Panthepack - The Latest All-Chinese Musical Collective

Four distinct individuals gamely signed up to form Panthepack, the latest all-Chinese musical collective. Their mission: to be the next wave of music while showcasing their heritage and roots. As they converge, Esquire finds out their plans and driving force to achieve their vision.

- Derrick Tan

Panda diplomacy has proven to be an effective soft power instrument of culture and goodwill. To think that China presents these vulnerable and near-extinct herbivores as a way to bridge differences, that is one hell of a negotiation in diplomacy.

But recently, another Chinese ‘import’ is set to promote and showcase the country’s talent pool and Chinese culture. Named Panthepack, this supergroup comprises musicians Jackson Wang, Karencici, J.Sheon and ICE.

The name Jackson Wang immediately jumps out at you. Besides being part of the renowned K-pop boy band Got7, he founded his own record label Team Wang in 2017 that manages his solo releases. He also assembled the rest of Panthepack (its members aged between 23 and 36).

The group name is based off China’s epochal animals. “Pandas are iconic for the Chinese,” Wang explains. “For us, we’re exploring and going on this music journey to deliver a new sound.”

Wang flexes his multi-hyphenate talents to steer the group, being attributed as writer, director, actor and editor at the end credits of Panthepack’s first music video ‘Buzz’, which amassed over 8.6 million streams on YouTube in less than two weeks since its release.

Before he arrived for our scheduled Zoom interview, the rest of Panthepack were enlivening the mood with peppy banters. Casual talk was volleyed among the three members. As no one turned on their cameras, trying to discern who said what among the chatter, apart from Panthepack’s only female and also youngest member Karencici, proved to be a challenge.