When the more than 60,000 fans of South Korea’s leading boy band GOT7 filed into Bitec Bang Na last weekend, they were expecting a miracle.

Holding up banners that read “You are my miracle”, they settled into the centre’s Halls 98-99 and waited for the “GOT7 Nestival 2018: Winter Tale in Bangkok” to kick off, knowing full well the miraculous moments with their favourite boy group would soon begin.

Nestival 2018 glitters in green from Ahgabong, GOT7’s official light stick.

GOT7, which made its debut in 2014, is composed, as one would expect, of seven members, namely JB, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae, Yugyeom, Mark, and Bambam. And while Thai fans are particularly fond of Bambam because he is Thai, other members also enjoy huge popularity here.

Part concert and part fan meeting, Nestival 2018 was a followup to last year’s soldout event and featured three rounds between December 21 and 23. Each round attracted more than 20,000 people, with stages extended and specially designed to ensure GOT7 could get quite close to the audience in each part of the huge hall. Fans in standing zones must have also appreciated the fact that they were given some breathing space as the organisers, 4NOLOGUE and JYP Entertainment, chose not to overcrowd the areas.

Bambam, the only Thai member of GOT7

On the first day, the nestival’s fun time started with music selections prepared by famous South Korean deejays. But screams rose to the max only after a team of masked dancers fanned out along extended stage, signalling that GOT7 members were now ready to emerge. As soon as the dancers headed to the central stage, the LCD screens there moved towards one another to form a big box showing images of ice melting to reveal a picture of GOT7 behind. Then, before the audience could guess what would happen next, the screens parted to show the seven lads on stage all ready to begin.

Attired in black, the handsome young men first served up “I am me” and “Teenager”. Next, they crooned “Fish” and “Paradise” as they moved around the extended stages to get closer to fans around the big hall, then cooled down the excitement with “Look”.

“The Nestival is held so that GOT7 can be with iGOT7 (or Ahgase – a term used for the band’s supporters). Together, we are warm even during winter,” Bambam said in Thai.

GOT7’s leader JB shows off his cool dance step.

He added that warmth was in the air thanks to the green light from the Ahgabong, as the official light stick of GOT7 is known. Other GOT7 members also warmly greeted their fans. Jackson, for example, said he noticed many beautiful girls near the stage much to the delight of the fans.

The show then moved on to an interesting question-and-answer session with Bambam serving as the emcee. Plenty of jokes were shared among the artists and fans during the session. Here, Jackson proved the sweetest when he timidly answered that he would love to hug iGOT7 if it was snowing.

Then it was time to play a game, with Bambam this time roped in as referee and asking his six bandmates to each choose one gift box on the table in front of them. The colour of the doll inside each box determined which team they would be in. Mark, Youngjae, and Jinyoung got together and named their team “Sawasdee Guz” while Jackson, JB and Yugyeom teamed up as “Super See Dang” (Super Red). When the Sawasdee Guz team won the rock–paper–scissors game, Bambam gleefully determined that this team would go first.

A golden ball signed by Bambam and a postcard written by JB

The game had two missions and the team that took the longest time to complete them would be punished.

The first mission was to pose like drawings shown on screens. The second mission was to remove pingpong balls from a box without using hands, which required a lot of jiggling back and forth. That goal achieved, they had to open a big box and ride their rubber horses, scooters or small bicycles to the platform to turn off the timer. Before each mission, the teams had to dance along the length of the stageway.

Laughter filled the air throughout the game, particularly when Mark and Jackson jumped along astride their little horses, doing their best to balance while going along at a fast pace. Jackson at one point stumbled but quickly continued his journey, with the support from fans. The Super Red team finally won, partly because they had observed the techniques the first team used and were able to avoid the pitfalls. Bambam said he would reveal the form of punishment later.

After a brief screening of memories from the Nestival 2017, GOT7 members returned to the stage in various lineups with JB, Jinyoung, and Youngjae singing “Lullaby Dark Version” and Yugyeom stealing the scene with his cool rendition of “Fine” (remix). Mark, Jackson and Bambam then shone brightly with their rendition of “Nightmare” (ATK) before the band came back together to croon the Thai song, “Mai Koey” (“Never”). They followed up with the just released “Miracle” as fans happily waved the banner “You are my miracle” and ended the segment with “Never Ever”, “Out” and “Hard Carry”.

