NICOLAS Vavasseur is a young talented music artist from a tranquil environment west of France who has been on Koh Samui many times already, drawn to Maenam area, and Chaweng Beach Road where he used to perform in fine lounges and restaurants in the company of friends.

Well, Nico has revisited the island recently, but this time he didn’t perform in Chaweng music lounges – he went to Maenam, in a friend’s house, to film a music television (MTV) for his upcoming album, titled “Call Me”.

Samui Express was able to interview Nico a few minutes prior to the start of his filming of a music video one hot late morning on May 7th. He said that he chose to film his own music video on Samui because of its good tropical weather and the friends he hadn’t seen for some time.

“I first came to Thailand in 2002 for holidays with friends.” He said, adding that close friends and fellow music artists whom he had opportunity to work with in Thailand had invited him in January this year “to come back to do a new album.”

Surely, Nico was in the house of a Belgian friend in Maenam who offered to shoot some MTV clips for his carrying single. The house was a spacious vacation home atop a steep hill, away from the flurry of activities of local people and foreigners on island. The house is fairly subdued, which was perfect for his love songs.

Nico informed Samui Express that he will shoot scenes with himself playing a Robinson grand piano in a living room under subdued lighting.

The 29-year-old music artist is equally adept at playing the guitar, writing songs, and composing music. He writes and composes most of his songs, he said, emphasizing that he wrote the lyrics of Call Me in only about four minutes and arrange its melody on piano that he used expertly to exude a melancholic mood.

The song tells the story of a couple who parted ways but eventually end up together again after the woman realizes that she is still in love with her man. She leaves a message on the man’s answering machine, telling him that she has made a mistake of leaving him and that she wants him back in her life. After hearing her voice message on the answering machine, the man welcomes her with open arms.

Call Me will be Nico’s second album after “Alone”, which he finished recording in Thailand in 2008. He is still halfway through the album’s completion at this time but he said he intends to finish the remaining cuts in a few months. So far the young artist has recorded six tracks, which are mostly songs of the heart.

Nico has flown back to his hometown in St. Georges-de-Didonne a day or two after filming some MTV clips last May 7. The French music artist will try to summon the muse for inspiration to write and compose six more tracks for the Call Me album.

So far Nico had recorded six songs, two of which were recorded in French: “Call Me”; “Back to Me”; “I Have to Leave”; “Look Inside”; “Appelle Moi”; and “Quoi qu’il mén coûte” (Whatever I Lose…). Appelle Moi is a French version of Call Me.

It was in St. Georges-de-Didonne in southwest France that Nico honed his craft. At 14 Nico was already studying to play guitar and piano.

In 2009, he left his passion for music and began to run his own restaurant business. After some time he came to realize that his true calling was in music. Since then he pursued a music career where he was able to write and compose songs for himself and for other artists under RMS Company.

Unknown to many, Nico has written songs and performed with famous Thai music artists in the country. Nico’s voice has graced the songs of Direk Amadthayakula (Tu) and Varunee Soonthareesawat (Auen).

His Thai publicist, Jinatthanee “Judy” Muenkid mentioned that Nico is a genius in his craft. Rightly so, the French crooner will be back to Samui to finish shooting his MTV clips.