25 Thai artists that represent the Thai music scene now

Nobody expected him to possess so much spirit when he was on Rap Is Now, and Auttakorn “Korn” Deachmak aka AUTTA is now one of the biggest rising stars in the hip-hop scene. With a background in sound engineering and jazz music, this musical prodigy produces his own music and writes his own rap verses, which have been described as highly complex.

Now signed to YUPP!, home to other hip-hop stars like Milli, AUTTA continues to come up with bangers that gain tens of millions views on YouTube. He also collaborates with big names like Pop Pongkool and F.HERO.

Check out the emotional “ANTLV”, in which AUTTA bares his life story.

We can really give the credit to BNK48 for reviving the excitement of Thai pop music. Back in 2017, it was announced that Thailand would have its own rendition of Japan’s massively popular idol group AKB48 and that’s when everyone here was obsessed with the Onigiri-making dance from chart-sweeping “Koisuru Fortune Cookie”.

Five years in, the group has been on a successful path, inspiring many to follow their pop paces, with over 70 girls joining the group (there's 53 currently in the group!). BNK48’s domination also gave its label more confidence to expand the popularity of idol groups with sister band CGM48.

Check out the Thai version of “RIVER”.

We’ve been seeing the rise of female music producers worldwide. In Thailand, we’re keeping our eye on Pichsinee “Bowky” Veerasuthimas or BOWKYLION. Before she took on her moniker, Bowky was known by Thai listeners as the vocalist for SKIPIT band and for her appearance on the fourth season of The Voice Thailand, where she got to flaunt her husky R&B-appropriate voice to the nation.

“Longjai”, her most streamed song to date, continues to steal the hearts of Thai fans. Recently, she released her first LP entitled Lionheart, which includes hits like the title track and “Untold”.

Check out the buzzy “attention please” from her latest album.

Meet the OG rocker of this generation: Cocktail. Over the two-decade span and six studio albums, the Panthapol “Ohm” Prasarnrajkit-led band is the supreme artist whose rock sensibilities have inspired many audiences and young creative minds with their rock sound that never stops evolving.

Another thing that puts the “Koo Cheewit (Soulmates)” hitmaker on the pedestal is how the frontman Ohm has taken all his lifelong experience from the industry to run his own label Gene Lab that is now home to many youthful acts driven with creativity and passion for music.

Check out the band’s all-time classic “Kook Khao (Kneel)”.

When talking about the Thai hip-hop scene, there’s no way we can’t bring up Nattawut “Golf” Srimhok, the established Thai artist who goes by the stage name F.HERO. Golf has been around since the early 2000s when rap and hip-hop weren’t this popular in the country.

His fame has only grown since, mostly thanks to how he steers clear from hedonistic and misogynistic tropes. Instead, F. HERO focuses on deeper and more personal narratives while using his platform for a cause. His collabs with Gen Z faves like Milli and GOT7’s Bam Bam also shows a willingness to evolve in his art. 

Check out “Ra Tree Sawas (Goodnight)”, a tribute to the political unrest in Southern Thailand.

You can probably call her Thailand’s version of Ariana Grande. Wildly successful singer Ink Waruntorn’s discography is packed with sugary pop tunes such as the hit song “YOU?”. The 28-year-old knows best how to please her massive followers, churning out catchy tracks that explore the ins and outs of different types of relationships, happy or sad. 

As an influencer, basically everything she touches turns to gold, and has know for popularizing a fashion trend or two. 

Check out her single “INK” where she expresses how thankful and happy she is to sing for her fans.

Ever since her breakthrough on the second season of The Rapper, Danupha Khanatheerakul aka Milli has been on a hot streak, one that has seen her releasing her blockbuster single “SUDPUNG!” and establishing herself as one of the best rappers of her generation.

In addition to her in-your-face and fearless attitude, Milli brings her own unique brand to the male-dominated hip-hop industry in Thailand. Her music takes inspiration from Thai pop culture, politics and social movements, and has brought her as far as rocking the stage at Coachella 2022.

Check out her sassy female empowerment banger “Pak Gon”.

After years of building up their reputation as actors in teen series and movies, Awat “Ud” Ratanapintha and Tonhon “Ton” Tantivejakul have turned their musical dreams into reality with an alt-pop endeavor called mints.

mints is all about positive vibes, which is reflected through songs that combine exhilarating synth melodies with quirky jazz and soul sounds. We can safely say that not too many artists of their generation have the same kind of repertoire. 

