Room: C 500

Moderator : Dr. Pongthep Jitduangprem

Harmonizing Herstory: The Periodization of Thai Girl Groups in the Music Industry (1982-2022)

Thanapiti Thipa
Kornphanat Tungkeunkunt

 

Storytelling and Image Lover to Create Selling Point for Female Artists: A Case Study of BNK48

Dome Kraipakorn

 

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Harmonizing Herstory: The Periodization of Thai Girl Groups in the Music Industry (1982-2022)

Thanapiti Thipa
Kornphanat Tungkeunkunt

Thammasat University

 

This article investigates the evolution of girl groups, or female bands, within Thailand’s music industry from 1982 to 2022. The research draws on primary and secondary documentary data sources from print and electronic media, providing contemporary insights into the contexts surrounding Thai girl groups at different historical periods. The findings reveal that Thai girl groups operate with three key elements: 1) producers who organize musical or idol camps to create music and manage bands; 2) members categorized based on age criteria as artists or idols, necessitating diverse development before achieving artist status, following the presentation standards set by music labels or idol camps; and 3) channels of exposure encompass traditional media (print, radio broadcasts, television), new media (websites, social media, YouTube.com, applications), as well as participation in external activities like music festivals and related events.

 

The presence and popularity of Thai girl groups in each era are shown to be influenced by political, economic, social, and cultural factors, along with temporal values. Moreover, popular culture from Western countries, Japan, and South Korea strongly impacts music production and the formation of Thai girl groups. The presentation of these groups, including musical style and fashionable attire, develops in alignment with international music and entertainment industry trends and preferences of individual consumers.

 

 

Storytelling and Image Lover to Create Selling Point for Female Artists: A Case Study of BNK48

Dome Kraipakorn

Srinakarinwirot University

 

The article aims to study the selling point of female artists in Thailand which is a case study of BNK 48 from 2017 till present. This article is studied by historical approach, Queer theory and the concept of cultural commodity. The main purpose is that BNK 48, a Thai idol girl group inspired by Japanese girl group, was a new genre of entertaining culture and came in Thai society in 2017. The storytelling of BNK 48 was the endeavor of the girls to improve themselves to be idol artists, including the storytelling of “imagine lover” among its members. Both storytellings became the selling points of the girl group, which were related to the context of cultural consumers. The main target of the consumers was the fan club of Japanese Idol culture and the fan club of Yuri, Japanese lesbian fiction.