Thai Artist MILLI Is Packing All The Punches With Album, ‘Heavyweight’

If you were to ask Milli if she were a lover or a fighter, she’d say she’s a lover of fighting.

The 22-year-old Thai rapper, whose real name is Danupha Khanatheerakul, has been fighting for her music career since she first appeared on the 2019 Thai music competition series, The Rapper [Season]

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“I feel like I’m a fighter because I have to fight for something every time,” Milli says the day before her “Head in the Clouds” set in Pasadena, California. “I have to prove something every time I’m doing things. It’s tough, but I’m glad because it’s so challenging and I get what I want.”

At 16 years old, Milli beat out 23 other contestants to take home the crown as The Best New Rap Artist. Since then, she signed with the artist management company Yupp! and 88rising, been the first Thai solo artist to perform at Coachella and 88rising’s Head in the Clouds in 2022, and landed on BBC’s 100 Women list of inspiring and influential women in the world. Her debut 2022 studio album, Babb Bum Bum, won “Album of the Year” at Thailand’s TOTY Music Awards (where she also won “Best Solo Artist of the Year”).

Now, she’s set to release her second studio album, HEAVYWEIGHT, showcasing her strength as an artist and a fighter. Not only is Milli an artist, but she also owns the gym, Rope A Dope Boxing Gym, where she trained as a Muay Thai boxer for her first boxing fight back in May. It made sense to Milli to have the new album be called HEAVYWEIGHT, as she has proven herself to be a rap artist and, now, a legitimate Muay Thai fighter.

“Everything that I’ve been through was so heavy to me,” she explains. “For this album, I’m comparing myself to being a boxer. Starting from the atomweight, then gain more experience and improve with more practice. [I just]

keep going and doing that until I become a heavyweight fighter. It’s like the next step in my career, I’m just ready to fight.”

The album preparation was well-documented alongside her preparation for her first Muay Thai fight. In the five-part YouTube documentary series “Milli To The Ring,” Milli describes that these past few years have been the heaviest she’s ever mentally endured. When something important happens in her life, she feels she’s always choosing between two things – whether it’s her rapping career or plans to continue studying, or choosing to spend time with her family versus the time she wants to give to the world.

She isn’t afraid to ask for help when it comes to these types of situations, and now has psychological professionals helping her through. She says, “This is really important. It’s okay that you’re not okay, and that you need some professionals to listen to so they can see when you face the problem. It’s so big. You’re facing the big mountain rock, right? You need somebody with third eyes [telling you]

, ‘This is just a rock, bro. You just need to turn left.’ It’s easier when you have somebody to help you. It’s fine. I did that. I’ve become happier, and they’re trying to understand me with my words.”

Milli understands that her words have power, and has seen how they’ve motivated change among Thai people in her generation. Her 2020 debut single, “Phak Khon,” went viral for its sleek hip-hop style and anti-bullying message. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Milli criticized the government for its poor response to the crisis. The government fired back and threatened to charge her with crimes that “threatened national security,” prompting many Thai citizens, including those in the music and film/TV industry, to voice their support for the rapper. She was later fined 2,000 baht (~$60).

“Let’s just say this, I’m one of the people,” says Milli. “I’m just a human. I have a human right. That’s it. You have a right to speak. You know you love your country so much, so when they say something wrong or [make a mistake], you’re trying to improve that or develop that so it could get better. I’m doing it for myself in the future. I’m doing it for my [future] husband, and if I have a [future] daughter or son. I’m doing it for my kid.”

There are many Thais and the Thai diaspora who look up to Milli and what she represents to Thailand. She has seen the Thai flags during her performances and appreciates the love from the Thais everywhere. Throughout our conversation, she switches between Thai and English with excitement after learning I’m Thai.

“I’m so excited when I get to come and perform in America again for Thai Americans who are my fans,” she says in Thai. “Also, to the many foreigners (or non-Thai) who are my fans who came [to my show]. Thank you to everyone who have been so nice to me. I’m very proud that [music transcends] language barriers.”

Her love for Thailand extends to her passion for the martial art of Muay Thai. She trained intensely for her first match against a Chinese fighter, Jiduo Jishi. Throughout the fight, she kept telling herself that she wasn’t going to stop and just keep going. Though she lost the match, she isn’t bothered by it at all. She’s just proud of herself for putting herself out there.

“I’m thankful to myself and have so much respect for myself [for doing it],” she explains. “I know that if I want to do [something] and choose to do it, then I’m going to do my best and make it.”

During her set at this year’s Head in the Clouds Festival, Milli continued the Muay Thai love by bringing out world-renowned Thai boxer, Buakaw Banchamek. As she sang her hit song from Valorant, “ONE PUNCH,” Banchamek displayed his fighting skills on stage, in a choreographed piece with her backup dancers.

“He’s a legendary Muay Thai fighter,” says Milli. “I thought this might be a great time and chance to bring him with me. This might be cool!”

Banchamek was excited to work alongside Milli, calling her “very good and so confident.” He knew it was going to be a powerful performance.

Milli has always been seen as a tough and resilient warrior who calls things out when they should be. Though she does love that people have this positive perception of her, she is ready for them to see a whole new side of her with her latest and diverse album.

From battling heartbreak, imposter syndrome, and depression to being defiant and beyond, HEAVYWEIGHT is Milli’s time to be real and present about her life and the future she wants. As she’s no longer a student, having recently graduated from university, she’s looking forward to this new era in her music career.

“I’m [always] going to write my own music,” she explains. “My music is going to grow with me. So I might change, but it’s still me. My first album was about extravaganza. This time, it’s about what’s happening in my life or my daydreams or my feelings right now.”

One of her songs, “Invisible Tears,” is one she still thinks about even after it’s been completed. Co-written by Indonesian American songwriter Stephanie Poetri, “Invisible Tears” is a slow jam that offers an intimate glimpse into Milli’s vulnerable mindset, as people often only see the tough persona she presents to the world. She feels most connected to it because it’s the most open she’s ever written. Her therapist told her to write about these emotions she’s held for so long.

“[There] is still a problem in my heart,” says Milli. “I’m so thankful to Stephanie Poetri for helping me with this because I cannot summarize these things that are confusing in my heart and brain. This one is like therapy when we talked about this song. I was speaking to my therapist, and they said, ‘Write a song.’ So, my “Invisible Tears” are about my suffering inside, and it helped me to release [so much of that] when I’m singing this song.”

As she reaches her sixth year since her debut, Milli has grown from a wild teenager to a full-fledged adult. She has been able to navigate the fame and career she has built for herself, crediting her family and her team for their support. As a 22-year-old woman, she admits that she will make mistakes and will learn from them.

“I’m changing in a good way,” she admits. “The things that changed are my bad behaviors [and I’m] trying to improve. I mean, I still have some, but I’m just 22. I’m glad I still go back to Bangkok and live my life: go to the supermarket, ride a bicycle, go to a party, [and so on]. That’s my daily life and my personal life, just growing up.”

Milli’s new album, HEAVYWEIGHT, is available on all streaming platforms.