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While the entertainment industry can be hypercritical most of the time, a plethora of artists refuse to back down and choose to stay true to themselves even under the scrutinizing eyes of the public. Thai-Italian singer, songwriter, actor, and content creator SILVY, born Pavida Moriggi, is one such artist.

SILVY is the kind of singer one couldn’t describe with just a single adjective. As her song “We Are Beautiful” suggests, she is “beautiful,” “unstoppable,” and “powerful” all at the same time. Fans have come to know SILVY as an honest advocate for self-love and body positivity — and her debut single “XL” (from her 2022 self-titled album) couldn’t have introduced her any better.

As with many fierce personalities we know today, SILVY’s origin story was anything but easy; she is also more than just her strong, empowered stage persona. Behind the spotlight, SILVY is a woman still navigating life, dreams, and personal growth like anyone else.

The songstress, born to a Thai mother and Italian father, always knew she wanted to be a musician and a performer. And so, she made it happen, first dipping her toes into the industry by joining Thai reality competition show “The Star” at the age of 15. She immediately scored a record deal with a major label after that stint, which was everything an aspiring musician could have asked for. However, it didn’t come without challenges. She found herself in a disheartening situation where she was asked to be more feminine, lose weight, and dress in a "gender-appropriate" way. Basically, to strip her of the very things that make her who she is.

Thankfully, despite such negative comments, SILVY stood her ground and found comfort in the way she approaches her craft. Now an independent artist, SILVY has more autonomy over the route she wants to take with her music. And one thing is certain: her story is far from over.

In this Up-And-Coming exclusive, The Beat Asia caught up with SILVY as she peels back a few more layers of herself, discussing the song she feels most connected to, what her stage persona truly means to her, her queer identity, and her next chapter as an artist. A GL (Girls’ Love) series is also on the way, so fans may want to watch out!

Hi, SILVY! We've been looking forward to chatting with you. To start this off, can you briefly introduce yourself and your artistic journey to us?

So my name is Silvy; I'm half Thai, half Italian. Originally, I was born in Phuket; I'm an island girl. Then, when I was 15, I moved to Bangkok to pursue an artist career. Back then, it was in a singing competition called “The Star” from Thailand. I was one of the final eight! So that's the first time I got known for being Silvy the star in Thailand.

It's a popular-vote kind of TV show. I was ranked number six, eight, then seven, and then six, and then I got out *laughs.* It was fun, but it broke me a little. I just love singing, you know. And I've always loved singing. I wanted to be an artist. I just knew back then that I wanted to pursue this dream. So, I kept on going and [stayed] in Bangkok.

Who is SILVY beyond music and performing? Is there something your fans might not know about you yet?

I think if they follow me [on social media], they would know everything because I'm quite an open book. I show a lot of sides of myself — I don't have filters. But for outsiders, if they're not a fan and they view me just from social media or through my music, I think they would think that I'm like the bold bitch, you know, the very powerful, strong woman.

I think a lot of people assume that I'm always like that, but I'm actually an introvert, and I just love staying at home. Sometimes I love spending time alone, and I do boring stuff. I'm not “the queen” all the time. Sometimes I'm a hero, and sometimes I'm just normal. 

I noticed your music is also rooted in female empowerment. Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

I started off singing with Whitney Houston because of my mom. She loves Whitney Houston! When I was learning to sing, [I thought that if you can] sing her songs, you're great at singing. So I started with that. I like a diva kind of vibe. I loved that type of music — R&B, soul, and that grew on me. But when I was a teenager, and I started to grow up, I think the [artist] I wanted to be like was Lady Gaga. She's very talented. She sings, she dances, and she performs very well. She's very talented, and also she acts! It’s like she can do anything.

Which one of your songs feels the most personal to you, and why?

I think it's my debut single. It's called “XL.” I joined my first competition (“The Star”) when I was 15. And now I'm 30!

It's been up and down in the industry for 15 years already. I was struggling to put out my own music. Before, I used to do covers on YouTube. “XL” was one of the first songs that I wrote with my co-writers. It was when I was telling myself that I'm ready to love myself for who I am, even if I don't belong to the standards and stuff. Along my journey, the entertainment business in Asia kind of taught me that there are beauty standards.

