Multifaceted Achiraya Nitibhon on handling super stardom, while staying grounded.

Achiraya Nitibhon (better known as Ally) has grown up in the public eye, and she talks about that her growth with striking honesty. The stages are larger now, the collaborations broader, and the expectations higher. With each new opportunity, she has developed a stronger comprehension of what it means to be an artist.
Experience has shaped her perspective. She no longer sees herself as someone who simply performs, but as someone who makes careful decisions about her direction and the kind of work she wants to represent her. That being said, she admits that she still feels like the same curious, spirited child she once was, only now guided by firmer intention.&nbsp;

Your character in The Believers seems very emotionally demanding. What was the hardest part stepping into that headspace?
I think the hardest part is overcoming my fear of acting. I used to take drama classes in middle school and high school, and I actually loved acting. I had a lot of fun going on stage and performing and taking on a character and just having fun with discovering the character and their personality. But when I became an artist and when I trained to become a performer and a singer, I kind of got scared that I couldn&rsquo;t do both at the same time. I thought that I was better at one thing than the other. So when I got my role as&nbsp;Dear in The Believers, I had a fear of not delivering what people wanted and what the director and Netflix wanted. I feel like acting has made me discover a lot of things about myself because of Dear.
I actually think I rediscovered my inner child because, as a kid, I was very extroverted, talkative, and strong in my beliefs. However, as I grew older, social life, social media, and the expectations from those around me caused me to change and become someone who I might not fully be. So when I got back to acting, for some reason, this character made me discover myself, and it kind of brought back some core parts of me back to myself.

How do you stay present without carrying work home with you afterward?
In&nbsp;The Believers, it&rsquo;s kind of like my first official series that I&rsquo;m in. Dear definitely has this intensity underlying her personality. In Season One, you can see her hanging out with friends and displaying a charismatic, outgoing personality, which resembles a masculine character. I feel like in Season Two, she&rsquo;s a lot more quiet and a lot more serious. I had a lot of trouble finding that aspect of Dear because I am very serious when it comes to work. But Dear has a different flavour &mdash; an entirely different colour &mdash; that contrasts with my personality. So, you know what, sometimes I find myself carrying back some traits of hers, but I just remind myself who I am.
Once a project or filming concludes, I simply engage in other activities and cease contemplating the footage I&rsquo;ve captured. I never watch playbacks because I feel like it makes me question myself and question my movements and everything physical that I do. I just perform the scene, and if the director approves and I feel that my portrayal aligns with the character's emotions, I proceed. Then I just finish it, and I clock out of work, and I go home, and I hang out with friends and play games. I never discuss my work with my friends or family.

You&rsquo;ve collaborated with artists from very different backgrounds. How do you stay true to your own voice, so to speak, while still being open to other creative takes?
With my recent releases, I hear myself more. When I first debuted, I was 15; I was very new to the industry. All I had was my self-confidence and my belief in myself. I had a skilled team that worked with me.
I&rsquo;m glad that they shaped me into the artist I am today. Now, they trust me more to voice my opinions, provide feedback, and direct my music according to my vision. My music is changing to reflect what I usually listen to. I now collaborate more with artists whose music I actually listen to. My new release, titled But You, and featuring my friend Gin, will likely be available by the time the magazine is published. Gin is actually my friend. I just asked him to make a song for me and collaborate with me. You can hear my personal taste in music more clearly now; it aligns more with current trends.
I think people I work with are very kind [laughs], and they&rsquo;re very genuine artists. They don't judge, and they don't make me sing like them. They only make me do things in my comfort zone. And I think all of us respect each other very much. When I choose someone to work with, I don&rsquo;t expect them to sound like me, because that would contradict the purpose of collaborating with others.

Acting and singing ask for different kind of focus. On days you have to do both, how do you decide where to give yourself fully?&nbsp;
I actually went through a phase where I had to film Season One and Season Two of The Believers, while also being busy with concerts and new song releases and promotions.
Looking back, it&rsquo;s crazy how I had to switch between things. There were days when I had to go from filming at like 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM and rush to a concert or work. Honestly, I just had to do it. If I have a series shoot in the morning, I fully commit to that. I give my all in acting because I&rsquo;m passionate about what I do, and everyone there trusts me to portray this character. And when I go to my concerts, I&rsquo;m going to give my all too. I consider the efforts of those around me, including the backstage staff, the production crew, and my co-stars, who are all contributing significantly to the projects.