Check out how they lament about the frustrations of falling in love in “lovephobia”.

The duo’s name comes from the word la-mir or “sleepwalking” in Thai, which reflects the sound they’re going for: trippy synth. Consisting of Gen Zers Toh and Now, Mirrr’s songs attempt to encapsulate how it feels to be teenagers in Thai society.

Their debut LP, Q.E.D, has been well-received by locals. Mirrr has also gained recognition from Scottish pop group CHVCHES, which remixed  their single “Good Luck, Girl”.

Check out “nicotine” where the duo explores the addictive element of smoking.

After failing to last in survival shows such as The X Factor Thailand, The Star La Banda Thailand and The Voice Thailand, Ananda Chuensomsong is now rising like a phoenix with his striking electronic-heavy tunes under the musical persona Patrickananda.

The 20-something Thai-Kiwi makes the most of his unique deep voice to anchor moody ambient tracks that lull listeners into a trance-like state.

Check out his debut single “Polaroid”, which brought him the spotlight he deserved.

Singing and writing songs in English can be quite a challenge for some artists, but not for Phum Viphurit, who spent almost a decade in New Zealand. The indie heartthrob honed his language skills by writing songs in English, many of which he performed to viral success on YouTube.

Now signed to Rats Records, the 26-year-old has become an international sensation and performs his uplifting guitar-led tunes for fans in many countries across the world.

Check out “Hello, Anxiety” where he tackles mental health issues.

Mabelz, Pimma, and Ingkho come together as the three-membered girl group named PiXXiE, the first act from up-and-coming LIT Entertainment. Concepted as a “mischief little elf”, PiXXiE is another one to watch in the current waves of the T-Pop resurrection.

Opposite girl group fellow 4EVE that goes harder on the girl crush concept, PiXXiE is more on a sweet and cutesy side of pop, with the release of instantly catchy tunes like “DED” which will force you to stand up and follow their adorable dance routine.

Check out their earworm hit “MUTELU”.

Polycat is one of the artists spearheading the ’80s revival in Thailand. The band was signed to indie and alternative label Smallroom back in 2011, and has since released a streak of hit singles inspired by new wave music.

The band’s signature sound has influenced many new artists and has made an impact on the international audience—they were the very first Thai artists to appear on iTunes’ and Apple Music’s global playlist.

Check out their all-time favorite song “I Want You” from their third studio album Pillow War.

Challenging taboo topics like sex and fetishism in Thailand may be a no-no for some artists, but not for Peeralada Sukawat aka Pyra. Her unique brand of genre-bending dystopian pop is aimed at unravelling the ugly truth of being a woman in modern Thai society.

Pyra’s looks and sound may come across as too edgy for the Thai mainstream audience, but the 28-year-old siren has certainly impressed the international market. In 2021, she got a nod from NME as one of the website’s Essential Emerging Artists for the year.

Check out “yellow fever” where she ruthlessly lambasts how men sexually fantasize about Asian women.

The Thai-Italian songstress, whose real name is Pavida Moriggi, became the talk of the town when she returned to the music scene with a completely new look and sound after lingering as an ingénue pop star for years.

Like Lizzo and P!nk, Silvy uses her strong musical personality to fearlessly express her thoughts and feelings on what it means to be a woman today.

Check out “XL” where she explores perceptions on real-size beauty and our interview with her here.

He’s been serenading the country with romantic numbers for almost two decades. Apiwat “Stamp” Ueathavornsuk is an iconic figure in the Thai music scene, and has paved the way for succeeding talents by giving masterclasses in guitar playing and songwriting.

Stamp has also displayed musical genius by genre-jumping with other artists, both local and international, such as Crowd lu, DEPAPEPE, and POP ETC.

Check out “Nobody knows”, the song he produced with Christopher Chu for road trip drama One for the Road.

Phleng phuea chiwit, the Thai folk music genre that translates to “songs for life” hasn’t disappeared from the local music scene, thanks to TaitosmitH. The sextet folk-rock band has lent their voice to their genre, coming up with songs that question many societal issues, from capitalism to coming of age.

Taking inspiration from legendary rock band Carabao, TaitosmitH injects modern post-rock and country sounds to add more layers to their heart-thumping tunes. Their self-titled debut made it to NME’s 25 best Asian albums of 2020.