You have to act some type of way to fit in, especially in Thailand. It's not just the look, but how you represent yourself. You can't be too masculine. You need to be very proper, like a female artist. I kind of changed myself, and I felt like I wasn't enough. And then along the way, I got myself back, and then I told myself, “Okay, fuck it, I'm going to love myself.” That's when I wrote "XL," just to celebrate, you know, the stuff I got bullied for online. People were always saying, “Oh, you're talented, you're beautiful, but you need to lose some weight.”

“XL” was very personal to me because that's the first song. I gained much more confidence by releasing it and also by people reaching out to me and saying that they also suffer from this type of struggle. That was a very meaningful time for me.

Thank you for sharing that with us. And “XL” is a great song, by the way! Do you usually gather inspiration from your own experiences?

Yeah, most of my songs — I think all of them actually. Some are 100% from my own story, and some are maybe 5%, but I've never written a song that I don't feel like “the song.”

Onto your next song, can you tell us more about your latest collaboration with Valentina Ploy for “Bestie Baby”?

“Bestie Baby” is a very fun song and it's actually just a celebration for my bestie, Valentina Ploy. So we're both Thai-Italian. We met on “The Voice Thailand” and we were on the same team — in Team Joey Boy. We became friends because she found out that my tattoo is in Italian [which reads “I’m still learning” in English]. She was like, “That's Italian. You're Italian?” And I'm like, “Yeah!”

And it's been eight years already. Valentina Ploy was actually one of the writers of “XL.” She got me into meeting with the producer as well, so I owe her a lot *laughs* And she was one of the writers of my first album. But we've never had a song together, so it's time that we have a song together. So “Bestie Baby” is a collaboration just to celebrate our friendship.

You've always been very outspoken about your confidence and self-acceptance. Can you share more about your experiences with the industry and what do you do to stay true to yourself?

I started really young, not knowing what I wanted to be, but then the industry kind of put something into my brain to tell me that, “Okay, I have to be this; I have to dress like this.” But that's what a label does to you, right?

Also, when you're young, you don't know what to do. So, you kind of go in that line. I tried being something that I'm not really. But then I started to love myself, and then I gained confidence. And [I felt like the] queen of the world! Back then, I felt like I got it all. I'm very confident. I know what I'm doing. That was during my “XL” and first album era.

I felt all the confidence, and I look like I'm ready to, you know, fight with everyone *laughs.* Looking back, I felt that really needed to happen because I'm at the point where I go into the industry, I lose myself. So, I gained myself back and then all of the confidence came. I don't know if it's called toxic positivity or not, but it made me feel like I can handle things. Like, I don't care what they say — I don't care what anybody says.

Even if I still have negative feelings about some comments, I'm just like, “I don't care!” But then, deeply, I know that I still care.

So right now, I feel like I started to not be “the queen” because of all of the pressure; people look up to me, especially in Thailand, there aren't many strong characters. So, I'm one of the strong characters, and people look up to me as the confident queen.

I think I got pressured by being the hero all the time and I forced myself to try to think positive. I can't break down. I can't have a break. I need to be strong all the time. And I just recently learned that I am actually The Silvy, the Queen, which I somehow created, and I feel like that's my positive energy. I still like her, but that's also one of my alter egos.

I can turn into her when I need her. But at the same time, I learned to be vulnerable and not pressure myself to be that all the time. I stay true to myself by feeling what I have to feel and staying grounded. 

Can you share more about your experiences as a queer artist? How does your identity inspire your music?

Well, I think when you go into my music catalog, there are a lot of things. I have [explored] so many genres. I think that's because I'm queer *laughs.*

I'm very fluid with myself, like with my masculine and feminine energy. My music is also like that- right now, I'm into R&B, I do all of the R&B stuff. But in every genre that I go to, I feel like there's a soul in it. It's just something that I feel I resonate with, and I put my soul into it, and I need to express that at that moment. So for me, that's... free. And being queer is being free.