You&rsquo;re aware of the business side of music alongside performing. How has that understanding affect the way you make your creative decisions?
It definitely changed the way I make my creative decisions because, when I was around 15 or 16, I felt a strong desire to pursue any idea I had. And my team was like, &ldquo;What?&rdquo; However, I didn't realise at that time that brand identity, artist identity, and artist branding, which include a clear vision for the artist's career path &mdash; were very important. I kind of just said I wanted to do something, and then I didn&rsquo;t think about the consequences of it. But now learning about the business side of things, I kind of understand more about my team&rsquo;s plans. I definitely learnt a lot more from Berkeley [College of Music]. Now, I think about both sides of things, whether or not my creative expectations are met and whether, well, strategically, it's going to work out.

Growing up around artists can shape expectations. Was there ever a moment when you had to redefine your definition of success?
Actually I&rsquo;ve never felt that way because of my family, although my dad is an actor and a singer, and my aunt is a model and an actress. I have so many talented family members, but it&rsquo;s the way my parents and my family raised me. They never pushed me to be a second version of anyone. They kind of never talk about their successes, which is crazy to think about because I mean, they definitely have many &lsquo;wow&rsquo; moments [laughs], but they always appreciate what I do, and they always cheer me on.
Though people think I get advice from my family, they never give me any. They kind of just give me support rather than telling me that I have to do things a certain way. My uncle works in the fashion industry, so my uncle just helps me with my styling. Sometimes he&rsquo;d send me Instagram posts of like brands and tell me that &ldquo;This skirt is cute&rdquo; or &ldquo;We should go and take some photos here.&rdquo; He knows my style, and he doesn&rsquo;t try to push me to be something that I&rsquo;m not. He just tries to elevate who I already am, which I'm very thankful for.
My mom is definitely the best. She drives me to work, she stays with me, and when I have a tough day at work, she&rsquo;s there to, like, calm me down. And my dad is always there to support me, like texting me to have fun with work. So I've never had a moment where I had to, like, focus on my success because my family has always supported it, and they've never compared me to anything or anyone.

At this every moment, what kind of stories do you hope to share with your fans?&nbsp;
The kind of story that I would like to tell is just how I grew up, how I&rsquo;m growing, and how I hope to grow in the future. I&rsquo;ve made so many choices. Some were bad, some were okay, and some were questionable, but it's growing up. I really like to tell stories about the fact that I&rsquo;ve been through difficult and positive points in my life. That&rsquo;s normal in living. I hope to one day share my story with more people because I&rsquo;ve never had the opportunity to discuss deeply personal moments, thoughts, or experiences.
I feel like most people just see me through social media and see a very surface-level version of me. So yeah, hopefully as I grow up, I get to share more, and I get to kind of have more self-reflection moments where I can just not care about my artist image for a second and just be a normal human being.

Cover Credits:
Photography Chuan Looi Videography Arunvich Phithakchatsin Creative Direction &amp; Styling&nbsp;Colin Sim Words John Ng Makeup Worathep Yupensuk using Chanel Beauty Hair Banjaporn Kampab Photography assistant Nattapong Vadjanapoom and Pumin Chuin Styling assistant Shahira&nbsp; Make-up assistant Arkhyra Kaewngam Production Aung Apichai and Grey Chin All clothing and accessories Chanel&nbsp;

Cover Story: Achiraya Nitibhon is in her element feat. Chanel

Tags

Related Articles

Runway

For its 2026 Metiers d'Art Show, Chanel leaned into whimsical, NYC-inspired grace

Fashion

Chanel Spring/Summer 2026 show reveals a new era

Watches & Jewellery

Starlight: Chanel reaches for the stars with a high jewellery collection

Recommended posts for you

Issues