Check out the band unravelling what’s wrong with Thailand in “Daeng Kub Keaw (Red and Green)”.

The country’s most controversial rapper TangBadVoice is all about creating WTF-worthy thumpers. Chiang Mai-born artist Tawanwad Wanavit alternates his life between being a professional photographer and firing up spoken-word, darkly humorous verses as TangBadVoice. 

He recently proved his artistic versatility by recruiting national heartthrob Billkin to join him on his most pop single to date. We can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

Check out “705”, his tribute to Dajim’s unsettling rap song “704”.

No one in the local music scene can capture loneliness in their songs quite like synth pop trio TELEx TELEXs. Composed of Sorrarat “Aom” Limpanopparat, Kasidath Ritngarm and Kirakorn Ingkavarapornkul, the band takes inspiration from nostalgic electropop, with lead singer Aom providing the perspective of love from the eyes of a lonely woman.

Their latest offering, WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DO JUST GO TO SLEEP, was released last year and was listed on NME’s best Southeast Asian albums and EPs of 2021. 

Check out “Mutelu”, an invigorating bop about relying on horoscopes to find love.

Pop-rock has never left the scene, and Three Man Down stands out as the band that adds modern touches to the genre. Started in 2013 by frontman Krit “Kit” Jirapattananuwong, the band climbed up the charts slowly with sentimental ballads and finally scored a breakout hit with “Fon Tok Mai (Is It Raining?)”.

Three Man Down also endears itself to locals with their sentimental music videos that sometimes take jabs at the government and reflect the stand of pro-democracy youngbloods.

Check out the band crooning about a sad birthday celebration on “HBD to Me”.

No band in the country makes songs for the lovelorn better than Tilly Birds. The trio has become a household name for tracks that are best listened to when you need to sob away the hurt of unrequited love or a bad relationship.

But don’t peg Tilly Birds as just another group dishing out musical clichés. In their eight years in the industry, the band hasn’t stopped evolving, constantly reinventing their alternative-rock roots while touching on other topics like death, which is tackled in the poignant track “Until Then”.

Check out “Same Page?”, aka the most-streamed Thai song on Spotify in 2020.

Everybody knows Thanwa Boonsoongnern for his deadpan charm and huge catalog of saccharine love songs. But the son of Thai pop singer Nittaya Boonsoongnern and nephew of legendary trans singer Jern Jern Boonsoongnern is also an amazing multi-instrumentalist who can rock any instrument you give him—piano, bass, synthesizer, drums, ukelele. But his instrument of choice is the guitar. He’s so good that he’s won international competitions like the Overdrive Guitar Contest and Kiesel Guitars Solo Contest. 

His musical skills are brought to the fore in his new soloist project The Toys.

Check out his magnum opus “Last Winter”, which went viral as soon as it was released.

Originally a member of Kamikaze’s pop group 3.2.1, Jirayut “Tao” Paloprakarn is now a solo artist known as URBOYTJ. After surviving depression and a suicide attempt, the artist rose like a phoenix in 2016 with his debut single “Rebound”, a track that  straddles the line between hip-hop and pop.

When not banging out successful singles, URBOYTJ helps produce hits for other artists like 4EVE’s “TEST ME”.

Check out his bad-boy-turned-good anthem “Villain”.

Want a taste of the Thai Taylor Swift? Meet Violette Wautier. The Belgian-Thai singer/songwriter who first made a huge impression on the second season of The Voice Thailand with her then-viral cover of “Leaving on a Jet Plane”. Despite her short-lived time on the show, she received many acting and singing offers that eventually put her on the track to  stardom.

Glitter and Smoke, her all-English debut record, sees Violette exploring her true artistic side with candid and forthright songwriting (like that of Miss Swift), and experimenting with her vocal delivery. The result is an album that proves why Violette is one of the best musical acts in the modern Thai music scene.

Check out Violette exploring abusive love in the trippy track “Smoke”.

4EVE is part of the strong force driving the recent girl group resurrection in T-Pop. This seven-member group, which was formed through survival show Girl Group Star, released their first single “Oohlala!” in 2020. This was followed by a full-length album and a string of singles, plus a handful of collabs with big-name artists like Boys Love stars Billkin and PP Krit.  

These days, 4EVE continues to serve as an inspiration for the younger generation—as well as the Thai music industry—as they continue to come up with hit tracks complemented by killer choreography.

Check out 4EVE crushing sexist social norms with their hit “Booty Bomb”.