Krista's story

Krista Shim is a 15-year-old vocalist and drummer from Thailand, who has a grade 8 in Rock & Pop Vocals and Drums. Krista has also appeared on WeKid Thailand, The Voice Kids and The Voice Thailand All Stars.

We spoke to Krista about how she started out singing and drumming and the amazing experiences she has had so far.

Krista told us about the important role music has played in her life.

“Honestly, I couldn't really survive without music. For most of my life there's always been music in the background.”

“I’ve been singing since I was really young. When I was 5, my parents were always playing Disney music in the background. I would just sing along to the music.”

Krista’s parents thought classes might be a logical next step for her.

“I started lessons when I was around 8 years old. My mum was like you should maybe try singing lessons, so I gave it a try. And I just I really enjoyed it. So that's where I started.”

“At the start, I was a really shy person. I remember listening to more R&B - I got some inspiration from that and like it definitely helped my confidence.”

At around 12 or 13, Krista decided it was time to broaden her musical horizons.

“My dad was watching Whiplash, and I thought it was such a cool instrument. That’s when I started learning drums”.

Once again, it wasn’t long before Krista was looking at a way to formalise what she was learning.

“At first, I kind of thought of drums as like a side hobby, but I remember becoming more serious about it. And I guess I wanted to take exams as way to mark the moment where I'm going to begin to take it a bit more seriously."

“It’s kind of a standard of where I am at the moment - a measure of where I am.”

Krista shared her memories of her first exam experience.

“I thought it was going to be really scary, but I remember the examiner was really kind. He made me feel so relaxed.

We asked Krista if she noticed any differences in her playing or singing since preparing for a Trinity exam.

“When I was going to take the exams, I did a lot of preparation and that kind of made me realize what I was lacking in terms of technical aspects.”

“I remember there was an improvisation part to the exam.  I'd never really done it and I thought it was really interesting. It made me realize that honestly, singing isn't just learning song by song - it has very technical aspects.”

Krista talked about the importance of regular practice.

“Well, I mean I really love singing in general and I kind of have the mindset that practice is really important. I was never like, oh, I don't want to practice.”

“If you really know your songs that you're going to do, l just listen to them on repeat - that’s what I did. I would always be listening to the songs and finding ways I could improvise.”

“Also, if there are any parts where it's especially difficult, just practice those parts, don't practice the parts you know well.”

Krista talked to us about her experiences of performing in TV talent shows at different points over the years.

"When I was nine, I was on a TV program called WeKid Thailand. I was incredibly shy at that point, and I was really scared of the cameras.  

“I always thought it was just like one camera, but it turns out that there are so many different cameras everywhere. There are lighting cues and everything.”

Krista soon got used to the cameras though and had already decided she wanted to audition for The Voice before the programme had ended.

“I auditioned that year, and I didn't get in. Then the next year, I auditioned again for the Voice Kids, and I got in!  Then a few years later I was invited to voice All Stars, which is both kids and adults. It was really inspiring to see very talented older musicians. I was very motivated!’

Krista had these words for anyone feeling nervous about taking a Trinity exam.

“Don’t be nervous cause the examiners are really kind and honestly it's just a really good experience - Just enjoy the experience.”

“I guess I wanted to take exams as way to mark the moment where I'm going to begin to take it a bit more seriously. It’s kind of a standard of where I am at the moment - a measure of where I am.”

Find out more about Trinity Rock & Pop exams
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