Hugo Chakrabongse Levy (born 6 August 1981), known under the mononym Hugo or Thai name Chulachak Chakrabongse (; ) is a Thai American actor and singer-songwriter. Based in New York City and signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label, his musical style has been dubbed by Roc Nation as "gangsta-rock". He is best known for his bluegrass re-working of Jay-Z's "99 Problems". His debut album, Old Tyme Religion, was released on 10 May 2011. He can trace direct royal heritage back from his maternal great-grandfather, Prince Chakrabongse Bhuvanath, a son of King Rama V of Thailand, and is a second cousin once removed of the King of Thailand, King Vajiralongkorn.
Early life and career
Levy was born in London to M.R. Narisa Chakrabongse, raised in Thailand near the Chao Phraya River, and used to live in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. Now he resides in Bangkok, Thailand. He is the grandson of Prince Chula Chakrabongse, the great-grandson of Chakrabongse Bhuvanath, and the great-great-grandson of King Rama V of Siam. He is of English, Russian, Scottish, Thai and Ukrainian heritage.
As a teenager, he released four studio albums with the band Siplor, which had several of its records banned on the radio. After moving to London, he became highly influenced by blues musicians such as Howling Wolf, Son House, Robert Johnson and Skip James as well as more modern musicians and bands such as Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, Dr. Dre, Jeff Buckley, MGMT, Tame Impala, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Devendra Banhart, The Big Pink and Jack White. He achieved recognition when his song "Disappear" was featured on Beyoncé's album I Am... Sasha Fierce, beginning a series of collaborations that led to a record deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation label in 2010.
Personal life
Hugo is Muslim; he converted to Islam to marry his longtime girlfriend, Tassanawalai Ongartitthichai, in 2009. The couple have two children.
Band
Jon Cornell – bass
Mark Slutsky – drums
Chris LoPresto – keyboards
Jay Barclay – guitar
Discography
Studio albums
(2011) Old Tyme Religion
Old Tyme Religion
99 Problems
Bread & Butter
Rock 'n' Roll Delight
Hopelessly Stoned
Hurt Makes It Beautiful
Born
Mekong River Delta
Sweetest Cure
Different Lives
Just a Shred
Wake Alone
Sai Lom (สายลม) (Thailand Edition)
(2014) Deep in the Long Grass
Twitch and Tug
I Need the Truth
Secrets and Lies
Quiet Fire
Hailstorms
Nightshift
All I Think About
A Fire Worth Keeping
The Long Grass
Down the River
Feather
(2017) ดำสนิท
ดำสนิท
อย่ามาให้เห็น
ครอบครอง
อานม้า
ระวัง
แค่มีเธอ
แพ้ให้เป็น
ยอม
Love Song No. 9
บันไดสีแดง
EP
(2020) Lacuna
Call of the Void
All That I Know
The Deals We Make
Deeper Still
House of Mercy
Show Love
Pop culture references
Hugo's version of "99 Problems," his first single, was featured in the Natalie Portman/Ashton Kutcher romantic comedy No Strings Attached, in the 2011 remake of Fright Night, and in the pilot episode of the NBC thriller series The Blacklist. "Bread and Butter" was featured on the season two television promo for ABC's comedy-drama series Castle. This same song also featured on the seventh season of HBO's hit series, Entourage.
See also
Roc Nation albums discography
References
1981 births
Living people
Hugo (musician) Hugo (musician) Hugo (musician) Hugo (musician) Chakrabongse family British male singer-songwriters Musicians from London Roc Nation artists Thai Muslims Converts to Islam from Buddhism Thai television personalities English-language singers from Thailand 20th-century Thai male actors Male actors from Bangkok Thai male film actors Thai male television actors