Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

How Fans Are Inspiring the New Global Growth of Thai Pop and Boys' Love

20/11/2023

Thai music and culture have been making serious waves across the globe as of late. And they're gaining momentum in large part thanks to a fandom-fueled subgenre.

Thai music is driven by a devoted local fan base that includes the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan as its top markets, extending well into the global community. As a result, listenership in T-Pop has doubled in the past year: Tracks like , , and (Just Being Friendly) are hitting massive stream numbers both on and off the T-Pop Now playlist, which has seen 3.5 times the growth of the past five years. With artists like Billkin, PiXXiE, and Tilly Birds taking T-Pop from local markets and reaching fans in countries like Sweden, Mexico, Germany, and France, the newfound visibility of the genre is proof positive that music knows no borders.

It's undeniable that we're seeing a T-Pop wave in the world right now, says Gautam Talwar, Spotify's General Manager of Asia Pacific. It's a category that encompasses multiple genres including indie, hip-hop, experimental, and the massively popular Boys' Love, which has grown tremendously in recent years.

Thai artists are putting a lot of their Thai identity and culture into their music, from the melodies to the overall vibes, says Jeff Satur, popular T-Pop artist and actor. When you give it a listen, you can immediately tell it's a T-Pop song. It's like a musical journey that lets people from all over the world experience the richness of Thai culture through music. This was something quite novel in the music scene, and it began to captivate more and more listeners globally.

Boys' Love Soundtracks Fueling The T-Pop Wave The rise of Boys' Love (otherwise known as BL or simply Y, inspired by the Japanese word yaoi ) in Thailand is a unique story and one borne out of Thailand's support of stories that revolve around the love between two men. Popular fan fiction was adapted into television dramas, and soon an entire industry was jump-started. Centering on themes of loyalty, diversity in love, and the highs and lows of a relationship, the many, many shows have garnered massive plays and a passionate fan base of mostly young women.

Larger still is the love of BL TV soundtracks from fans. Through our own Boys' Love and (Why I Love You) playlists, BL fans searching for a good laugh or a good cry can can look forward to tracks like (Ost. ) by NuNew, (Ost. ) by Nat Natasit, and (Sunset) (Ost. ) by Perth Tanapon and Chimon Wachirawit.

For the Record sat down with Jeff Satur to learn more about the global phenomenon of T-Pop.

What sets T-Pop apart from other kinds of pop? The concepts are one of a kind. It's like everyone's got a way with words, and they turn those ideas into a killer song concept. When it comes to the slower jams, T-Pop has a very distinctive Thai vibe, from the melodies to the dance moves when it's performed. All these elements come together to make the genre pretty darn perfect.

What recent changes have you noticed in the world of T-Pop? I've noticed some cool things happening with T-Pop lately. I've seen Brazilian fans singing Thai songs like they were born to it, nailing those lyrics. Over in China, there's a whole bunch of Thai artist admirers. It got me thinking, the T-Pop music scene has really expanded its reach, breaking down musical borders.

Get your Boys' Love fix with our specially curated Boys' Love playlist:
LINK: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2023-11-20/how-fans-are-inspiring-the-new...
See more stories from spotify

Most recent headlines

06/12/2025

L3Harris Chair and CEO Appears on CNBC at Reagan National Defense Forum

In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...

06/12/2025

Survey: M&E Embraces Horizontally Integrated Media Archiving Approach

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...

06/12/2025

Czech TV Deploys LiveU Solutions in 10 OB Vans

HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...

06/12/2025

NATAS Celebrates 76th Technology & Engineering Emmy Award Honorees

NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...

05/12/2025

2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and Regionally

2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...

05/12/2025

SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio Data

SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...

05/12/2025

Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Scalable Production System with Ross Video

Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...

05/12/2025

Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD Split

Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...

05/12/2025

FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championship

FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...

05/12/2025

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the Future of the Viewer Experience

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...

05/12/2025

Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast for World Cup Draw

Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...

05/12/2025

As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ever

As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...

05/12/2025

ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows for Championship Week

ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...

05/12/2025

Sorry, Baby, Peter Hujar's Day, Among Sundance Institute-Supported Projects Nominated for 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards

It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...

05/12/2025

Surprised by Your 2025 Wrapped? Here's a Look at How the Data Comes to Life

Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...

05/12/2025

Celebrating Spotify's GLOW, RADAR, and EQUAL Artists of 2025

In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...

05/12/2025

Wi-Fi 7 - Go Beyond Speed to Deliver Security, Trust and Value

In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...

05/12/2025

Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros. in Deal Worth $82.7 Billon

LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....

05/12/2025

Gracenote Launches New CTV Ad Platform

NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...

05/12/2025

IAB Tech Lab Releases Deals API

NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...

05/12/2025

Nielsen: NFL Thanksgiving Games Score Big Audiences

NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...

05/12/2025

Iris Cloud-Connected Camera Control Platform Now Available

NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...

05/12/2025

Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros. in Deal Worth $82.7B

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....

05/12/2025

Iris Cloud-Connected Camera Control Platform Is Now Available

NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...

05/12/2025

FCC Approves AT&T's $1 Billion Acquisition of UScellular Spectrum

WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...

05/12/2025

The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars

The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start. December ...

05/12/2025

Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee

Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...

05/12/2025

Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from...

Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News LinkedIn Corporate Co...

05/12/2025

A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exclusive series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms lands today

Friday 5 December 2025 A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...

05/12/2025

Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Action Thriller 'TYGO'

Back to All News Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...

05/12/2025

Give Back Fridays with a twist is back for 2025!

Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head. In the autumn we were approach...

05/12/2025

2025-11-06

Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...

05/12/2025

The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025

The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025 Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player #LateLateToyShow...

05/12/2025

RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes

RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...

04/12/2025

ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux

ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...

04/12/2025

ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux

ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...

04/12/2025

Young Journalist finalists looking to the future

Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...

04/12/2025

SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be a Game-Changer for Live Sports Production

SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...

04/12/2025

SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Content & Strategic Communications, Harvard University

SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...

04/12/2025

Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Sports Storytelling

Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...

04/12/2025

London to Riyadh: DAZN Brings the Boxing Glamour to New Production Levels for Benavidez v Yarde in Saudi Arabia

London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...

04/12/2025

Analysis: Paramount Bets on the Battering Ram' with Champions League Play

Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12 Print ...

04/12/2025

Space City Home Network Launches SCHN+ DTC App for Astros and Rockets

Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...

04/12/2025

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Sports Media Supply Chain

SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...

04/12/2025

New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolution Taking Place in Sports Broadcasting

New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...

04/12/2025

Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and Regionally

Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm Print This Sto...

04/12/2025

Cutting Through Rocks ( ) Shows the Difference That One Person Can Make for Change

(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...

04/12/2025

SBS launches Future Frames initiative to support emerging First Nations video editing talent

SBS launches Future Frames initiative to support emerging First Nations video ed...