NuNew Interview: What Thailand’s Ultrapopular Star Wants Fans to Enjoy With His Japanese Debut Single, “First Date at Shibuya”

NuNew

Born Chawarin Perdpiriyawong on July 25, 2001 in the Thai capital of Bangkok, NuNew made his acting debut in 2022 when he was cast in the leading role of the drama, “Cutie Pie.” In July 2023, he launched his career as a singer with “Anything.” He will release his Japanese debut single, “First Date at Shibuya,” on November 20 and perform his first solo concert in Japan on December 6.

The rising star of Thai drama is now captivating his fans with his singing talent

In his home country, NuNew emerged as a rising star of the drama world with his sweet, cute face and refreshing acting. The Thai boys’ love (BL) drama series “Cutie Pie,” in which he played the main role, became an explosive hit. NuNew has become so popular that he is now referred to as the “son of the nation.” His popularity has further spread outside Thailand to the rest of Asia, and he now attracts Thai drama fans in Japan.

NuNew is also blessed with a talent in music. Before making his debut as a lead actor in a drama, he was actively appearing on the YouTube channel called “DomundiTV” as a member of Domundi, a group of actors and top music artists in Thailand. At that time, NuNew was already demonstrating his singing talent and has a wealth of experience in performing live shows.

He sang many songs featured in the “Cutie Pie” series and charmed his fans with his beautiful, gentle voice, and his superb singing skills. In July 2023, he made his recording debut as a solo artist with “Anything” (originally stylized and titled “หมอนอิง” [maawn ing] in Thai), a fantastic ballad in Thailand. He is now attracting a great deal of attention as a new star in “T-POP,” or Thai pop, a new music movement originating from Asia following K-POP.

NuNew【Live Session】| Secret Base ～Kimi ga Kureta Mono～

“I made my solo artist debut in Thailand in July 2023. That was when I released my first single,” NuNew said. “I had sung covers of my favorite songs and drama theme songs before and those were uploaded to YouTube. But when they told me I was going to make a full-blown solo debut with an original song, I was ecstatic.”

The singles he has released in Thailand have reached the top of major music charts and won numerous awards. In this past August, NuNew had his first solo concert, entitled, “DREAM CATCHER,” in the Thai capital of Bangkok, attracting more than 20,000 people over two days. Tickets for the concert were sold out instantly. He is increasingly making his presence felt as a top T-POP artist.

“When I heard about my debut in Japan, I was very excited and thrilled,” NuNew said. “I had visited Japan many times before on my travels as well as for my work as an actor. In February of this year, I was part of DoMunDi’s first live show in Japan (titled, ‘DMD LAND in JAPAN’ and held at Tokyo’s Tachikawa Stage Garden). This time, I’m here for my own music activity,” he continued. “This is my first time as a solo artist to sing an original song in Japanese for Japanese fans, so I’m really excited.”

His Love of Japanese anime music and the roots of his angelic singing voice

Let’s now take another look back on NuNew's past music activities. NuNew said he began singing in front of people on the recommendation of a staff member who discovered his talent.

“Before I began this job, I didn’t know what I could do best, to be honest. In fact, I hadn’t even thought about working in show business in the first place,” he said, chuckling. “What led me to launch a career in music was my manager and staff members suggesting that I try singing covers. I was cast in the drama (‘Cutie Pie’) after that. I was focused on my acting in the shooting of the drama, but I did enjoy the opportunities to sing in it,” he added.

And NuNew is now captivating fans across the globe with his singing voice. Fans call it “the voice of an angel.”

“Yeah, I do see that phrase often, the voice of an angel. It makes me really happy to know that my fans say that,” NuNew said. “I think it’s great to have a distinct voice, and I’m grateful I was born with a voice memorable to fans. I must thank my parents for that.”

In “Cutie Pie,” Kuea, a son of a very wealthy family played by NuNew, secretly dreams of becoming a musician and performs at a live music club under a stage name to avoid being found out by others. The role featured an impressive scene where he plays the drums, in addition to singing. Asked if he had had experience playing in a band, NuNew smiled shyly and answered:

“Actually, it was my first time playing a drum kit. After I was cast in that role, my management office had me take drumming lessons, but I could practice only two or three times a week. I had only a few hours in total to practice, and I practiced for my scenes in the drama. If you thought I looked like I had played before, it makes me happy. Thank you!”