The giant screens switched to showing GOT7 writing postcards to their fans to wish them warm greetings for this festive season. Some of messages were written in Thai, with Youngjae spelling out “Miss You” in Thai while Bambam wrote “Happy New Year” in his native language. Yugyeom added that the fans were themselves the miracles of GOT7.

Music returned to the central stage as GOT7 members danced their way through “Confession Song” and fans found out at last how the losing team was being punished – Mark wore an elf costume, Jinyoung was dressed up as a “Mario” and Youngjae as a “Minion”. Using the song to express their feelings, GOT7 artists then sang ‘Thank You’.

Mark thanked the audience for making the second Nestival possible. Bambam said his band was so in love with the Nestival that they wanted to come back soon. Apparently moved by all the emotion out there, Bambam broke down in tears saying that while all band members had done their best in the hope of delivering the best show, sometimes health conditions stood in the way. Other GOT7 artists gave him a big hug, explaining to fans that Bambam always worked really hard and paid attention to all the details. The audience responded with loud applause.

Jinyoung then asked all fans to take a selfie together as a drone circulated inside the hall to capture a miracle moment.

GOT7 closed out this very special show with “Shopping Mall”, “Go Higher”, and “Before the Full Moon Rises” throwing signed balls into the audience to fans’ delight.

And as fans walked out of the concert hall, they were handed festive cards signed by GOT7 along with a poster of the band. Coupled with the happy time inside the hall, these items were more than enough to create a perfect winter tale for Ahgase or iGOT7.

For many young girls who dream of stardom, becoming a member of an idol group is probably the best way to start. Not only is it easier than starting on the bottom rung of the artistic ladder and spending years climbing up the steps only to fail to reach the top, becoming an idol takes just a few months of learning and rehearsing singing and dancing.

Witnesses to the success of BNK48, the overseas sister idol girl group of Japan’s hottest music group AKB48, many girls in this country flock to auditions for new idol groups, among them Secret12, 7th Sense, Fever and Akira-Kuro.

We talk to a few of the young ladies who’ve been snapped up by the promoters and in addition to being members of new idol groups are now also finding fame as actresses and TV hosts.

Chanyanuch “Dear” Laorchawee, 24, and Patneeta “Mylove” Dhanasunthorn, 14, from Secret12

Dear: “You don’t have to be perfect at singing or dancing to be an idol but you must be determined to develop yourself. An idol’s charm doesn’t depend on looking pretty. My first dream was to be an air hostess, but being picked as an idol is a rare chance.”

Mylove: “I was inspired by the idol ‘manga’ (comic). My mum is a model and she encouraged me to be a performer. I would prefer to be an actress than a singer though.”

Dear: “I think the field is wide open for idol members to become emcees or performers rather than singers. But our production house Sonthana wants us to become skilled in every aspect of the entertainment industry.”

Mylove: “An idol is an inspiration in addition to a product.”

Nutruge “Tang Tang” Wisawanart, 25, of 7th Sense.

“I’ve wanted to be a singer since I was a kid. When I was young, I sang and danced along to songs on TV shows. I couldn’t take any lessons though because my parents couldn’t afford it. But I’m happy when I sing.

“I was selected to be the band leader due to my experience working a emcee and in solving problems. However, I’m under pressure to take care of and control the other 16 members.”

“Idol and otaku [fans] are like siblings. Once, a fan told me that he used to feel discouraged but is better since following 7th Sense.

“Today 7th Sense is like a family and our home. Our aim is to make our home warm and become better known to fans.”

PHOTO IDOL MASTER

Kamonporn “Beam Beam” Kosriyarakwong, 24, a member of Fever and an air hostess with Thai Smile Airways

“Actually, I’m a fan of K-pop bands and used to be in a Wonder Girls cover band. I love the way K-pop artists are constantly developing their skills.

