Thai singer and rapper MILLI’s latest album packs a sonic punch
Her sophomore album, "HEAVYWEIGHT," was released last week. Her inspiration? The Muay Thai ring
"HEAVYWEIGHT" was released on June 11, three years after MILLI's debut album.
Seesan Vadhanasingha
Words by Sofia Gomez
Thai singer and rapper MILLI, otherwise known as Danupha Khanatheerakul, is inquisitive beyond her years. She delivers fierce and highly skilled bars that showcase her outspoken personality in the T-pop and hip-hop scenes—using her lyrics to address social and political topics impacting her generation. At just 22 years old, she has fully embraced her unapologetic nature. The credo of her new album perfectly encapsulates her essence: “Born to sing. Born to rap. Born to win.”
Three years after her debut album, MILLI enters the ring with her sophomore album, HEAVYWEIGHT—a valorous record that dives into her lived experiences through the affirmation, as her Instagram states: “Heavyweight isn’t just a title, it’s a story you carry.” The 13-track album highlights the rapper’s personal journey, exploring themes of vulnerability, strength, resilience, and identity. “I'm kind of nervous and excited, I really love it and just put all my effort,” MILLI tells JoySauce. “This is a really heavy project for me as the name (says), so I just hope that (everyone) likes it, and me.”
HEAVYWEIGHT contains a blend of ferocious hip-hop with R&B, EDM, blues, and lo-fi, alongside collaborations with stand-out artists across Asia. Finding inspiration for the record from her experience in music and the Muay Thai ring, MILLI is bare-knuckled for the fight of her life.
“It's not just a title for me, because the project and the life that I've been through, it’s heavy sometimes, you know?” she says. “Everybody has seen me as an extroverted girl who is happy with positive energy. But there are some parts that are heavy for me too; I have to face the pressure, responsibilities of my work, my family…Everybody has a happy part in their life, we just have to lift that heavy weight up.”
Ahead of HEAVYWEIGHT’s release last week, JoySauce caught up with MILLI to learn more about her sophomore album, the vision that inspired her latest era, and how her essence leaves a lasting impact.
MILLI started her career at 16 years old when she competed on the Thai TV show "The Rapper 2" in 2019.
Seesan Vadhanasingha
Thailand’s bona fide rapper
MILLI sought to make a name for herself by competing on the Thai TV show The Rapper 2 in 2019, kickstarting her career at 16 years old. “There was the only TV program competition that accepted me…and I told myself, ‘Oh my god,’ because I failed the audition for singing and that's the first time I auditioned to rap and I got it.” she says. “I don't know why, but I just told myself that maybe I was born to rap.” Since then, her spunky charisma has opened the door to a world of opportunities.
She rose to national acclaim with debut single “Pha Kon (พักก่อน),” a sarcastic hip-hop track with a strong anti-bullying message. Following that success, “SUDPANG! (สุดปัง)” became a female empowerment anthem that challenged conventional beauty standards—spotlighting her ability to mix different Thai dialects into one song. She also joined forces with F.HERO and Stray Kids’ Changbin for the 2021 collaboration track, “Mirror Mirror,” which garnered global popularity with more than 126 million views on YouTube to date.
In 2022, MILLI joined 88rising’s Head in the Clouds Forever showcase at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival—making her the first Thai soloist to perform at the festival. Her performance impressed festival goers, specifically her song, “Mango Sticky Rice,” during which she ate a bowl of the Southeast Asian dessert on stage—causing sales of the traditional dessert to skyrocket. MILLI’s relationship with 88rising remains strong as she performed at their Head in the Clouds Music & Arts Festival last month in Pasadena, California.
It’s evident that MILLI shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. “I feel like there is still a long way to achieve, this is just a few steps on my ladder. My ladder is (still) super freaking far,” she says.
