Thongchai McIntyre (, ; born Albird Thongchai McIntyre; 8 December 1958) is a Thai singer, actor and 2023 National Artist Performing Arts. He is also sometimes known as Bird Thongchai, Phi Bird ("Older brother Bird") or simply Bird (). He finished high diploma management major from Thonburi Commercial College. Considered to be Thailand's most famous superstar, he is one of the most successful singers in Thailand's history, having sold more than 25 million albums. He is best known for his

string (Thai pop) Thai pop or T-pop, is a genre of Thai music roughly equivalent to pop music. It emerged in the 1970s–1980s, during which it was known as string music, before gaining mainstream popularity during the 1990s and has since dominated the Thai music ...

and

luk thung Luk thung (, , ) is a genre of Thai music that emerged after World War II in the Central Thailand, central region of Thailand. The genre was derived from phleng Thai sakon, and developed in the early-20th century. Suphan Buri in particular beca ...

music, having debuted in 1986 and quickly became famous with his singing style and stage persona. He has also acted in numerous films, on television, musicals, and in commercials. He is of

Mon Mon, MON or Mon. may refer to: Places * Mon State, a subdivision of Myanmar * Mon, India, a town in Nagaland * Mon district, Nagaland * Mon, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India * Mon, Switzerland, a village in the Canton of Grisons * A ...

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

and Thai descent.

Early life

McIntyre was born in Bangkok's Wat Nimmanoradi neighbourhood to parents Udom and James McIntyre. He was the youngest of nine siblings, and his life in the slums did not give him much of a head start, thus his childhood was filled with struggle to supplement the income of his family. As a child, he sometimes taught English to other children in the slum in exchange for 5 to 10 baht. Raised in a music-loving family, Bird McIntyre loved to sing and dance, and showcased his talents in school. His father died when Bird was still a child. He began working as a bank officer.

Career

While still working as a bank officer, he met the famous Thai TV producer Kai Varayuth, who recognised Bird's talent. Bird débuted in his first TV series with the help of Kai. His most memorable role was that of Captain Kobori in the 1990 television series ''

Khu Kam ''Koo Kam'' () is a Thai novel written by Thommayanti. It was adapted into a 1995 film, '' Sunset at Chaopraya'', and a 2013 remake that shared the same name. Plot summary Set in 1939, during the early days of World War II in Thailand, the no ...

'', a tragic love story about a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

soldier (Bird) and a local Thai girl during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He reprised this role in the 1996 film adaptation, '' Sunset at Chaophraya''. He reached the height of his musical career in the early nineties. Among his best-known songs are ''Duay Rak Lae Pook Pan'', ''Koo Gud'', ''Sabai Sabai'' and ''Kob Jai Jing Jing''. His popular singles released recently include

singles ''Mah Tummai'', ''Fan Ja'' (with Jarin B. (

Joey Boy Apisit Opasaimlikit (, ; born 1974), known by his stage name Joey Boy (), is a Thai hip hop singer and producer known as the Godfather of Thai Hip Hop. Biography Born into a Thai Chinese family, Apisit started listening to hip hop when he ...

), Nat Myria Benedetti, and

Katreeya English Katreeya English (; born 4 September 1976) is a Thai singer, actress and model. She has released 5 albums, the most recent of which is Sassy K on GMM Grammy. In 2015, she recorded "They Call Us The Royals", a new song for Reading F.C. of the F ...

), ''Lao Su Kan Fang'', and ''Yak Tham Kor Tob'' and ''Mai Kang Ying Pae'' from his album "Volume One". In the mid-nineties, he became the first Thai artist to receive an International MTV Award for his performance in '' Sunset at Chaophraya''. He was featured on CNN and in ''Variety'' magazine. An award-winning documentary of his life entitled ''Crossing Borders'', directed by Phanjanit Garnploog, can be seen at St. John's University in New York. In 2010, Bird made his first international tour in Los Angeles and the 50th Anniversary of Lincoln Center in New York. In late 2007, he released another album entitled " Simply Bird", which features songs such as Chuay Rap Tee and

Mee Tae Kid Tueng Mee or MEE may refer to: * Ekari people, also known as the Mee, ethnic group from Central Papua, Indonesia * Ekari language, also known as the Mee language, a Trans–New Guinea language of Indonesia * Maré Airport, via IATA code, airport in Mar ...

Discography

Albums and singles

Original soundtrack

* Song name "Rak oei" (รักเอ๋ย), opening theme

The Bride of Naga The Bride of Naga (; ) is a Thai romance drama series. First broadcast on One 31. It shows in reruns at 23:45 p.m. on Netflix. Synopsis Asia, a pediatrician who came to treat children's snake scale disease in Phanom Nakha village. She encountere ...

TV dramas

Awards

Covers by other artists

In 2012, the popular Japanese girl group

Berryz Kobo was a Japanese idol girl group formed by Up-Front Promotion in 2004 and associated with Hello! Project. The group's members consisted of Hello! Project Kids members Saki Shimizu, Momoko Tsugunaga, Miyabi Natsuyaki, Chinami Tokunaga, Maa ...

released a song titled "

Cha Cha Sing "Cha Cha Sing" (stylized as "cha cha SING") is the 29th single by the Japanese female Japanese idol, idol group Berryz Kobo, released in Japan on July 25, 2012. Background The single was released in four versions: Limited Edition A, Limited Ed ...

" as a single. The title track is a cover of the song "Row Mah Sing" by Bird Thongchai. The first coupling track "Loving You Too Much" is also a cover of a Bird Thongchai's song, "Too Much So Much Very Much". Both were translated into Japanese. The single debuted at number 6 on the Japanese

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...

weekly singles chart. In 2013, Japanese girl group

released a single titled " Asian Celebration". The coupling track of the Limited Edition B and Limited Edition D, "I like a Picnic" is a cover of a

Bird Thongchai Thongchai McIntyre (, ; born Albird Thongchai McIntyre; 8 December 1958) is a Thai singer, actor and 2023 National Artist Performing Arts. He is also sometimes known as Bird Thongchai, Phi Bird ("Older brother Bird") or simply Bird (). He fin ...

's song, "กอดกัน(Gaud-gun)".

Royal decorations

Thongchai has received the following royal decorations in the

Honours System An order is a visible honour awarded by a sovereign state, monarch, dynastic house or organisation to a person, typically in recognition of individual merit, that often comes with distinctive insignia such as collars, medals, badges, and sash ...

of Thailand: * 1991 – Commander (Third Class) of the Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...

* 2005 – Silver Medalist (Seventh Class) of the Most Admirable

Order of the Direkgunabhorn The Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn (; ) was established by King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) on 22 July 1991 (B.E. 2534) to be bestowed upon those who have rendered devotional services to the Kingdom of Thailand. The title ''Direkgu ...

* 2012 – First Class (Gold Medal) of Red Cross Medal of Appreciation

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McIntyre, Thongchai 1958 births Living people

Thongchai McIntyre Thongchai McIntyre (, ; born Albird Thongchai McIntyre; 8 December 1958) is a Thai singer, actor and 2023 National Artist Performing Arts. He is also sometimes known as Bird Thongchai, Phi Bird ("Older brother Bird") or simply Bird (). He fin ...