Showing 1 - 10 of 20
A year of K-pop
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 26/12/2023
» One of the biggest K-pop stories in December has been the enlistment of the remaining four members of BTS for mandatory military service. On Dec 11, RM, the leader of BTS, and V, the vocalist, began their enlistment. The following day, two other vocalists, Jimin and Jungkook, entered training camps in Yeoncheon together. As the world's biggest boy band goes on hiatus, it will be interesting to see which rival claims the top spot in the absence of BTS.
Sounds of the year
Life, Tatat Bunnag, Published on 19/12/2023
» With travel back to normal after Covid-19, this year saw the entertainment industry return to normal. Thailand, with its vibrant cultural scene, saw a resurgence of live music that showcased a diverse spectrum of artists, ranging from global icons to emerging indie sensations.
'Grease' star Olivia Newton-John dies aged 73
AFP, Published on 09/08/2022
» LOS ANGELES: Singer Olivia Newton-John, who gained worldwide fame as the high school sweetheart Sandy in the hit movie "Grease", died on Monday after a 30-year battle with cancer. She was 73.
Capturing the anarchy in the Sex Pistols
New York Times, Published on 21/05/2022
» LONDON: “Are we doing any spitting?” asked a man in the crowd at the 100 Club, a small, red-walled underground space, redolent of spilled beer, cigarette smoke and a thousand lost nights, just off London’s Oxford Street.
K-pop for the planet
Asia focus, Published on 22/02/2021
» From petitioning to save forests to raising cash for disaster victims, a growing army of K-pop fans worldwide has emerged as the latest force in the global fight against climate change.
Go further west
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 23/02/2020
» Throughout their decades-spanning career in the music biz, Pet Shop Boys have always operated within the realm of sophisticated synth-pop that advocates varying degrees of dancefloor abandon. For lyricist Neil Tennant and composer Chris Lowe, however, it's not just about the allure of club culture or pure hedonism. From day one, social consciousness gets woven into the sonic fabric of their music. "In a West End town, a dead-end world/ The East End boys and West End girls," Tennant sings about the class and wealth gap on their 1984 debut single West End Girls.
In Fine Style
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 12/01/2020
» Since the dissolution of One Direction in 2015, Harry Styles has been striving for the kind of self-reinvention that would set him apart from his peers. And if the success of his 2017 eponymous solo debut is any indication, he's on the right path towards a flourishing post-boy band career, careening down the highway of 70s-style rock stardom à la Mick Jagger and David Bowie. On his latest studio album Fine Line, these classic rock stylings make way for soaring power pop laced with folk-rock and psychedelia. And despite the record's overall heartbreak theme, Styles sounds more at ease with himself than ever.
Setting it off
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 14/07/2019
» From its humble start lurking in the shadows of J-pop to partially dominating the globe, the unstoppable power of K-pop has been fascinating to witness. Today, in the hazy wake of the Gangnam Style craze, the genre has grown to have its own annual convention, KCON, which is aimed to celebrate South Korean culture at various locations around the world. In North America, K-pop boy bands and girl bands are being received with open arms. Groups like seven-member boyband BTS have even gone so far as to win 2017's Billboard Music Award for Top Social Artist, beating pop royalty like Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande.
Keeping them keen
B Magazine, Chanun Poomsawai, Published on 02/06/2019
» In many ways, the enduring success of UK four-piece Keane is a curious phenomenon. Formed in 1995, the quartet of four rather ordinary-looking white lads from East Sussex rose to rock prominence with their debut album, 2004's Hopes And Fears. Thanks to the strength of radio-friendly singles like Somewhere Only We Know and Everybody's Changing, they were able to contend with a lot of their rock/indie contemporaries who were also just starting out then -- The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, The Futureheads, Razorlight and The Libertines. While some of those bands have lost their steam or even vanished in the aftermath of the indie-rock heyday, it seems that Keane are still alive and well despite the six-year hiatus following 2013's hits compilation, The Best Of Keane.
A Return To Form
B Magazine, Published on 09/09/2018
» There is an oft-recounted anecdote that tells the story of how B5 came to be B5. Basically, each of the group's members -- Suwira "Q" Boonrod, Mariam Grey, Saksit "Tor" Vejsupaporn, Chalatit "Ben" Tantiwut and Uthai "Cake" Poonyamund -- was slated to pursue a solo career as part of Bakery Music's new crop of artists. But that was before they shared the stage for Boyd Kosiyabong's Million Ways To Love: Part I concert, subsequently leading fans to believe that they were an actual, single-unit group. The label, apparently subscribing to the "there's no such thing as bad publicity" ethos, decided to market them as a quintet called B5. And what a decision that was, for their 2004 debut Event became a huge success, giving Bakery Music, whose popularity had been waning during the country's 1997 economic crisis, a much-needed boost.