We asked NuNew, who began professionally singing on the suggestion of others, if he had liked singing from a young age. He had this to say:

“Yes, I did. I have always liked singing since many years ago, but I was very shy and so pretty much I was singing when I was alone. I guess my parents were the only ones who had heard me singing. But I was really embarrassed to sing even in front of my parents. I’m so different now, you see! (laughs)”

He listens to music a lot, of course.

“I listen to Western popular music and I listen to Japanese music,” he said. “I like K-POP, and there are many artists I like, regardless of their genre. In Thailand, it’ll be Nont Tanont, The TOYS, and bowkylion. In Western pop music, it’ll be Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift. In South Korea, it’ll be IU. There are many artists I like in China as well. I also like to listen to R&B and dance music. In terms of Japanese artists, I listen to Kaze Fujii a lot these days. I covered some of Kaze Fujii’s songs on YouTube. In a solo live show in Thailand, I sang his ‘Shinunoga E-Wa’ and ‘Michi Teyu Ku (Overflowing)’ in Japanese.”

Shinunoga E-Wa | NuNew | DMD COVER

NuNew said he had often been exposed to Japanese songs since he was a boy and feels an affinity with them. At DMD LAND in JAPAN, the show he mentioned earlier, he sang LiSA’s “homura,” although not the full-length version, NuNew said. Asked if he likes anime songs, NuNew beamed and said: “I love ‘Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer)’! When we went to USJ (Universal Studios Japan), we took our photos in front of the Demon Slayer attraction!” he said, making gestures related to the show as we spoke.

“I have loved Japanese anime since I was a child, and I had a period when I was only listening to Japanese anime songs,” NuNew said. “So Japanese songs have always been familiar to me. Actually, my older brother studied in Japan and so I would ask him to tell me what songs were popular in Japan at the time. I like studying foreign languages, so I like singing songs in foreign languages. So when I cover them, I pay attention to minute details, thinking, ‘How does he pronounce that?’ or ‘This is the way he sings here’ or ‘he doesn’t sing this way,’ for example. Actually, I learned the pronunciation of Japanese by watching (Japanese) anime (laughs)!”

Intrigued by the nonalcoholic “China blue” cocktail featured in his single

NuNew, who is familiar with Japanese songs and has many fans in Japan, is set to finally make his recording debut in Japan with his single “First Date at Shibuya.” The music was written by Amp Achariya, a songwriter and music producer known as the queen of T-POP as she has consistently sent her songs onto Thai hit charts. The lyrics were written by Hisashi Kondo, and Hideyuki Daichi Suzuki was enlisted for arrangement duties. Thus, the top creators of Japan and Thailand collaborated on the song for NuNew.

“On this project, I had the opportunity to work with two producers, one from Thailand and the other from Japan,” NuNew said. “Hisashi-san has been involved in the production of many J-POP classics for many years and is very famous in Japan, so I’m very grateful for the chance to work with him.

Amp-san is a music producer so famous that there is almost no one in Thailand who doesn’t know her, and she has made many T-POP classics. Amp-san wrote a song I sang in ‘Cutie Pie,’ in which I appeared, so I have known her for a long time now. I'm really honored to work with such famous people.”

Amp Achariya found time out of her busy schedule to travel to Japan for the recording session of the song. Together with Kondo, who handled the mixdown as a production director, she gave elaborate singing instructions. NuNew’s clear, mellow singing voice was blended with a soft, groovy city pop sound. The recording session resulted in a moody, pleasant mid-tempo pop song that also packed in NuNew’s fresh, cute charm.

As the title suggests, “First Date at Shibuya” depicts the beginning of a relationship filled with the excitement of a first date and the sweet, tender feelings that come along with it, all the while interspersed with the scenery of Tokyo’s Shibuya district. It turned out to be a song that evokes NuNew’s feelings about his own beginning in his endeavor to face the challenges needed to make his Japanese debut.

