The power of music and the charm of Thai identity have been reimagined and reinterpreted in a contemporary light through the sounds of “SuperThai,” a brilliant new band comprised of four remarkably talented members, including Plengthai Niyomthai, Peeranat ‘Peanut’ Veeranipitkul, Tada ‘Tadalee’ Lohasirikul, and Ninja Aphisit Usahdee. This group of young creatives firmly believes in the strength of their roots and Thai identity, conveying this through fresh musical rhythms and concepts whilst seamlessly maintaining that distinctive Thai essence.

In this exclusive interview, #Legend_th takes you on a journey to discover the personalities, philosophies, inspiration, and paths that brought these four together to form SuperThai, a band ready to share their pride in Thai identity with the world.

Could you tell us about SuperThai’s origins?

Tadalee: We’ve been rather fortunate, really. The four of us actually met previously at a competition programme. As the competition progressed, we grew closer and had more opportunities to chat. We discovered our dreams were aligned, we all wanted to work as artists, to be singers, to be part of the T-Pop scene. Shortly after the programme ended, we formed together. It was quite grassroots, practising on our own, hiring rehearsal spaces ourselves, and so on. Eventually, we had the opportunity to work with a management team who’ve helped us grow to where we are today.

What made each of you realise this was the right team, the one you wanted to create work with?

Plengthai: For me, following on from what Tadalee mentioned, before entering the programme, I’d actually considered giving up on this dream. But meeting everyone here was like having that fire reignited within me. I’m not entirely certain what it was, but we felt we wanted to move forward together, to grow together with them. It genuinely feels like family, which was tremendously important for me in taking that first step.

Peanut: My perspective isn’t vastly different from Plengthai’s. When the four of us chat, or attend various programmes, we always say this, it’s something that happened quite naturally. We never expected it would be this effortless. We’d only known each other for less than a week, yet we became close mates, sharing everything with one another as if we’d known each other for years. It felt comfortable. Everything happened incredibly quickly and naturally.

Ninja: I think SuperThai isn’t just the four of us, it’s the intention of many people who wanted this to happen. During the programme, we were Thai lads facing numerous obstacles. SuperThai came to be because we’re a group with shared dreams, goals, and passion. For me, this is an incredibly significant moment where we’re ready to commit ourselves fully and do our absolute best.

Tadalee: For me, it’s about sincerity. We met at a competition, but when we came together, there wasn’t any feeling of rivalry whatsoever. We divide parts amongst ourselves, and everyone knows their role and what they’re suited for. Everyone sees the bigger picture in the same direction and genuinely supports one another. If someone excels at something, we’re ready to support them in doing that thing well, without feeling that one person will stand out more than another. I find that rather beautiful.

How are roles and positions divided within the band?

Peanut: Truth be told, we’ve only recently divided responsibilities clearly and officially selected a leader that is Plengthai. Another thing is we don’t limit positions or anything with band members. Rather, whoever’s particularly skilled at something helps the others in that area. For instance, Ninja loves singing and is the strongest vocalist in the group, so he helps everyone with vocals. Tadalee excels at dancing and rapping. I focus more on grooming than anyone else. As for Plengthai, he can do everything, he looks after the younger members of the band.

Has there been a moment that made you feel particularly moved by your bandmates?

Peanut: For me, it’s genuinely every single moment since that first step when we met on the programme. Everything that’s happened has a point that makes us remember each and every action, because we must say this, we truly live together. We sleep in the same room, eat meals together, wait for each other everywhere, and do everything together constantly. It makes every action memorable. I suppose everyone thinks this way, I see everyone as family.

Plengthai: I think everyone probably feels the same. There are so many moments, really, because as we’ve said, we’re together nearly all the time. When you have to choose, you don’t know which one to share because we treasure every moment.

Peanut: Would you believe that when we stop working or don’t see each other for two days, someone will message saying, “Miss you, when will we see each other, why do two days feel so long?” Something like that. It’s as if we simply cannot be apart.

What’s the key inspiration behind creating your work?

Plengthai: First, I must say that SuperThai incorporates the word “Thai” into our band name. This was something we agreed upon from day one, that we wanted to present Thai identity. Therefore, our band will endeavour to include gimmicks related to Thai identity, trying to incorporate as much as possible without being forceful. We’ll attempt to blend Thai and international art together to push Thai identity out to the world’s attention. That’s our primary aim.

In an era where T-Pop is growing tremendously, what do you each see as opportunities and challenges in this emerging wave?

Ninja: I reckon if it were easy, it wouldn’t be fun. SuperThai has grown in a pressurised atmosphere from the start. We’ve always grown in this environment. We believe we’ll create something distinctive for the T-Pop scene in the future, and we’ll push it further to reach a global level.

Peanut: I feel that with opportunities, sometimes you can’t wait, you’ve got to seize them. And speaking frankly, we’ve no way of knowing whether opportunities come to us or we go to them. But I’d like everyone to see that every opportunity we receive comes with our genuine effort and intention.

Plengthai: As mentioned, T-Pop is rather popular at the moment, isn’t it? I see that every month, practically every day, there are newcomers in the industry releasing work almost monthly. I feel that from one perspective, this might be challenging because there are more competitors. But from another angle, this is a factor that accelerates and pushes the T-Pop industry to go further and produce more work, including opportunities for people worldwide to see more of it as well.

Tadalee: For me, I feel there is pressure because it’s booming tremendously. This means the number of artists or those releasing work will be equally numerous. This makes climbing to the very top rather challenging, because there’s a diverse market of work for consumers to choose from. But simultaneously, the more work there is, the greater the opportunity or percentage that people worldwide will see this. I think having many hands is probably better than having just one. In the bigger picture, it’s like cogs helping to push the T-Pop industry towards international recognition more robustly.

When music is the language that connects people’s hearts, SuperThai isn’t merely a band presenting Thai identity from a fresh perspective, they’re also a symbol of a new generation that’s brave and ready to sharpen their craft relentlessly, carrying forward the dream of pushing the T-Pop industry onto the international stage with stability and sustainability in the days to come.