You might not have known but there are quite a considerable number of K-pop idols who have established themselves well in South Korea but aren’t Korean by nationality. You might already be aware of BLACKPINK’s Lisa who is a foreigner but other than her, there are many other artists as well and a majority of them has come from Thailand.
Korea is a little conservative when it comes to providing opportunities to foreigners and thus establishing a non-Korean artist there is not a matter of joke, especially when the competition is so high. However, among all the obstacles, some of the Thai K-pop artists have been awarded for their hard work and now, not only in Korea, their existence has been acknowledged worldwide. K-pop fans from all over the world support Thai members and consider them special stars deserving a warm welcome. We have gathered some of the well-known Thai K-pop artists under a list who have a large fan following.
BamBam
Birth name: Kunpimook Bhuwakul
Date of Birth- May 2, 1997
Group- GOT7
A majority of the fandom of GOT7 hails from Thailand and the biggest reason for that is Bambam himself who rules the country. He is one of the members of the 97-liner group, who is treated like royalty whenever he visits his home country, Thailand where people are extremely proud of his success. He made his first public appearance in MNET’s reality survival program named, ‘WIN: Who Is Next’ in the year 2013 before debuting in GOT7.
He is primarily known for his songwriting, singing and rapping skills and has a countless number of commercials, solo events and endorsements in Thailand for his great influence in advertising and social media fields. He is a social butterfly and loves to joke around with his fans. He is very open and friendly when it comes to showcasing affection with hugs and high fives. His popular solo songs include ‘riBBon’ and ‘What the Duck’ with F.HERO.
Nichkhun
Birth name: Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul
Date of Birth: 24 June 1988
Group- 2PM
Nichkhun is one of the first Thai k-pop artists who got popular almost immediately in a foreign land. He was born in California, USA to Thai parents and moved to Thailand at a young age. Later, he went back to the states in order to complete his schooling where JYP Entertainment scouted him at a Korean music festival in Los Angeles. A member of the seven-member boy group, ‘2PM,’ he debuted in the year 2008 with the number, ’10 Points out of 10 Points’ from their first album titled, ‘Hottest Time of the Day’. He is known as ‘Thai Prince’ owing to his handsome appearance and rich background.
Nichkhun has amassed huge fame from several Asian countries including South Korea, Japan, Thai and China in fields like songwriting, singing, rapping, modelling and acting, hosting and designing. He has participated in various variety shows and has cemented his existence as a soloist as well.
Ten
Birth name: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul
Date of birth: February 27, 1996
Group- NCT
Ten is a core member of the boy group NCT and one of the most popular members of its subunit, WayV and SuperM. He is hardworking and thus has went on to become one of the best dancers in the K-pop industry, with great voice quality and amazing stage presence.
People find his personality quite refreshing as he is very straight forward and has a wicked sense of humour which is not really common among other Korean pop artists. He is honest and says it aloud whenever other bandmates aren’t being genuine. Although he’s known mostly for his contribution as a member of NCT, he has quite a large number of solo fans hailing from his mother country, Thailand and China.
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Minnie
Birth name: Nicha Yontararak
Date of birth: October 23, 1997
Group- (G)-idle
Born and brought up in Bangkok, Thailand, Minnie comes from a family background of musicians and has immense love and skills for playing the piano. She made her debut in 2018 as a member of the girl group (G)I-dle with their mini-album titled, ‘I Am’. Currently a rising star, she has her influence in fields like singing, dancing, acting and songwriting.
Her music style includes emotive songs with acoustic renditions owing to her soft and breathy voice but can even pull off powerful high notes when needed, proving her versatility. She is known in her fandom for her strong gaze and striking eyes featured in various music videos of (G)I-dle. She excels in speaking various languages including Thai, Korean, English, Japanese and Mandarin. Not only has she appeared in a handful of TV shows, but also seized an opportunity to be cast in a Korean Netflix sitcom named, ‘I Wish the World Would End Tomorrow’.
Sorn
Birth name: Chonnasorn Sajakul
Date of birth: 18 November 1996
Group- CLC
Sorn is the first member of the Korean girl group CLC that debuted in the year 2015 under Cube Entertainment, with their extended play titled, ‘First Love’. She is not only a singer but also an internet celebrity. Sorn regularly posts vlogs updating on her personal life, behind the scenes and makeup tutorials on her YouTube channel Produsorn.
As a member of CLS, Sorn has released eight mini-albums, two digital singles and one single album to date. This year in March, this Thai-born singer goes on to become the first CLC member to make her solo debut, with her digital single ‘Run’ in English.
Lisa
Birth Name: Pranpriya Manobal
Date of birth: March 27, 1997
Group: BLACKPINK
The maknae of BLACKPINK, Lisa is the lead rapper as well as the main dancer in the band. She had won the audition organised by YG Entertainment in Thailand in 2010 and became the first non-Korean artist to be a trainee at YG Entertainment. She is fluent in four different languages — Thai, Korean, Japanese and English and holds the record for being the most followed Korean celebrity on Instagram with a whopping number of 63M followers to date.
Lisa is known for her versatility and her innate sense of fashion. She is capable of delivering powerful stage performances which is an important trait of a superstar while her sweet and caring nature makes people love her. Lisa has recently made her solo debut with her self-titled album, ‘Lalisa’ which went on to become one of the most successful albums by a solo artist. Her hard work and passion over the years have simply proven how great of a decision it was to choose her over the others in the audition
Natty
Birth name: Anatchaya Suputhipong
Date of birth: October 23, 1997
Natty came to South Korea from Thailand with the dream of being a k-pop star at a mere age of fourteen. She started off as a participant on Mnet’s survival program named, ‘Sixteen’ and secured herself a spot in the next girl group of the label, later came to be known as ‘Twice’. However, after a few unsuccessful attempts, she decided to go solo under Swing Entertainment, releasing her debut single album titled, ‘Nineteen’ in 2020.
Natty is an inspiration for many non-Korean girls who want to pursue their dreams of becoming K-pop artists. She works hard for her career and knowing that her career just began, there is a lot more to see.
Mint
Birth name: Nicha Yontararak
Date of birth: October 23, 1997
Group: Tiny-G
Mint, a former member of the four-member girl group Tiny-G, debuted in 2012 as the main dancer and lead rapper with their first single, ‘Tiny-G’. It was because of her exceptional dancing skills that she was noticed by both GNG Production and JYP Entertainment. Following the departure of members Myungji and Dohee, Mint continued with her singing career with J.Min for a while before she decided to start her solo career.
She released her first solo single named, ‘Already Go Lady,’ along with the music video under a new stage name— Mintty. In 2017, she became a part of the web drama known as ‘THE iDOLM@STER.KR‘ and the attached girl group named ‘Real Girls Project’.
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