Meet Zom Marie, the Thai YouTuber who made the leap from songstress to lifestyle maven

With an effervescent persona, Thai YouTuber Zom Marie is at her bubbliest when she is filming her popular Mystery Box series, her expressive face and voice showcasing surprise and delight as she unboxes various packages.

No wonder the Thai-French entertainer, whose real name is Marie Eugenie Le Lay, is also known as the “mother of the mystery box”.

After all, she first shot to fame in Thailand with this series, where she purchases sealed packages or boxes without knowing the specific contents within. The contents are generally related to the theme, such as beauty products, toys or pre-loved items, hence adding an element of anticipation when the package is unboxed.

“After the Mystery Box series exploded into viral stardom, many YouTubers across Thailand hopped on the trend, and this content became the talk of the town,” said Zom Marie, who was born in France but moved to Chiang Mai when she was five.

"It had a massive impact on the industry, and personally, it was a turning point in my life. This opened up more opportunities, made me more well-known, and played a big role in shaping me into the person I am today.”

FROM SINGER TO LIFESTYLE CONTENT CREATOR

In fact, before she became known as a lifestyle maven on YouTube, she began her career as a singer at the age of 16 when she won a singing contest. A prestigious label in Thailand called Grammy signed her on and she released her first single two years later.

When she was in her early 20s, YouTube began to take off in Thailand and she decided to hop on the bandwagon to create content “just for kicks and a bit of extra fun on the side”, she recalled.

Initially, her channel featured her cover versions of songs as her record label at that time had no plans to give her original music.

“Because I did not have any gigs, I just started practising and learning to play the guitar. It was like a hobby but as more people began watching my YouTube videos, I began to get more and more requests to sing specific songs,” recalled Zom Marie.

Eventually, she realised the trend for cover music began declining in popularity and she started to think of ways to pivot from cover music to creating more lifestyle-centric content. It was initially a process of trial and error as she tried to figure out what would resonate with her viewers.

For instance, one of her first videos – which has since been deleted – featured her introducing herself in English. “It was like homework,” she quipped.

Making the transition from cover singing to lifestyle content was challenging. From garnering up to 100,000 views for a cover song per night, she would only get a mere 3,000 views for lifestyle videos.

She said: “Initially, my viewers and fans wanted to see me singing more. During those early days, while I was still finding my groove, I was perhaps not doing the greatest job. I even got comments like, 'Please stop doing this kind of content and go back to singing! No one is watching this.'”

Nevertheless, she persisted in honing her style and building a team to create content that would strike a chord with her audience.

Eventually, she struck gold with the Mystery Box series, which not only made her a household name in Thailand, but also inspired many other brands and shops in the country to start selling mystery boxes.

BUILDING A TEAM

In real life, Zom Marie strikes a less melancholic note – her boyfriend has been a part of her team since she began gaining traction on YouTube.

“When I decided to get serious, my boyfriend jumped in to lend a hand with editing, and from there, we went from a duo to a trio and kept growing," she said. Today, she has a crew of around 10 individuals, including editors, a cameraman, graphic designer, general manager, content creators and interns.

Nevertheless, she emphasises the importance of balance. "I do not want my team to become a massive army; this size feels just right. It keeps things efficient, and we are all close-knit."

Delving deeper into her workflow, she says the amount of production work needed depends on what the videos are about. "For our ongoing series, there is not much prep needed and we can just roll with it. But when a video is loaded with intricate details, that is when we rev up the chatter and prep before the real action," she said.

It helps that the well-oiled team makes this meticulous process run smoothly. "When it is time for shooting and editing, I've got this fantastic team that makes the whole process a breeze as we are all about that smooth, efficient workflow!"

One of the realities of working with her partner is that personal and work time have blended into one. “We are both workaholics and devoted to work so we do not detach and have ‘me time’,” she said. “But even though we sometimes fight, we know that our intentions are for the best so we do not take it personally.”

Still, the melding of her work and personal life can be challenging at times. “As a content creator, my mind is always buzzing with ideas, and when everything has the potential to be interesting, it is hard to switch off and stop the constant brainstorming,” she said.

KEEPING IT REAL

Perhaps it is candid responses like these that appeal to her main viewership, of which 70 per cent of them are women aged 18 to 34. “For the 24- to 34-year-old viewers, we are around the same age so it is not hard to be relatable as we are going through similar challenges in life. For the younger viewers aged below 20, I think I appeal to them because I love trying new things,” she said.

Besides offering young women a platform where they can watch a personality that they can relate to, Zom Marie also values the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

She recalled her first visit to Pattavikorn Market, a flea market in Bangkok where clothes are priced as little as 5 baht (S$0.20) a piece. “When I first arrived, the market was pretty empty, not drawing many visitors, and the merchants were not doing too well. But right after my video, it went crazy! The video got shared thousands of times, with people tagging their friends and inviting each other to visit,” she said.

“Now, the market has been renovated, and every time I return, all the merchants come to say hi and express their gratitude.”

Offering a glimpse into her life behind the scenes, Zom Marie reveals she is a devoted pawrent to her two corgis, Petra and Potter. Not surprisingly, she is also a huge fan of Harry Potter and even has a room called The Room Of Requirement where she displays her memorabilia.

Behind the glitz and glamour of being a YouTube creator, she says her personality goes beyond her bubbly on-screen persona.

“The thing that many people might not know is that I am not all rainbows and sunshine like in the videos. It is not that I am not being myself – when I am in front of the camera, I want to showcase my lively and fun side to my viewers. I aim to be a ray of sunshine, a source of positive energy for them,” she said.

“However, what they might not know is that, like anyone else, I am just an ordinary person with a full range of emotions. I do have my downtime and I am not bubbly all the time.”

She also acknowledged the mental toll of being in the spotlight, emphasising the importance of sincere self-expression. "Being in front of the camera or in the spotlight is pretty hard to deal with in terms of mental health because anyone can just type anything to you. So you have to learn to deal with it in a healthy way."

GAZING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL

Reflecting on her future, Zom Marie quipped that she might need a tarot card session to see where her path lies. But ultimately, she hopes to continue creating content for YouTube for as long as people are interested.

“I have so many memorable moments – all the things I have done, all the lives I have touched and all the real journeys I have embarked upon. I have had the opportunity to do so many interesting things, visit many fascinating places and meet many new people,” she reflected. “I really enjoy creating content and singing and I cannot picture myself doing anything else right now. I will keep doing this until no one wants to watch me.”