T-POP TAKES OFF

Just as the Korean wave has swept the world, Thai music and dramas are big in Asia

- Jan Lee

As a long-time fan of K-pop, Mr Sofrie Jasman has seen its phenomenal rise from its early days in the noughties, with groups like TVXQ, Super Junior and Girls' Generation spreading their music beyond their shores, to global domination today.

Now, he believes Thai pop, or Tpop, may be the next big thing to take the music world by storm.

"I really feel that momentum with Thai pop. I think it's going to be immense and I'm happy with how it will help Thai pop culture grow in exposure," says the 35year-old e-commerce executive, who got into Thai pop after he started watching Thai dramas around five years ago.

"You just sort of explore once you are hooked on Thai pop culture. For example, one of my favourite Thai acts is HYBS, which isn't related to any drama at all."

HYBS is a male duo formed by two former school friends, Alyn and Karn, who reconnected after eight years. They made their debut in 2021 with the dreamy single Ride, which has 13 million views on YouTube.

The profile of Thai musicians has grown in recent years, with artistes scoring major gigs and collaborations with global pop stars.

In April 2022, 20-year-old rapper Milli became the first Thai artiste to perform solo at famed American music festival Coachella, where she made headlines for eating mango sticky rice on stage while singing a song named after the iconic Thai dessert.

Singers PP Krit Amnuaydechkorn and Billkin Putthipong Assaratanakul - co-stars in boys' love series I Told Sunset About You (2020 to 2021) were invited to perform at Japanese music festival Summer Sonic in August 2022.

The growing popularity of Thai dramas - particularly boys' love titles, which depict romantic relationships between men - is closely tied to the rise of the country's music scene in the region.