What does queer visibility mean to you?

It's very important. For me, Lady Gaga, for example, resonated with me because she also speaks about the LGBTQ community. Having more queer representative artists really makes the artists also feel like they are allowed to express themselves and be themselves. So, it's very important to have a community and also have people that support queer artists because it's pretty hard in the industry, especially if you're a female artist that is also gay.

It’s already hard to be a female artist, but if you're also a lesbian, it's harder, you know? So, yeah, we need more support, and we need to feel like we belong, like what we're doing, what we're giving, is being seen.

What has been the biggest lesson the music industry has taught you so far?

The music industry has taught me to keep on going. There are a lot of aspects to making it in the music industry. Maybe also luck! Also, the business, the team, and good music.

I've seen so many good artists with good music, but they, you know, don't pop out. Along the way, it's just, if you love what you're doing, you just need to keep on doing it. Have faith and love what you do, and hope people can see that you love what you're doing.

Let's say you weren’t pursuing music. What do you think you'd be doing instead?

I think I would be a chef. I really enjoy cooking. I like cooking a lot. And I also love eating food. I am considering becoming a chef right now, like opening a restaurant and stuff.

What do you hope young fans take away from you and your music?

I think they love the authenticity, how honest my lyrics are, and how honest I show myself. Also, I've been independent recently. Before I was in a label with Warner Music Asia and also Warner Music Thailand. Now I'm independent, I feel like I'm in that era where I don't need much to feel like I am enough, I don't need to be a queen.

I still feel like a queen without the makeup, without the dress and stuff. I’m also having a talk and spiritual awakening with myself as well, and I think that the fans see that. I think they just like how bold and whatever direction I go with because I am always honest with what I choose.

Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians and rising stars?

If you love what you're doing, then that's enough already. Because along the way, you start to look at results more than how you enjoy the process of making, or how you enjoy loving what you do. Somehow you look at the results and just want to feel seen.

I think the more important part is if you enjoy what you're doing, if you love what you're doing, then that's done. You're on the right track already. And just be true to yourself and express yourself however you want to.

I love that! This is a little more personal. Looking back at your younger self, when you were first starting out, what would you tell yourself?

I think I would tell myself to listen to the little voices in my head when people say, “I have to do this, do that.” There's always this voice that always says, “Huh, really?” I always think that what I'm doing is already enough. I don't need more than what I'm doing.

I would tell myself to trust my instincts, trust these little thoughts, love myself no matter what, and know that I am good. Just trust my own feelings more than others who don't even know my struggles.

What can fans expect from Silvy in the future? Are there any plans for new music, maybe a new album or upcoming singles?

This year, I'm focusing on releasing on my own. And I think the sound will be different, but it's just going to be more indie because I'm independent right now. Everything is more raw, more soul vibes, and definitely an album coming out this year!

What can we expect from “indie” Silvy?

*Laughs* Indie Silvy! I think it's fun. It's going to be fun. It's going to be lively and soulful. And I’m going to sing, like, really sing.

I'm looking forward to it! Do you have any dream collabs?

If I'm aiming high, I would love to collaborate with Bruno Mars. Also Lady Gaga. But if someone that I'm very into right now — I love this artist, Orion Sun. I really love her. I love her music. I love everything about her. She's beautiful. Her voice is beautiful, her songs are very beautiful. It would be awesome to get to know her.

Can we look forward to any upcoming events or performances soon?

I had a live performance in Thailand on the 2nd of June to celebrate Pride Month. It's very exciting for me.

Also, another project that is acting-related: I'm going to Brazil to do a series, act as one of the protagonists in a Brazilian series called “Beyond the Ocean.” So, I'm going to Brazil and will live there for two months. I'm going this June already. I'm playing a Thai character — a Thai actress in love with a Brazilian woman. It's GL, a girls' love series.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Follow SILVY on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more updates on her music, upcoming projects, and personal life. Make sure to stream her music on Spotify as well.

Enjoyed this article? Check out our previous Up-and-Coming articles here.