Move over, K-pop. Here comes Thai pop, Entertainment News & Top Stories

BANGKOK • Thai female band Lyra, backed by the world’s biggest music label Universal Music Group (UMG), are hoping to harness their devoted fan base and match the success of South Korean artists who have turned K-pop into an international phenomenon.

“We have high expectations. We want to introduce… T-pop music to the world,” said 20-year-old Lyra member Jennis Oprasert.

Last year, UMG partnered Thai firm Independent Artist Management (iAM) to launch the six-member group, after auditioning about 80 girls and young women from the popular idol group BNK48.

“It’s a bet,” said Mr Paul Sirisant, who heads UMG in Thailand.

But he believes originality will drive the band’s success.

The group trained for months remotely via Zoom and later lived together in a house after plans to go to Los Angeles were interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We saw them transform into their…