Rising T-Pop Stars: Thai Boy Group BUS (Because of you, I shine)
At the vanguard of this thrilling new wave of Thai music and setting a new benchmark for contemporary Thai Pop (T-Pop), BUS has been leading the movement. BUS, short for "Because of you, I shine," is a rising 12-member Thai boy group that has swiftly taken the T-Pop scene by storm with its infectious energy, charm, and creative approach.
After participating in the Thai reality survival show "789 SURVIVAL," the group BUS officially debuted on Dec. 6, 2023, under Sonray Music and Tada Entertainment. The members of the group are: Alan (Pasawee Sriarunotai), Marckris (Kris Kanchanatip), Khunpol (Pongpol Panyamit), Heart (Chuthiwat Jankane), Jinwook (Kim Jin Wook), Thai (Chayanon Phakthin), Nex (Nattakit Chaemdara), Phutatchai (Tatchai Limpanyakul), Copper (Dechawat Phondechaphiphat), AA (Ashirakorn Suvitayasatian), Jungt (T Boonsermsuwong), and Peemwasu (Wasupon Pornpananurak).
Initially introduced as the 789 DEBUT GROUP, the group has proudly rebranded itself as “Because of you, I shine.” This inspiring name embodies their heartfelt gratitude towards the devoted fans who have championed them from the very start. Their eponymous debut single skyrocketed to viral fame, currently amassing 20 million views on YouTube, while their second song, "Watch Your Step," has attracted 19 million views. Meanwhile, several of their tracks have surpassed 10 million views already.
One of their standout songs, "Transformer," features a darker theme and incorporates heavy choreography. It achieved an impressive milestone by reaching 1 million views on YouTube within 24 hours, making it the most-viewed song by the group in a single day since its release. Currently, they have over 100 million streams on Spotify and have won more than 10 music awards, which is a testament to the talent of the 12 members. The boy band has been featuring a diverse range of musical genres, from emotional ballads to upbeat, energetic tracks.
Slowly and steadily, this T-Pop band is capturing the hearts of not just local fans from Gen Y and younger generations, but is also making significant strides on the global stage through their innovative fusion of Thai and Western influences.
This year, BUS made a sensational debut at Summer Sonic Bangkok 2025, delivering an electrifying performance with all 12 members on the Mahanakorn Stage. Their upbeat performance and fresh choreography energized the entire venue, leaving the crowd cheering and everyone thoroughly impressed.
The Beat Asia caught up with BUS at Summer Sonic Bangkok 2025 to talk about their preparations and upcoming performance, their ambitious journey to establish a global presence for T-Pop, and their future aspirations.
Can you share with us some insights about your performance at Summer Sonic?
Heart: For Summer Sonic, I think we want to have special songs for both Tokyo and Bangkok. In Tokyo, we had "Michi Teyu Ku" by Fuji Kaze, and in Bangkok, we have ที่เดิม (Thidem) by PUN, as well as "Steal My Girl" by One Direction. Additionally, in Tokyo, we held a brief session where we taught in Japanese.
Which song are you most excited to perform today?
Heart: For me personally, I think it's ที่เดิม (Thidem) because it’s a song that has a slow beat and a relaxed tempo. Before we performed this song, we had to practice our dance moves a lot. I found it quite challenging to control my breath during the performance as well.
How did you prepare for it? The process behind preparing music and practicing choreography together.
Heart: We have a hard talk about it. We have a session where we talk together about how we're gonna use 45 minutes effectively.
Alan: Physically, each of us has been doing our own thing, pursuing our own fitness routine. Also, in our own practice room, we try to dance all out every time we rehearse to train our stamina as well.
Marckris: We have a lot of run-throughs. Not just for this show, but for every show, we rehearse many times. For example, we probably rehearsed three times for Summer Sonic.
Alan: So, we know which show needs more of what. We need more resting time during our talk for our next vocal song.
Your debut single, “Because of You, I Shine,” achieved viral success and launched your band’s journey. What is the most memorable moment from the process of preparing for that single?
