Following the surprising singles “The Other Side” and “Balter Baby,” Phum Viphurit presents his adventurous new project Paul Vibhavadi Vol. 1 in its complete form. Released to streaming platforms on October 17, 2024, the Bangkok-born singer-songwriter takes his creativity and eccentricity to new heights via the four-song EP which tells the story of Paul Vibhavadi, the world’s fastest moving bilingual sloth who is on a quest to find inner peace.
The concept for Paul Vibhavadi Vol. 1 came from Phum wanting to stretch the boundaries of his music, which then led the 29-year-old film school graduate down other creative avenues for his songwriting. “For the longest time I’ve been into early 2000s house and I always knew that I wanted to incorporate my guitar playing into that type of BPM. When I had the idea of these four tracks in mind, I immediately thought alter-ego,” he says. “I’ve always found when artists do projects where they get to explore an alter-ego, whether that’s Tyler, the Creator doing Igor or David Bowie being Ziggy Stardust, there’s almost a sense of newness in it and that excited me. It also allowed me to detach myself from writing from my diary or from such personal experiences, and use my screenwriter brain to make this character and the story arc within this little new universe.”
When it came to deciding the alter ego’s name and character, Phum didn’t have to look very far. “The sloth has been my logo for the last two years, and there’s something very calming about it that’s very true to my own character. The name Paul Vibhavadi is actually a play on my initials, Phum Viphurit/Paul Vibhavadi. Vibhavadi is quite a famous street in Bangkok, and Paul is my alias whenever I play FIFA or NBA 2K. When I make any other sports characters, his name will always be Paul Vibhavadi. So why not?”
With Phum stepping into Paul’s shoes, the Paul Vibhavadi Vol. 1 EP takes us on the sloth’s journey as an out-of-place city dweller in search of the magical forest of Himmapan. Opening track “The Other Side” is a house music banger that sees Paul encounter a sloth-worshipping tribe that lulls him into getting carried away by the idolatry; the instrumental dance track “Balter Baby” then soundtracks Paul cavorting with the tribe before he floats away in a glowing bubble. “Past Life,“ which features rapper TangBadVoice, takes a more contemplative tone in which Paul is overcome with emotion as he recollects his former lives while floating away; and in the subdued finale “If This Is the End”, Paul reaches the gateway of his destination and considers what he has to leave behind if he decides to enter.
Though the Paul Vibhavadi Vol. 1 EP is an exercise in storytelling via a fictional character, Phum couldn’t help but find similarities with his own life. “I spoke to an artist friend about this project, and he said, ‘Sometimes when you put on a mask, that’s when your work is the most honest.’ Because there’s only a physical filter, and behind that you can say so many things because it’s your honest, pure thoughts and expression,” says Phum. “That stuck with me, and the story of Paul Vibhavadi is somewhat parallel. There’s definitely some parallels to my own life and the downfalls of fame that I’ve seen.”
It’s this juxtaposition of taking a light-hearted approach to deep lyrical themes that makes Paul Vibhavadi Vol. 1 a special project by a special artist. For his part, Phum Viphurit – who has taken to dressing up in full costume as Paul Vibhavadi in his recent Instagram posts and music videos – would like to emphasize the fun aspect. “All in all it’s a lot of fun. The subject matter can be a bit intense if you look at it that deeply, but I’ve had a lot of fun working on this character and this project,” he says. “I hope it shows.”
