Entertainment Spotlight – 'Mike' Views Life Like Ocean Waves, Dusting Off Old Mindset and Starting Fresh in China

After more than 20 years in Thailand's entertainment industry, 37-year-old singer and actor 'Mike' Pirat Nitipaisalkul has weathered intense ups and downs, ultimately deciding to break into China's entertainment market. Today, he opens up about his life journey.

★ You became famous as a child. Did life feel difficult back then? Mike: "It was just typical teenage years. When I started getting famous, I didn't think much about it. I'd hang out and play with different friends, but I didn't really go out much to experience life because I've been introverted since childhood."

★ Has being introverted affected your career as an artist or actor? Mike: "It has. Back then, I was a duo artist with my older brother Gol (Pichaya) under the name Golf-Mike. My brother is completely different—he's an extrovert, easy to approach. But I'm an introvert with a voice in my head constantly saying 'don't bother people, don't talk.' Yet I'd still smile. As I grew older, I shifted from introvert to extrovert, but there's still that introvert inside. Right now I'm trying to adjust to being more extroverted."

★ What made you feel the need to change? Mike: "Nothing specific. I just woke up one day and felt like I wanted to be an extrovert. There's no harm in trying it. Being introverted my whole life would be boring. I wanted to try being extroverted, going outside, meeting people, seeing different perspectives of the world. Why stay stuck in my own world?"

★ Is life like a roller coaster for you? Mike: "Actually, my life is more like a roller coaster. The ups are slow, but the downs are fast. Usually when I fall, I fall hard—no gentle descent. It's like a roller coaster wave that's pretty wild. Now it feels like I'm controlling the speed, so it's smoother. Before, it was rapid ups and downs—a good rush. I've been through so much volatility that I'm used to these heights. When I go up, I prepare for the fall. When I fall, I prepare to rise. I think in both directions simultaneously."

★ How did you feel during your first major fall? Mike: "Honestly, I was stronger back then. As a kid, I thought less. Now I'm trying to reclaim that old version of myself because that mindset saved me. It was a mindset of belief, resilience, never giving up—very positive. When hitting a dead end, you just turn left or right. Why stay stuck? If this country or that country doesn't accept me, it's fine. I'll find another way. I still had that logic back then, and it developed as I aged. People said my career was finished, that I needed to do something else. But I still believed in myself and kept going. Eventually things got better and exceeded what came before. When it dropped, the next rise was higher. It's like a stock graph. If you learn to navigate it and stay with it, when you're high, just stay humble. Don't think you're superior.

I've passed that phase of thinking I was too high to care about anything else. We've been through ups and downs many times. We know how to adjust next time. I see life in entertainment like ocean waves. When waves are calm, we prepare for the next big wave. We catch the wave from its crest and ride it continuously upward."

★ What makes you feel entertainment is right for you? Mike: "This industry has never been just about [content cut off]"