One of the most popular songs in Thailand right now is “El Nino” by Tata Young. I have MTV in my apartment, and I first saw the video about a month ago. I laughed the first time I heard it because I thought it was a remarkably stupid song. Not everyone agrees with me, however. This song is everywhere now! I hear it playing in 7-11 and on the school radio station almost every day. Of course, I also get to hear it twice every night because both of the bars play it at least once during the evening.

Tata Young has red hair and blue eyes, sings in English, and has an American accent, so I thought she was American. I thought maybe Thai teenagers liked “El Nino” because it has a good beat and they can’t understand the stupid lyrics. I was wrong! Today I learned that she is actually half Thai. She has already made 5 albums in Thai, and “El Nino” is her breakout English song.

So…are people listening to Tata Young in the U.S.?