Natty of Kiss of Life Shares Her Journey: Life as an Idol Isn't Easy—10 Years of Training, Three Company Changes Before Debut
Natty of K-pop group Kiss of Life shares her inspiring journey from a 10-year-old Thai girl to a decade-long trainee in South Korea before finally debuting three years ago. Despite changing companies multiple times, failing auditions, and moments of doubt, she persevered with the belief that her day would come. Today, she expresses complete happiness performing on stage and credits B.E. as her initial inspiration to pursue a career in entertainment.
Natty (Anatchaya Suphuthiphong), member of Kiss of Life, appeared on the Woody Talk program to discuss her decade-long journey to stardom. Moving to South Korea at age 10, she spent 10 years as a trainee before debuting with Kiss of Life just three years ago, finally able to express her true self on stage. While performances may look glamorous to audiences, the behind-the-scenes reality proved far more challenging than she initially imagined.
Recalling her early days, Natty said she was drawn to dancing and singing from age 6-7, but didn't fully comprehend what the intense trainee system entailed when she joined what she thought was a casual workshop. What started as a fun experience stretched into a grueling decade. She explained the harsh realities: among 50 trainees eating, singing, and dancing together, most never made their debut. Some lacked sufficient talent, while others simply fell out of favor. Yet Natty refused to quit, knowing she'd come too far to turn back.
She admitted to wavering moments—changing companies three to four times and failing auditions led her to question whether this was truly her path. But she persevered, driven by the determination that someday everyone would see who she really was. Even when her parents offered her an escape route after 10 years with no debut in sight, she replied, "I don't want to go home anymore," having invested too much to stop.
Natty credits B.E., a Thai artist, as her original inspiration to become a performer. She developed a personal mantra to keep herself going: "There will be my day." Before Kiss of Life, she never had the opportunity to fully showcase her talents, personality, and performance abilities to audiences. But when Kiss of Life came along, she recognized it as her final chance, and embraced it fully.
Today, Natty feels the lightest she has in her 10-year journey. She does everything she wants on stage and genuinely enjoys her body and performances. She noted with a smile that she rarely gets interviews in Thai anymore, having spent most of her time in Korea.