Khunpol: I think the most challenging part for me is dancing. Especially because we're dealing with new choreography for the first time. It's from Japan, I guess. It’s our first time encountering this style, and we need to learn how to cope with these new dance moves, as we haven't danced in this style before.
Alan: Also, since it's our debut single, it's kind of like the first time that 12 of us are dancing in a choreography together. So it's kind of exciting!
Marckris: We want to create a good first impression for everyone.
Khunpol: Also, in our music video, we had to dance in front of the Emerald Buddha temple. That's very new for me and very hard as well.
We’re curious about your latest album and new tracks, “Bow Wow” and “Boss in the Building.” What’s your inspiration behind it?
Jungt: The first song is called "Bow Wow." It's about a wolf that transforms into a dog because of you. So, it tells the story of going from a fierce hunter to a cute little puppy, all thanks to you. We want our album to have some entertaining songs, and that's why we chose "Bow Wow." It gives a playful, puppy-like vibe. That’s what "Bow Wow" is all about!
And as we come back, with "Boss in the Building," we want to be grown up and have some more songs with attitude. So we chose this song, which expresses how we are fighting ourselves, building ourselves, and transforming to be our new version.
As you look through your album, which particular song holds a special place in your heart?
Jungt: Honestly, I like many songs, because it’s all our songs, but if I had you choose one, I would choose แค่ไหนแค่นั้น "No Matter What” It’s a chill song. A heartbroken song.
What is the most exciting aspect of creating music, and what is the most challenging?
Marckris: The most exciting part of making music is probably expressing our thoughts as a group of 12 members. Also, we just started becoming more involved in the music creation process, and I'm excited about our upcoming singles and albums. I think it will be like more of us in the song. Hopefully, one day, we’ll be able to write our own music.
The most challenging aspect is managing our time. Because actually, all of us are studying, and it’s difficult to coordinate time and schedules for all 12 of us to meet. We have a lot of things going on, too. And we're practicing for a lot of things that we can’t reveal right now. I'm really excited for our upcoming shows and our upcoming singles, and albums.
From your debut to global recognition, BUS has quickly risen to fame. What do you think is the key to your success?
Nex: I'm not sure if we are really that famous. But I think the key to our success lies in having a great backup team. We've been lucky to get many chances to work with amazing people and to have many opportunities to perform on incredible stages. Lastly, our fans, they've always supported us. We really want to thank them and are truly grateful for their role in bringing us to where we are today.
How do you see T-Pop evolving in the future, and what role do you hope to play in that evolution?
Alan: For T-Pop evolution, I really hope to see it on a global stage where we can go to many music festivals, including globally renowned music festivals. Because I believe T-Pop has a lot to showcase to the world. And for us, we want to be a part of that evolution where we bring and raise the standard of T-Pop to the global stage.
What piece of advice would you give rising T-Pop stars?
Alan: Okay, when it comes to rising T-Pop stars, I want to emphasize that we’re all on the same team. Let’s work together to bring T-Pop to a global stage. Let's keep raising the standards of T-Pop together. Don't stop the grind, and let’s achieve great things together.
Mark: Enjoy the process. You'll meet a lot of incredible artists along the way, and your hard work will get you somewhere.
Lastly, what’s next? Anything in store for the rest of 2025 and early 2026?
Alan: We know what’s coming next, but we're not gonna tell you! (laughs) But, what we can share is that we still have a few music festivals lined up for 2025, along with some countdowns. Also, we're looking forward most to our anniversary event, which is called BUS Day. This year marks our second anniversary, and we’ll have some new and interesting things that you’ve never seen before. That’s all I’m going to say.
As for 2026, we’re still in the planning stages, but we hope to do something big and take BUS further.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with your fans or the public?
To our BEUS, thank you for the support. It's almost our second year anniversary, and these past one to two years have been an incredible ride. We've accomplished so much together, and I hope we can achieve even more in the future. Ever since we've come back from Summer Sonic Tokyo, I really want to say thank you and express our gratitude for always supporting us. So we really love you guys, and hopefully we'll see you more in the future.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Get to know BUS more and stay updated by following them on Facebook, Instagram, X (Formerly Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok.
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