NuNew | Japan Debut Single |First Date at Shibuya Official MV

“When I first received the song, my thought was, ‘Kawaii!’,” NuNew said. “I first received a version that had only the melody without the words, but I was hooked at that point. When the backing tracks were added, I liked it even more. For me, it was both a joy and a great challenge to release a song in Japanese in Japan.”

NuNew said he likes the song’s R&B-ish sound.

“It has a very poppish sound and is pleasant to listen to,” he said. “For example, when I imagine it being played in a bar, like the one that is sung in the lyrics, I think it will suit the atmosphere. I hope people in Japan will like it. In particular, its chorus has a charming melody that is very infectious and memorable. I enjoyed recording the song, so I hope people can enjoy singing it in karaoke bars.”

The song’s lyrics refer to Shibuya’s famous landmarks and shops, such as “Tawareko (Tower Records)” and the “Cat Street,” a feature that will make Japanese fans glad. NuNew says he himself feels a strong affinity with Shibuya’s streets.

“Every time I come to Japan, I go to Shibuya,” he said. “As I had never been to the Cat Street, I went there on the day before the recording session. I found many really nice clothing stores and I bought a lot of clothes (laughs). But I’ve never been to any bar in Shibuya. I can’t drink a lot of alcohol, you know (laughs). The song’s lyrics include a phrase, ‘nonalcoholic China blue,’ and I have never experienced what a China blue is like, so I want to try one.

And it would be great if my Japanese fans could enjoy drinking a China blue at a Shibuya bar and shopping on the Cat Street just as in the lyrics, and buy the ‘First Date at Shibuya’ CD at Tower Records.”

As an actor, NuNew is currently filming a new drama in Thailand. Having finally realized his dream of debuting in Japan as a singer and artist, his ambitions in the Japanese market have grown bigger.

“Of course, I want to release more original songs in Japan. And I also want to appear on stage in Japanese music festivals,” he said. “This summer, I was fortunate enough to sing 'Mirai wo Egaite' the theme song of the event ‘NIPPON HAKU BANGKOK 2024’ held in Thailand in a duet with Kokoro Kohatsu (PSYCHIC FEVER from EXILE TRIBE). There are many other fine artists in Japan, so it would be great if I could collaborate with many different people.”

What NuNew wants to achieve with his first solo concert in Japan

NuNew not only feels very comfortable with Japanese songs, but also the streets of Japan and its culture. He has made it a point to interact with Japanese fans each time he visited the country, whether it has been for a Japan premiere event for his drama, for fan meetings or for event concerts. He feels a strong love for Japanese fans as well.

“Japanese fans are very ‘kawaii’,” NuNew said. “I now have more opportunities to meet Japanese fans, and many of them come to see me every time. I sometimes see them at events in Thailand. Oh, and I might add that Japanese fans are very polite and cooperative. When they have the chance to cheer, they cheer really loudly, and when I want them to be a little quiet, they cooperate. I’m going to have my first solo concert in Japan on December 6, so it would be great if they would cheer for me with all their might.”

His first solo concert, titled, “NuNew 1st Concert ‘DREAM CATCHER’ in JAPAN,” will be held at “THEATER MILANO-Za” in TOKYU KABUKICHO TOWER in Tokyo’s Kabukicho district. It is going to be the first live concert by a foreign artist the venue will host. Special tickets that include a stay at a collaboration room at HOTEL GROOVE SHINJUKU, A PARKROYAL Hotel are available. It will be a day no NuNew fan would want to miss.

“I’m already really excited about the show at THEATER MILANO-Za, because it’s going to be my first solo concert overseas,” NuNew said. “We are prepared to take all of my favorite show props and sing my favorite songs for all of my ‘kawaii’ fans.

I’m also looking forward to the opportunity to sing ‘First Date at Shibuya’ live, and I hope to sing covers of Japanese songs. We will do all we can to make it a show that everybody can enjoy, together with the fans’ support. It would be great if my fans could take home great memories and joy from the show. Please look forward to the show!”

Text by Mika Abe
Photos by Osamu Hoshikawa
Translated by Atsushi Kodera
Interview supported by TOKYU KABUKICHO TOWER
Photographing support: HOTEL GROOVE SHINJUKU, A PARKROYAL Hotel