From Back Street Boy and Justin Bieber to 90s J-Pop and current Korean waves,
I always question "When will be the T-Pop era?".
Last month I visited Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, and found this huge billboard inside the Taipei subway station. I was like "WOW!" and stopped in front of their photo unconsciously for 10 seconds. I was taking an intentional moment to pause and celebrate how far we’ve come.
My Taiwanese friend: "Who are they?"
Me: "They are THAI!!! Thai Guys!!"
This is a billboard for "Mile Phakphum" and "Apo Nattawin" who star in KinnPorsche: The Series based on a web novel. Thai BL dramas are the definitive of the Boys Love genre which is popular around the world now.
T-pop offers something unique and different to nationalism. Instead of national identities, in T-pop, divergent national representation presents an opportunity for Thai culture through artistic expression and soft power.
Why does pop culture make such an impact and influence people to learn a new language? Share with our Thai language learning community below.