Popular Thai series gives Scrubb big hits in PH
The Boys Love (BL) series “2gether” may have streamed its last episode on the GMMTV YouTube account, but songs from the show continue to make waves in the Philippines.
Thai crossover sensation Scrubb dominates streaming platforms such as Spotify with an average of four to six entries a day on the Philippines Viral Top 50. Their back catalog, which includes “Wish,” “Everything,” “Smile,” and “Close,” has consistently charted on the local digital and streaming services for more than a month.
“The author is one of our fans who started writing this story as an online fiction inspired by our songs,” Scrubb’s Torpong “Ball” Chantabubpha was quoted to have said in a statement on how their infectious set of melodic guitar pop tunes made its way to the Original Soundtrack (OST) of the hit series. “Then it got published as a book. Finally, the series came out, which encouraged more people to listen to our songs. We have to thank Jitti, the author, for putting our songs in the original story and making all of these things happen.”
Scrubb’s songs have somehow aided in championing a narrative that supports the unique romantic experiences of the LGBTQ+ community. Their involvement in the official soundtrack of a pop culture behemoth encourages visibility and representation in mainstream media, which has long shunned stories that go against societal norms.
As an artist, we have no specific audience,” said Muey Thawatpon Wongbunsiri, the other half of Scrubb. “Our songs are our diaries. It’s a way for us to keep the good memories from that period of time. I think the listeners can also relate to the song as they face similar situation or atmosphere. We are happy when anyone can enjoy and get inspired by our song no matter who they are.”
Aside from their contribution to the “2gether” soundtrack, the duo recently released their song “Everyday.”
To date, the folk-pop duo has been receiving offers to play a number of shows abroad from international promoters. Maybe in the Philippines too when the pandemic is over?
“Our plans to tour outside Thailand are forced to stop because of COVID-19 outbreak. At the moment we are writing, rehearsing, and preparing to be back on stage once again once this pandemic is finally over. We also hope that we’ll get a chance to be there and play for our fans in the Philippines soon,” Ball said.