“I think that an idol is an inspiration to any girl who is following her dream. I would like to be like Phi Bird [superstar Thongchai McIntyre] who is both a singer and an actor. He’s a legend.”

Pattinee “Bambie” Kanlayanasant, 25, and Saifon “Nana” Pilachai, 26, of chika idol group Akira-Kuro

Bambie: “I’ve been following BNK48 since it started. I’ve worked as a presenter since I was a child and becoming an idol is a longheld dream. It’s a challenge too. Akira-Kuro has the same format as other idol groups but the difference lies in our music. Right now, we’re listen to the demos of three songs and will lay down the vocal tracks next month. We must hone our skills and develop our singing and dancing.”

Nana: “I like to listen to heavy music or metal like Japanese visual rock artists Dir en Grey, The Gazette, and Miyavi as well as Thai artists from Genie Records and Banana Records. Akira-Kuro is a new girl idol group with a sound of metal music. Before coming to audition, I already knew about the direction of this idol group. I must practise my roar!

“Chika idol is a small group without a lot of support like the mainstream idol, and each of members must help each other.”

Bambie: “We don’t have anyone to support us so everyone from the members to the production team helps each other.”

The idol phenomenon has witnessed an almost indecent surge in Thailand over the last 12 months, with BNK48 – the overseas sister idol girl group of Japan’s hottest music group AKB48 – popping up seemingly everywhere – on TV, in ads and as brand ambassadors for everything from soy milk to mobile phones.

7th Sense

The group, which was formed two years ago on the same “Idol You Can Meet” concept as the Japanese idol group, shot to fame with its second single, “Cookie Siangthai”, a cover of AKB48’s “Koisuri Fortune Cookie”, that had just about every teenager in this country singing the line “aeb mong ther yoo na ja”, meaning “I’m secretly watching you”.

7th Sense

Today, the girls serve as brand ambassadors and presenters for True Move H, AP Honda, Fujifilm X-A5, Samsung Galaxy J8, Jele Beautie, Yayoi, Lactasoy, Mirinda Mix It, and Toyota Yaris ATIV.

With money to be made, many enterprises have now jumped on the bandwagon with their own idol groups, among them Sweat16, Secret12, 7th Sense, Fever, CM Cafe, Akira-Kuro, and SY51 from Chiang Mai. The rules remain the same as for Japan’s idols: members aren’t allowed to take pictures and selfies individually with fans or sign autographs.

7th Sense

“The idol group has become an SME,” says Kun Rertnitiwong, producer and director of production house Sonthana and one of the founders of Secret12. “In the past, an artist trained for a few years before releasing an album, but nowadays it’s only three or six months. It isn’t necessary for a song to be perfect, because fans, called ‘otaku’ in Japanese, like to watch their idol going from zero to hero. Interestingly, the idol group has helped bring the CD back to life as there is no fear of copyright infringement. It’s rather like a photo set. It isn’t hard to make a copy of the idols’ photos but fans are willing to support them by sticking to the real ones. There’s been at least one case of a fan reporting a vendor selling photocopies of images to the police. It’s a matter of brand loyalty. I think the trend will continue for at least the next few years and I am happy to see the girls achieve their dreams. Making their debut is just the first step: the girls have to put a lot of time and effort into making their dream a reality – rehearsing for four hours a day, six days a week after a full day at school.”

7th Sense

Secret12, whose name is inspired by a vitamin brand that claims to banish tiredness, is different from other idol groups, because the members are skilled at singing, dancing, performing and acting as emcees. Kun, 37, has plenty of experience in the entertainment circle, and is aiming to push some of them onto the small screen.

Secret12

“Most idol groups are building their own brand. Being an idol is more about business than singing, because it includes something as simple as a handshake, which the girls did at their first event, a Laser Game. For each girl, being an idol is almost within her reach, while being an artist or a performer is a far cry from her dreams. A fan club focuses on her endeavours to achieve her dream,” he adds.

Secret12

Secret12’s first single, which will feature electric pop-rock, is expected to be released in February and the girls are in the capable hands of Kamhaeng Kriengkrai, aka Poo Shimi, and Paradorn Rodprasert, former guitarist of Rapbit Dolls, who wrote “Ornly You” as a fan song for Orn BNK48.

