At just 21, Thai singer and actress Achiraya Nitibhon, known to fans simply as Ally, has quietly become one of Southeast Asia’s brightest young stars.
Her rise has been fast, focused and remarkably self‑assured: She began training in South Korea before she could legally drive, honing her singing, dancing and performing skills; made her international debut as a singer at 15 with the smash single How to Love, featuring South Korean producer and rapper Gray—the hitmaker behind many of the country’s chart‑topping tracks; and has since released chart‑climbing singles, collaborated with global names such as American singer‑songwriter Pink Sweat$, starred in a hit Netflix series (the 2024 Thai crime drama The Believers), and emerged as one of Thailand’s most stylish, multifaceted talents.
When asked how it all began, Ally, with a modest shrug, gives a somewhat surprising answer. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” she says with a laugh. “When my friends said they wanted to be teachers or doctors, I’d say the same. But deep down, I think I always knew I wanted to create something.”
It is an unexpectedly humble origin story, especially for someone who grew up steeped in show business—her father is the respected musician and actor Amarin Nitibhon, while her aunt is the celebrated model and screen star Apasiri Nitibhon. The multi‑hyphenate shares that her dad “was really shy about his work” and she only learnt about how famous her family members were when she was a bit older.
There was never any pressure to follow in their footsteps and that, combined with that early oblivion, she believes, gave her the freedom to discover her own passions. As she puts it, “I found music for myself”.
That discovery struck in middle school, during the golden era of second‑generation K‑pop. She was obsessed. What followed was a blur: auditions at 13; training in Seoul at 14; and debuting when she was just shy of 16. The greatest challenge, she shares, was not the choreography or the vocal drills, or even the long hours and the emotional toll (“I cried a lot,” she admits); it was finding the confidence to stand in the spotlight.
“The scariest part was debuting,” she confesses. “I didn’t like talking in front of large crowds, and I was really young, so I didn’t know what was right or wrong in the industry.” Back then, she was shy, hyper‑focused and determined to prove herself. “I was so locked in on what I was doing that I took everything very seriously,” she says. “I think I was more mature at 15 than I am now.”
Now, years after her debut, Ally reflects on that time with a kind of gentle clarity. Her sincerity is still very much intact, but there is a new lightness to her—a sense of ease earned through experience. She is thoughtful, quietly charismatic and refreshingly unpolished. Her words are careful but never rehearsed.
“These days,” she quips with a grin, “I’m more fun and a little childish—in a good way.” That does not mean she is any less driven. Ally is currently enrolled in the Music Business programme at Berklee College of Music, taking classes online between projects. “I’ve learnt how to do almost every job in a music company—marketing, management, even video editing and nutrition [management],” she says. “It can be overwhelming. Sometimes, I feel like I know too much. But [all this knowledge has] also helped me understand the industry better. Now, when I speak up about my projects, I do it with confidence. I understand why my team does what it does—and that has changed everything.”
This is because for Ally, music is not just about performance—it is also about process. “[Working] with Gray on my debut single, How to Love, really pushed me to take things seriously,” she recalls. “I realised that I couldn’t say, ‘I’m young, so it’s okay not to care.’ Being 14 wasn’t an excuse. I had to show up.”
The collaboration also taught her the value of someone else’s belief. “Gray didn’t have to work with someone like me,” she says candidly. “I had nothing to prove my professionalism. But he said yes—and that gave me confidence. I remember thinking that if he didn’t see something in me that was worth believing in, he wouldn’t have taken the risk.”
She felt something similar with Pink Sweat$, her collaborator for the 2024 track Make It Hot and whose creative confidence left a deep impression. “He never second‑guessed himself,” she says, “and he didn’t let the people around him second‑guess him either. That kind of self‑belief is powerful. Everyone just followed his lead.”
That energy is all over her latest single, No, Thanks, a buoyant, sugary pop track co‑written and performed with Thai singer‑songwriter Je t’aime, Ally’s long‑time best friend. “We’ve trained together for almost seven years,” she shares. “We’re both soloists, but when we work together, it’s just double the fun.” And that real‑life chemistry—playful and unapologetically bold—comes through in the song, which Ally says shows off their “fun, quirky and confident sides”.
The track also reflects how both artistes are in real life. “We’re self‑assured and don’t really care what people think. If we believe in something, we go for it,” she states with a hint of pride. “I hope that this spirit comes through in the song; I hope the song gives listeners the courage to go after what they want.”
Music may have been the plan, but acting came as a surprise. Her first role—as the younger version of Urassaya Sperbund’s character in the 2018 film Brother of the Year—was small but pivotal. It led to her breakthrough role in The Believers, a dark, genre‑bending Netflix drama exploring power, corruption and blind faith. “I’ve always wanted to act, but I was scared to admit it,” she reveals. “I worried people wouldn’t take me seriously, or that they’d say, ‘Why is a singer acting?’”
Her worries were unfounded. Ally’s performance in The Believers not only earned critical praise but also drew in new fans. She shares that for her, acting is less about hitting emotional beats than understanding motivation. She explains: “I don’t think, ‘This is the emotion I have to show.’ I just try to understand why the character would do something … It’s about empathy.” She dreams of doing a romantic comedy next—ideally with Thailand’s famed GDH studio. “Its films are so sweet and funny,” she gushes. “[They leave you] feeling happy. That’s the kind of story I want to tell.”
Even off screen, Ally is magnetic. She is frequently called a Gen Z style icon, though she dismisses the label with a grin. “I’m usually in a T‑shirt and jeans,” she says. “But working with Chanel (she is the brand’s global ambassador) has been fun—I’ve been playing more with accessories. I love hoop earrings.” Her favourite look from this GRAZIA Singapore cover shoot, which sees her step out in Chanel? “The denim set,” she answers instantly. “I wear denim on denim all the time. Denim bags, denim everything. It’s so me.”
Her journey has moved at the speed of a pop anthem, but through it all, Ally has remained remarkably anchored. There is a stillness in her presence, a clarity that feels almost rare in someone still coming of age under such a bright spotlight.
That, perhaps, is the quiet power of this young star: a sense of self that does not shout but resonates. “I don’t think my work defines who I am. It’s something I do, not who I am,” says Ally. “Things come and go. But if you know your worth—outside of all that—the noise doesn’t matter.”
This kind of insight often takes decades to arrive at, but Ally has found it just six years after her debut—and at just 21 at that. “I’ve learnt to enjoy being myself,” she adds. “I used to worry that people wouldn’t like the real me. But now, when someone says they do, I know they mean me. And that’s the best feeling.”
With a new season of The Believers to come (Ally will reprise her role as graphic designer Dear), fresh music on the horizon and a creative compass that keeps pointing inward even as her star rises, Ally is not just a name to watch—she is a voice to remember.
PHOTOGRAPHY WAROON KIEATTISIN
STYLING KELLY HSU
HAIR AGKARACHAI DEEDPHIN
MAKEUP CHANAJIT DECHASATIDWONG
PRODUCER NANTHACHAPHON PITUPAN
PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANTS PROMPONG DECHPOL, RATCHAPOOM YAEMNET, WANCHAI AREERRUK, JEERASAK KAYSEE
FASHION ASSISTANT RATCHADA TUPTIMPHET
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