From atomweight to heavyweight
That ladder includes interests outside of music as in May, MILLI released a five-episode YouTube series, MILLI To The Ring, diving into her Muay Thai training for her boxing debut with Fairtex Fight at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. With a tenacious hunger to prove her strength, MILLI threw her hat in the ring and gave her all—losing graciously.
But all that training wasn’t just for show; it heavily influenced HEAVYWEIGHT. “My dream was that I wanted to (do) a real fight in the ring. I told my company, and they said no. YUPP, my music label, said no. And of course, they're not gonna let their artists get in a real fight,” MILLI says. “So I came up with the track ‘One Punch,’ talking about a female fighter.”
A hard-hitting single packed with Thai boxing themes, made in collaboration with Valorant’s VCT Masters Bangkok, the track became the ethos for her album. “We (as women) have to prove that we can fight the same as other people, the same as men do it. We have to prove a lot,” MILLI says. She intended to get in the ring all along, she just needed to do so on her own terms—even if it meant planning in secret, despite her company’s disapproval. “I'm kind of using my career to do whatever I want, because I wanted to get into a fight and I did,” she says.
Her transformation from an atomweight to a heavyweight force is far from performative, leading her to learn more about herself in the process. “After the fight, during the fight, and the hard training, I (was) super proud of myself. If I want to do (something), I will do it, and I will do it as much as I can, and I will do it real,” she says. “I'm gaining more trust in myself that if I want to do (something), I can do it.”
A record that sonically packs a punch
Striking a cross-cultural statement, MILLI assembled prominent Asian artists such as Knock2, ATARASHII GAKKO!, Awich, BewhY, Gong H3F, and HUGO to feature on HEAVYWEIGHT. MILLI gained various perspectives while creating the album—challenging herself to work virtually, sharing rap verses and edits multiple times, meeting with artists at her producer SpatChie’s studio, and creating tracks at songwriting session camps from the ground up.
On "HEAVYWEIGHT," MILLI collabed with many other prominent Asian artists to bring her vision alive.
Seesan Vadhanasingha
HEAVYWEIGHT hones in on themes connected to Thai boxing, MILLI’s artistic path, and her hunger for greatness. “I say I am like a lion who needs to eat meat. I'm just a person who loves to win. I don't want to lose,” she says. She channels a fierce and gritty atmosphere through the first nine songs on the record, starting with the eponymous interlude “HEAVYWEIGHT.”
By the time listeners reach “MENACE,” the remainder of the album shifts to a softer soundscape that is a stark difference from what MILLI typically showcases. This song gave her a newfound appreciation for her vocal strengths and trying something new. “I feel like I want to show a more feminine (side) and I want to show that I can do sexy,” she says. “I want to show my low voice because I'm happy with my voice right now.” Despite its light R&B sound, the intense lyrics describe the pain of walking away from a harmful relationship. MILLI made sure to express those feelings to the best of her ability. “Showing more emotion in this (music) is kind of hard for me, but I think I'm brave enough this time, and I'm ready to show my personal emotions in these songs,” she says.
Now that HEAVYWEIGHT is out in the world, MILLI closes this current chapter of her career. As she walks with her head held high, she knows where she stands as an individual and artist. “For Danupha, she just needs time to rest, have a vacation or something because she's been supporting MILLI all the time,” she says. “MILLI, she is doing a great job and this is her new era in showing her personal life and personal insight to her fans; she's kind of growing up. I hope you all still like her and her personality.”
Published on July 16, 2025
Words by Sofia Gomez
Sofia E. Gomez is a freelance music journalist with a focus covering female K-pop acts, rock, and EDM. A Mexican American journalist based in San Diego, she considers herself an avid concertgoer, rave bae, former scene kid, and girl group stan. Her work has appeared in publications including GRAMMY.com, REMEZCLA, Teen Vogue, etc. In her free time, she enjoys drinking hard kombucha, watching The Jersey Shore, and collecting cow squishmallows. Follow her on Twitter @sofiaegomez1.