Secret12

“The idol business has changed my vision. It’s all about being incomplete as an entertainer and growing into the group. Each idol member is an icon,” says Phat “Job” Sanguansantigul, founder and chief executive of 7th Sense Group and manager of its idol group of the same name. “An idol isn’t an artist or professional performer but sells who she is – her selfhood, if you like. Each girl is like a storyteller for a product. We produce a programme called ‘Go Ja Go’ to let the members practise getting their selfhood across and encourage them to come up with creative ideas. We want them to be good entertainers.”

Akira-Kuro

The 31-year-old founder, who is also managing director of the Thai unit of South Korea’s music publisher The Jam Factory, will collaborate with other international songwriters on a song for 7th Sense, which already has four numbers to its credit – the anthem “Sampas Rak”, “Jongta”, “Khong Khwan” and “Fun Khong Rao”. The aim is to develop the group to an international standard.

“The song must be catchy,” Phat adds. “I have no idea how long the idol group trend will last but we see our role as preparing a new generation for the world of entertainment. That’s why we are trying to push the members into being more professional performers.”

Atipati Praihirun, a producer with Roamrun Entertainment, has new idol group, Fever in his sights.

Akira-Kuro

“Fever has a different image form other idol groups,” he explains. “Most idol groups focus on cuteness and cheerfulness while Fever emphasises a smart look, as can be seen in the music video of their first song, ‘Start Again’. Musically, they are being managed by a team from the indie circle that includes Chalermphol Soongsak from Gym and Swim, Pokpong Jitdee from Plastic Plastic, and Noom Jued. Our aim is to make songs for the mainstream market, not only for idol otaku.”

Atipati is keen to make Fever a mainstream idol group rather than following the chika idol model, which is mainly concerned with music style and marketing.

Akira-Kura

“We are not only managing Fever as an idol group but also as an indie band,” he says.

Suriya “Phol” Supheekit, former member of underground post-hardcore bands Elizabeth Ashes and Linderoth, is taking another stance. His idol group, Akira-Kuro, is definitely of the chika type.

“Most idol groups in Thailand look alike with long hair and a cute look. Akira-Kuro is different. It’s a type of chika or underground idol group that is far more approachable as far as fans are concerned. Akira-Kuro also offers a kind of alternative music, sort of post hardcore, metal core, hardcore or pop punk.

Akira-Kura

The 14-member underground idol group, whose name means “white light and black light” in a reference to the good and bad sides of mankind, will soon release its first three songs – “Never Give Up”, “It’s Me” and “Anti-Cyberbully”, the latter about social media defamation.

“I have connections in the entertainment circle including music label Banana Records and concert promoter Kodindy. My plan is to organise Akira-Kuro’s event with a live house atmosphere like in Japan.

“In the meantime, Akira-Kuro will perform at ‘Weird Vol 1’ at De Commune on January 26,” Suriya says.

The band features nine members: Bang Chan, Woojin, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and In and takes its name from a 2017 reality show.

Stray Kids released a pre-debut EP, “Mixtape” featuring seven tracks such as “Hellevator”, “Beware”, and “Spread My Wings.”

On March 5, JYP Entertainment announced the debut showcase of the group, “Stray Kids Unveil (Op 01: I Am Not)” at Jangchung Arena before the release of their EP, “I Am Not”. In a sign of things to come “I Am Not” debuted at number four on Gaon’s Album Chart and sold over 54,000 physical copies.

On April 14, Stray Kids performed at KCON Japan 2018, the group’s first overseas performance since their debut.

On July 12, the label announced the group’s second showcase titled “Stray Kids Unveil (Op 02: I Am Who)” at Kyung Hee University’s Grand Peace Palace while on October 4, the group did its third showcase, “Stray Kids Unveil (Op 03: I Am You)” at Olympic Hall, which was followed by the release of their new EP, “I Am You.”

Tickets costs from Bt2,800 to Bt5,500 at Thai Ticket Major counters and online.

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