Artist Spotlight: Tilly Birds on Exploring New Sounds in Upcoming Album
Thai alternative pop-rock bandTilly Birds has become one of Thailand’s most dynamic acts, known for their heartfelt lyricism, energetic performances, and ability to blur the lines between pop, rock, and soul. Formed in 2010 by friends Third (lead vocalist), Billy (guitarist), and Milo (drummer, rapper, vocals), the trio began making music together during their university years, slowly building a devoted following through songs that speak candidly about love, growth, and self-discovery.
In our latest exclusive, the band opened up about crossing the borders of their sound and language, most recently through their collaboration with Filipino folk-pop sensation Ben&Ben, a creative meeting that bridged cultures and deepened their shared storytelling spirit. They also reflected on memorable moments from the music video shoot in Batangas, how it symbolizes a new chapter in their artistic journey, and the creative challenges behind crafting their first fully English album — a project that promises to showcase their evolution to an even wider global audience.
Tilly Birds on their Heavenly Collaboration
The Thai band released their first all-English track, “White Pills,” in April 2024, an emotional song about feeling lost and longing for connection. They followed this up with “Retro-39” later that year, which took listeners back to the late nineties with its catchy melody that captures 21st-century nostalgia, all the while showcasing their growth as a band in the past decade.
This year, the band released their latest effort to bring more international listeners into their soundscape, which is also a step toward the much-anticipated release of their full-length English album.
“Heaven” is Tilly Birds’ collab track with Ben&Ben, whom they met in Malaysia back in 2024. From there, their relationship grew, and the trio ended up flying to Manila for a two-day song camp with the folk-pop band to put together the new track.
“It’s in the area of destiny, like it says we’re destined to meet here at this time,” said Third on the song’s messaging, which he also related to the meeting of their bands. “It’s quite exciting and liberating to have found each other and gotten to know each other, and eventually make a song together.”
The band’s drummer also added how both bands’ love for songs with an emotional core has helped tremendously in bringing their sounds together, which he described as “the main connection between us and Ben&Ben.”
When asked if there were any memorable moments during their collaboration, Third shared with The Beat Asia a playful story.
“The moment that stood out the most to me was when one of the members, Toni Muñoz, really looked like Billy’s mom. *laughs* No other moment can surpass or top that. We were like watching Toni record with her Tongatong — the percussion instrument — and we were talking about how she looked so familiar. Other than that, it was fun! It was quite joyful and we can’t wait to play with them again.”
The song was accompanied by a music video shot in Batangas. The vibrant video showed the band singing and playing their instruments against a countryside venue. Milo shared how the whole thing was actually unplanned, so it was a nice surprise for both groups.
“We changed everything to Plan B because it was raining cats and dogs,” he told The Beat Asia. “The only time that it didn’t rain within those three days was when we shot the drum parts — at 6 AM! But we enjoyed running and playing in the rain, and we didn’t miss a chance to shoot a great music video. It kind of gave us a break, too.”
As for what they hope listeners will take away from the song, Billy expressed how their goal is to create music that can be enjoyed by everyone.
“If you guys give it a listen and you feel happy, energetic, or it inspires you to get up and drive somewhere, or start doing something unexpected, that’s what we want. If you’re discovering our music for the first time, we hope you’ll enjoy our catalogue. Just expect to have fun and enjoy the music!”
Tilly Birds has been around for over a decade, and through those years, the band was able to create a distinctive sound and character, but their music remains undefined. When the group gets asked about their genre, they would often answer “alternative.”
“As Tilly Birds is evolving musically, I think this song perfectly fits in this evolution because we’re on the verge of looking out to see what’s beyond what we’ve done with our previous albums,” Billy explained on how “Heaven” plays a role in their musical progression as a band. The track will be included in their upcoming third album, “I'll Remember To Forget You,” slated for release on Jan. 29, 2026. This marks a significant evolution in their careers, being the first album sung completely in English.
“This album is really our exploration trip — us in this musical vehicle, driving forward and not looking back,” Billy added.
The album is composed of 13 tracks, including previously released singles “White Pills,” “Retro-39,” “Never a Waste of Time,” and “Call it a Day” — the last of which dropped this month.
When asked if there were any challenges in completing the album, Billy answered, “I think the biggest challenge was how it took quite a long time and has been revised many times. Many songs have been cut out, as well. I think it happened three times in the span of four years of making this album. It was hard to make this album cohesive — or a packaged album that feels like it was made at the same time, because some of the songs were three years apart. Making them sound cohesive was definitely a big challenge.”
Apart from Ben&Ben, the track list also showed a collaboration track with Thai-Singaporean singer James Alyn. When asked if they had anyone on their collab wish list, the trio was quick to agree that it’s something they want to do more in the future.
“For sure! We are driving towards cross collaboration, so expect more!” Billy said, and gave us a list of artists and groups that they hope to collaborate with, such as Indonesian band, The Lanterns; Singapore’s brb.; Taiwan’s Accusefive; and rising superstars Cup of Joe from the Philippines.
As for what’s next, the band looked back on their decade-long journey with gratitude and excitement. Their debut album marked the start of finding their own voice as a Thai band with a distinct, genre-defying sound, one that truly defined who they are. Now, as they prepare for their third album, they’re setting their sights on discovery, growth, and creating music that’s as fun as it is heartfelt for their fans. Fresh off their first HOWE Award win for Best Band, it’s clear that this is only the beginning of an even brighter chapter for Tilly Birds.
“We hope that you guys will keep waiting for anything that comes out from Tilly Birds,” said Third.
You can pre-save “I’ll Remember To Forget You” here. For updates on more music and events from Tilly Birds, follow them on Facebook, X (Formerly Twitter), YouTube, and Instagram.
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