Music

High times

By Suwitcha Chaiyong

Tomo and Poppy have d?j? vu

Plenty of Thai teens go crazy over K-pop boy bands, but leading local lads K-otic whipped international fans into a frenzy at the Asia Song Festival in Seoul last September. The band also received the best Asian artist award at the event.

After their great success at the festival, group members Visava Thaiyanont (Tomo), 19, and Panu Chiraguna (Poppy), 18, made a special album together called 2High.

• Did you know •

Poppy can play the saxophone.

With Tomo's smooth dance moves and Poppy's powerful voice, it's not surprising that the duo's first single, "Dejavu," has hit big all around the kingdom.

Student Weekly recently caught up with Tomo and Poppy to ask them about "Dejavu" and their exciting experiences at the Asia Song Festival.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Why did you guys decide to work together as a duo?

POPPY: We thought about matching up with other members, but we ended up together because our dancing styles work well together. Our personalities are also quite similar.

TOMO: We're both pretty quiet, except when we're with close friends.

STUDENT WEEKLY: How did the other guys in K-otic react to 2High?

POPPY: They really supported us and gave us some useful comments about our songs. They also wanted to learn our dance routines. Jongbae already knows all of our steps!

STUDENT WEEKLY: What does the title 2High mean to you?

TOMO: Two means me and Poppy, and high refers to taking our careers a step further. It's about making progress.

STUDENT WEEKLY: What's the main difference between 2High and K-otic's albums?

TOMO: Our dancing style is different from K-otic's. With K-otic, we use a lot of krumping styles, but as a duo, we use more hip-hop moves.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Why does the music video for "Dejavu" feature snow, even though it's set in Thailand?

POPPY: We're meant to be guys with mental problems in the video, so the director wanted to make it a bit surreal. We made it look like it was snowing by blowing foam with a fan. We got heaps of foam in our mouths during the shoot!

STUDENT WEEKLY: How did you feel when people questioned the decision to pick K-otic to represent Thailand at the Asia Song Festival?

POPPY: K-otic were invited by the people who arranged the festival in Korea, and we felt that we were ready to perform there. Between us, we can speak Thai, English, Japanese and Korean, so we felt that we could communicate well with the audience and represent Thai culture well.

STUDENT WEEKLY: How did you come up with the idea to perform a Thai khon dance to open your performance?

TOMO: We wanted something to represent Thai culture and we felt that khon was a good choice. Our dance instructor suggested that we use the Hanuman monkey character because it suits our personalities.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Is performing khon much different from hip-hop dancing?

TOMO: It's harder than hip-hop. I was so worn out that I couldn't get up after practising khon for the first time. It requires a lot of energy and emphasises perfect balance. It becomes even more difficult when you wear the masks because you can't see clearly, and it's hard to breathe.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Did you guys visit Jongbae's house in Korea?

TOMO: No. Unfortunately we were too busy. I hope we get a chance to visit Seoul again.

STUDENT WEEKLY: Do you have any special message for your fans?

TOMO: Our "Dejavu" single is available now. Have a listen, and if you like it, please download it legally!

	déjà vu (n): the feeling that you have previously experienced something which is happening to you now progress (n): the process of improving or developing something krumping (n): an urban street dance characterised by expressive and highly energetic moves involving the whole body mental (adj): connected with or happening in the mind surreal (adj): very strange; more like a dream than reality, with ideas and images mixed together in a strange way communicate (v): to exchange information, news, ideas, etc. with somebody worn out (adj): looking or feeling very tired, especially as a result of hard work or physical exercise emphasise (v): to give special importance to something balance (n): the ability to keep steady with an equal amount of weight on each side of their body legally (adv): allowed or required by law