This thought has been a constant in Thai pop idol Stamp’s songwriting philosophy. What has changed, in the nearly two decades that Stamp has serenaded Thai fans, is the way songs become hits – and how far they can reach.
“It’s like a twilight zone,” Stamp, 40, told Nikkei Asia, referring to social media platforms TikTok and Instagram. When his song, “Nobody Knows”, went viral on TikTok this year, he was surprised to find it being used as background music for 60-second cooking videos.
“Artistes get discovered on the internet and streaming platforms around the world,” said Stamp, whose real name is Apiwat Ueathavornsuk. “Look at Milli at Coachella. She didn’t originally intend to go international, but fame found her.”
Milli, a 19-year-old rapper whose real name is Danupha Khanatheerakul, became the first Thai solo artiste to perform at the famed Californian music festival in April.
Her set even caught the attention of politicians, including Thai prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who said “Thailand needs to support and expedite the development of existing soft powers in order to make people interested and give importance to Thailand”.
The pieces are in place for Thai artistes to shoot for the stars, and this means recreating the international success of South Korean pop music.
Now boasting a diverse catalogue of artistes, Thai labels are keeping an eye on streaming platforms and social media to find pockets of international fans, with the military-led government’s backing to raise Thailand’s cultural cachet.
Soft power
“Soft power” is notoriously hard to measure, but the economic impact of cultural exports such as Hollywood movies and Japanese anime and video games is clear.
The boy band BTS, for example, generated US$1.43 billion (RM6.4 billion) in revenue and 7,900 jobs for the South Korean economy from a single song, the 2020 hit “Dynamite”, according to a study by the country’s culture and tourism ministry.
In Thailand, the entertainment industry will reap revenues of 600 billion baht (RM74.3 billion) a year by 2025, according to the consultancy PwC, helped in part by a pandemic-generated boom in streaming services.
The international success of dramas like “2gether”, a romantic comedy about two college boys, has been a gateway for fans in Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines to discover Thai musicians.
“Television dramas are one element of Thai soft power, and we are phasing in T-pop by using them in the soundtracks of popular Thai dramas,” said Wichulee Chotbenjakul, cultural attaché at the Thai embassy in Japan, which hosted a Thai pop festival in May.
“The Thai government wants T-pop to be famous globally, and the T-pop industry wants that as well,” said Wichulee. “With their strong potential and uniqueness, they can go far.”
Khaosan Entertainment, a Thai record label, discovered last year that its recently launched band 4Mix had amassed a fan base in Latin America. The label contacted Thailand’s embassy in Mexico, which helped to arrange a concert for 4Mix attended by hundreds of fans.
“We started with what we liked first. The concept of an LGBTQ band, the music, the performance, the melody, is in line with the character of the fans there,” said 4Mix vocalist Jarukit Khamhongsa, known as Ninja.
After visiting Mexico, the band members worked with a language coach to record the song “Roller Coaster” in Spanish. They performed another song in Japanese at the Thai embassy’s virtual pop festival, which was watched live by 80,000 people and has since been viewed over 360,000 times by fans in Japan and around the world.
‘Not necessary anymore’
Stamp wrote and recorded an album in English in 2017, but “in a way it’s not that necessary anymore”, he told Nikkei. “When you look at the success of J-pop and K-pop, it’s the sound that matters. You don’t have to understand.”
Now, Thai artistes are finding the reverse. “A fan in America posted on social media: ‘We are learning Thai for you guys’,” said Ramet Kiantisukudom, or George, of 4Mix.
Before playing at the Thai pop festival in Japan, Stamp performed on the Japanese broadcaster NHK’s “Songs of Tokyo”. It was the first time a foreigner had been invited to appear on the TV programme, which typically showcases Japanese artistes.
Despite his longevity in Thai show business, Stamp says he asks younger artistes like 4Mix for advice because they understand better how songs become popular on the internet.
He believes song quality is a winning formula that transcends language and borders, but knowing the right time and platform for music releases has always required “luck from the gods”.
“Now we are in a phase of trial and error,” Stamp said of the blossoming Thai industry. “We are trying to find who we are as Thai pop and to be united in international music.”