Engfa Waraha (, , ; born 1995) is a Thai musician, beauty pageant titleholder and actress. She appeared in the seventh season of '' The Voice Thailand''. In 2022, she won Miss Grand Thailand 2022 representing

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. She represented Thailand at Miss Grand International 2022 held in Indonesia on 25 October, and was first runner up. She starred alongside Jeff Satur in the 2024 movie '' The Paradise of Thorns'', which broke box office records and inspired discourse about LGBTQ rights in Thailand''.''

Early life and career

Waraha was born on 15 February 1995 in

Uthai Thani province Uthai Thani (, ), one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat'') lies in lower northern Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, Suphan Buri, Kanchanaburi and Tak. It lies somewhat off th ...

into a family of musicians; her father was a keyboardist and her mother was a

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 ...

(Thai pop-country) singer. She has 2 older sisters, Keytawan and Plaifa (also known as Daaddaew). Since she was born into a musical family, Waraha was able to learn musical skills from her parents, and began performing on stage at the age of six. Moreover, her acquaintance and closeness with hometown traditions since childhood inspired her to dream of becoming a

Likay Likay (, , ) is a form of popular folk theatre from Central Thailand (not in Bangkok, where Teochew opera are folk theatre.). Its uniqueness is found in the combination of extravagant costumes with barely equipped stages and vaguely determined ...

, as well as a Thai blessing ceremonial officiant (). At the age of 17, due to her father's terminal cancer, she signed a 12-year

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

with the

-based artist management organ Sangravee Entertainment to pay for her father's cancer treatment, and released four

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

; two in 2015 and the rest in 2016. Later in 2013, a year after her father's death, she had the opportunity to meet with a master of the Thai blessing ceremony Phonraphee Maneethai () who later persuaded her to study to be an officiant skill, as well as a Thai verse singing () until proficient enough to be able to use it for a career. In addition, before entering the national entertainment industry, she also worked as a waitress, greengrocer, food vendor,

caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is a companion to the player, providing both practical support and strategic guidance on the course. Caddies are responsible for carrying the player’s bag, managing clubs, and assisting with basic course maintena ...

, and model. Waraha became known as Engfa Sangravee after participating in the seventh season of the reality singing contest '' The Voice Thailand'' in 2018. She was eliminated in the knockout round, of the second phase of the contest. Since then, she has appeared in several TV programs, such as a guest appearance in the situation comedy '' Pen Tor'' and Raberd Terd Terng, as well as taking part in many game show programmes, such as ''123 Ranking Show'', ''Still Standing Thailand'', and ''Guess My Age''.

Pageantry

In 2020, Waraha entered the Miss Grand Suphanburi contest, a provincial preliminary pageant for Miss Grand Thailand, but withdraw due to contractual problems. She returned to pageantry in 2022 and won Miss Grand Bangkok 2022. She then went on to win Miss Grand Thailand 2022. She also took part in Miss Grand International 2022 and was first runner-up.

Filmography

Movies

Television series

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{Portalbar, Biography, Thailand 1995 births Living people Engfa Waraha Engfa Waraha The Voice (franchise) contestants Engfa Waraha Engfa Waraha Engfa Waraha Miss Grand International 2022 delegates