shirt with jeans made us feel way under-dressed for the occasion.
As the opening time nears, everyone quickly grabbed their food and drinks from the free bar situated around the hall, while others found their seats on the bright green turf in front of the stage. You have a choice of either sitting straight on the turf, on wooden boxes, or standing at the barrels near the stage. It was like a beer garden, but indoors, pretty cool if you ask me.
After the CEO has had updated the crowd about Fungjai and its projects, it was time for the main event. The audience was treated with stunning mini-concerts from the famous artists in the community like Telex Telexs, Lord Liar Boots, temp., and Yena, all of which were winners of some sort in the previous year’s event. It was nice to see everyone in the community cheering after every song and very heart-warming to see everyone singing and dancing along. We have never heard of these bands until today, and we were sure to add them to our playlists once we get home after the shows.
The Awards
Whether you are an artist with or without a record label, there’s a chance for you to win something from Fungjai Awards 2017. The only rule is that your single or album must be available on fungjai.com between October 2016 and October 2017. There are a total of 16 awards separated into 3 categories: Fungjai Awards (democratically voted by Fungjai’s team members of 40 people), Popular Awards (selected by public users of the official Fungjai website), and Special Awards (selected on the event day through online voting from musicians and presses)
It’s refreshing to see Thai people taking pride in the home-grown musicians. In this day and age where music becomes free, and the word “artist” becomes less valuable, everyone in music industry must struggle to find value within either the music is written or by forming a community to make a statement. Fungjai has played a significant role in supporting Thai artists, new or old, in making a career in Thailand out of their love and passion. Check out their official Facebook page and website for more information and subscribe to their services to help support the growth of the Thai music industry.