She was Thailand’s youngest pop sensation and now Tata Young is ready to spread her talent to the world with her debut English album, “I Believe”, which will be released by Columbia Records on February 23. “I Believe”, Tata’s seventh album, is the much awaited crossover album that is set to catapult the star into the international arena.
Despite being only 23, the nine-year music veteran has already sold more than 12 million albums and established herself as a symbol of change for the Thai music industry. Trendy and energetic, Tata is part of the new wave of Asian talent that is making its mark on the world stage.
Tata Amita Marie Young was born in Thailand on December 14, 1980, the only daughter of an American father and a Thai mother. In a childhood filled with singing and dancing, Tata had already shown the early signs of the talent that would take her from being Thai’s biggest teenage pop sensation to an international recording artist. At the tender age of 11, Tata beat 5,300 other young children to be crowned winner of the International Division of the nationwide Thailand Junior Singing Contest by belting out “One Night Only”.
The victory brought her an entertainer’s contract with Yamaha Music in preparation for the impending debut into showbiz. In 1994, the 14-year-old caught the eye of A&R people at Grammy Entertainment, Thailand’s biggest entertainment conglomerate, which snapped her up with a recording artist contract.
Within a short year, Tata had recorded and released her debut Thai album “Amita Tata Young” which shot up the charts and sold more than a million copies in less than five months. Almost overnight – and at only 15 - Tata had become the biggest pop sensation in Thailand.
The reputation was cemented when sales of her follow-up album “TATA 1,000,000 Copies Celebration”, containing the hit single “Chan Rak Thur” (I Love You), also hit the million-copy mark. 1995 brought the teenage wonder a collection of top awards and accolades, included being named Entertainer of the Year by the Bangkok press, as well as Best Recording Artist 1995, Music Video of the Year, Number One and Two Singles of the Year, and Album of the Year for “Amita Tata Young”, at the Radio Vote Awards in Thailand.
Tata’s cosmopolitan background helped her set new standards for the Thai music industry. Despite singing in Thai, Tata’s popularity took her not only around Thailand but also to concerts abroad. She was chosen to represent Thailand on the Australian Television program "World Telly Broadcast", which featured Youth in Asia and broadcast in February 1996. The programme was seen by audiences in Australia and throughout Southeast Asia. In April 1996, Tata held her “Tata Live In Hollywood Concert” at the renowned Hollywood Palladium. It was a rare event for an Asian singer and the concert received outstanding reviews.
Tata was selected by the Chinese Government to represent Thailand at the Handover Concert for the Hong Kong Handover Ceremonies held on July 5, 1997 along with international acts such as Wet Wet Wet, Michael Learns to Rock, Lisa Stansfield, All 4 One, and the Brand New Heavies.
That same year, Tata became the first entertainer in 14 years to receive the coveted Golden Pikkanes God Award presented by the Musical Artist Association of Thailand under the patronage of His Majesty The King of Thailand.
In 1998, Tata was also chosen to sing the opening song “Reach For The Stars” at the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok.
Tata’s talents have not been limited to just singing and performing live on stage. Trendy, beautiful and vivacious, she has also developed a highly-successful modelling and acting career.
Tata made her film debut in 1997 in the youth drama “The Red Bike Story” which broke the all-time attendance record in its release for any movie in the history of Thailand. Her stunning debut garnered her the Best Female Actress Award (Thailand) presented at the 4th Annual Blockbuster Entertainment Awards 1997. She followed that up with two other celluloid hits, “O-Negative” and “Plai Tien”.
She has modelled and endorsed topnotch products such as Fuji Film and Yamaha motorcycles and has been featured in top international media and on the covers of many magazines around the region.
In 1997, Elle Magazine named her one of Thailand’s “10 Most Influential People”; in 1998, Asiaweek selected Tata as one of 25 most influential trend-makers in Asia; and in 2001, Tata was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in their study of successful Eurasians in Asia.
Tata formed the Tata Young Fan Club in 1997 under the auspices of her company TATA Entertainment to gather support from her fans to provide assistance to “The Human Development Foundation”, a charitable foundation serving underprivileged children in Thailand.
In her spare time, Tata plays squash, computer games, and enjoys spending time with friends and her pet dogs, travelling and listening to music. Her favourite artists are Madonna and Bird Thongchai McIntyre.
