[INTERVIEW] Thai K-pop star SORN talks about K-pop life, new single 'Sharp Objects'

Thai K-pop star SORN dropped her new digital single, "Sharp Objects," on Feb. 25. Courtesy of Wild Entertainment

By Dong Sun-hwa

The K-pop world is not all glitter and shine.

Aspiring singers often have to undergo years of ruthless vocal and dancing training at the expense of school life, going head-to-head with one another to make their debuts. But debuting is not the end, as, even after becoming singers, they must compete more fiercely with other gifted singers, if they do not want to fall off people's radars.

Life as a K-pop star can be more demanding if you face a language barrier as a foreigner. Nevertheless, there are a plethora of passionate and pioneering K-pop singers from abroad, including SORN from Thailand, who have chosen to take a crack at it and forge their own paths.

"Being a foreigner in K-pop is not as easy as it seems," SORN, a former member of K-pop girl group CLC, said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. "Although Korean is not my first language, I still had to sing and communicate in Korean and live away from my family from a young age. And K-pop is so intense as well. When I was part of CLC, I constantly had to think about what I could do to stand out and to take our team to the next level."

Most K-pop stars have to fight not only with their rivals, but also with age prejudices, the outspoken 25-year-old added.

"I think age also matters in the K-pop universe. If you are older, you are likely to get less chances."

But luckily, she has been able to remain strong thanks to the support from other Thai K-pop stars. Currently, many singers from her home country, including BLACKPINK's Lisa, GOT7's BamBam and NCT's Ten, are actively pursuing their careers in the K-pop scene.

"It's a blessing to have them around me," SORN said. "We deeply understand each other and frequently hang out together. In fact, many of us have known each other since we were idol trainees or even before that. (G)I-DLE's Minnie, in particular, is like my younger sister."

SORN was only 15 when she came to Korea to kick off her training at Cube Entertainment, home to prominent stars like BTOB. She was scouted to Cube after winning tvN's audition program, "K-Pop Star Hunt" in 2011. Although SORN was not planning to become a K-pop singer, she still headed for Korea, as she witnessed the stellar success of Nichkhun, a Thai member of K-pop boy group 2PM, who is known as the "Thai Prince."

"I was young and I thought I could be the 'Thai Princess,'" SORN said with a smile. "So I decided to go to Korea, telling my parents that I would be fine and that I would be able to take care of myself. But I did not expect the training to be that difficult. Only a few weeks later, I called my parents and told them I did not want to stay here anymore because everything was so hard."

SORN, however, did not give up. Instead, she threw her hat in the ring again, bringing her boldness and courage to the forefront.

"As time went by, I gradually learnt that not everyone is given this opportunity to become a K-pop star," the singer recalled, adding that she saw thousands of Korean and foreign nationals at her age coming to her company for auditions every day, but most of them were rejected.

"So I decided to stop crying and change my mindset," she said. "I made up my mind to go all-out for it and see how far I could go. Since I was the first foreigner in Cube, I also wanted to prove to the company that a foreigner can also do the same thing like other Korean trainees. Back then, I could not speak Korean very fluently, but that did not mean that I could not sing or dance like the others. And CLC members helped me a lot as well. We mostly used body language and Konglish to communicate, but we still built a lot of good memories."

In 2015, SORN debuted as a member of CLC with the EP, "First Love," releasing tracks including "Helicopter" (2020). In 2021, she departed from the group and inked a contract with Wild Entertainment, starting a new chapter in her life.

K-pop girl group CLC put out its song, "Helicopter," in 2020. Courtesy of Cube Entertainment

"Being a soloist is very different," she revealed. "I felt this when I went to Los Angeles this time to shoot the music video for my new digital single, 'Sharp Objects.' To be honest, I was quite lonely because in the past, I never had to film alone. Since I had to show off powerful energy alone during the filming, I missed my members a lot. But they gave me encouragement via text messages, saying, 'You can do it.'"

But there is merit to being a solo artist, too. Now, SORN feels that she has more flexibility and freedom in crafting her own musical universe.

"Now, I can decide on my own how I want to look," she said. "This is helping me to become more mature as an artist, too. Now there is only me on stage, so it is my responsibility to show the world who SORN really is. There are some ongoing struggles and challenges, but it is still fun to tackle different challenges. In fact, when I was part of CLC, everyone had short lines and a short amount of time to shine on stage, so we could not really display who we were and what kind of skills we have. But as a soloist, I have more opportunities."

SORN, who went solo with "Run" in 2021, unleashed her fresh release, "Sharp Objects," on Feb. 25. "Sharp Objects" is an electronic dance track peppered with strong synth pop elements and addictive rhythms, and its title is a metaphor for love, according to SORN.

"Even though we know love is dangerous, we still choose to love someone else," she explained in an excited tone. "In 'Sharp Objects,' I act like a person in crazy mode, expressing a character that I have never put on before. Through this tune, I want to exhibit a new side of me. In fact, I actively participated in the creative process of the single, especially in making its music video."

"Sharp Objects" is her second English-language song, following the release of "Run."

"These days, I am singing in English to get connected with more fans," she said. "Many K-pop fans are international, so I want them to understand the lyrics and also branch myself out to the American music market, bit by bit. I will probably keep singing in English."

Wrapping up the interview, the singer talked about what she wants to accomplish in the days to come.

"In the future, I do want to go back to Thailand and sing a song for a Thai drama and make my acting debut, if this is possible. I also want to gain respect in America, although it will be another challenge for me."