Phleng Thai sakol is a genre of Thai

Music of Thailand

The music of Thailand reflects its geographic position at the intersection of China and India, and reflects trade routes that have historically included Persia, Africa, Greece and Rome...

 classical music. It blends traditional Thai music elements with the instruments of Western classical music. Its most representative composer is Eua Sunthornsanan

Eua Sunthornsanan

Eua Sunthornsanan was a Thai composer and bandleader. A pioneer in introducing Western music into Thai popular culture, he founded the Suntaraporn band in the 1940s. Thailand's best-known big band, it continues to play concerts and special functions....

, who popularized the genre during the 1930s – 40s.

Nowadays, the term is usually used to refer to Thai popular music in general, as opposed to classical and folk genres.

History

By the 1930s, Western classical music

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

, showtunes

Showtunes

Showtunes is the result of collaboration between Stephin Merritt with Chen Shi-zheng on three pieces of musical theatre; Orphan of Zhao , Peach Blossom Fan , and My Life as a Fairy Tale . Select tracks from these are featured on this album...

, jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 and tango

Tango music

Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...

 were popular. Soon, jazz grew to dominate Thai popular music, and Khru Eua Sunthornsanan

Eua Sunthornsanan

Eua Sunthornsanan was a Thai composer and bandleader. A pioneer in introducing Western music into Thai popular culture, he founded the Suntaraporn band in the 1940s. Thailand's best-known big band, it continues to play concerts and special functions....

 soon set up the first Thai jazz band. The music he soon helped to invent along with influential band Suntharaporn was called Phleng Thai sakol

Phleng Thai sakol

Phleng Thai sakol is a genre of Thai classical music. It blends traditional Thai music elements with the instruments of Western classical music...

, which incorporated Thai melodies with Western classical music. This music continued to evolve into luk krung

Luk krung

Luk krung may refer to:*luk kreung, a word for interracial Thais*luk grung, a genre of Thai popular music...

, a romantic music that was popular with the upper-class. King Bhumibol Adulyadej is an accomplished jazz musician and composer.As such, the modern University Bands, like Kasetsart University

Kasetsart University

Kasetsart University is a public university in Thailand and a top-ranked Public University in Thailand. It is ranked No.401-500 in the world by QS. It was also the first agricultural university and the third oldest university in Thailand...

 and Chulalongkorn University

Chulalongkorn University

Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand and is the country's highest ranked university. It now has nineteen faculties and institutes. Regarded as the best and most selective university in Thailand, it consistently attracts top students from around the country...

 was established.

In 1960s, String is a genre of Thai music roughly equivalent to western pop. Its origins lie in American R&B, surf rock artists like The Ventures

The Ventures

The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...

 and Dick Dale

Dick Dale

Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...

, Exotica

Exotica

Exotica is a musical genre, named after the 1957 Martin Denny album of the same title, popular during the 1950s to mid-1960s, typically with the suburban set who came of age during World War II. The musical colloquialism, exotica, means tropical ersatz: the non-native, pseudo experience of Oceania...

, rockabilly

Rockabilly

Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...

 and country

Country

A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...

 and western brought to Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

 by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Australian soldiers serving in Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

 in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It also drew heavily on British invasion rock'n'roll, garage rock

Garage rock

Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...

 and Hollywood film soundtracks. The term is extremely broad, covering Thai rock, dance music, rap and western-influenced popular music in general. It normally excludes the folk rock phleng phuea chiwit.

Also, Thai-pop is origins lie in R&B

Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...

, and surf music

Surf music

Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...

. in 1980s mixes with other genres, such as disco

Disco

Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...

, funk

Funk

Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

, dance

Dance music

Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...

 and rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

. the term is extremely broad, covering phleng phuea chiwit, pop

Pop music

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

, rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

, luk thung

Luk thung

Luk Thung refers to the most popular form of a style of music found in Thailand. The term is short for pleng luk thung .Luk Thung songs typically reflect the hardship of everyday life among the rural poor. Tempos tend to be slow, and singers use an expressive singing style with a lot of vibrato...

 and mor lam

Mor lam

Mor lam is a traditional Lao form of song in Laos and Isan.Mor lam means expert song, or expert singer, referring to the music or artist respectively. Other romanisations used include mo lam, maw lam, maw lum, moh lam and mhor lum...

 early string artist and bands include The Impossibles

The Impossibles (Thai band)

The Impossibles was a well known Thai music or String band that was active in the 1970s.The group's hits included "O Rak Kan Nhor" , "Nai Wa Ja Jam" , "Chuen Rak" , "Thalay Mai Khoey Lap" , "Rak Chua Niran" , "Khoy Nhong" , "Nueng Nai Duang Jai" The Impossibles was a well known Thai music or...

, and GRAND EX’ later is popular artist in 1980s include: Bird McIntyre

Bird McIntyre

Thongchai "Bird" McIntyre is a Thai pop singer who released his debut album in 1986. He is also sometimes known as Bird Thongchai, Pe Bird or simply Bird....

, Pumpuang Duangjan

Pumpuang Duangjan

Pumpuang 'Peung' Duangjan , or 'Poompuang Moon' as she was referred to in Thailand, was the professional name of a Thai megastar singer, actress who pioneered electronic Luk Thung. She is considered one of the most important Luk Thung vocalists in Thailand. The child of poor farmers, she came to...

, Asanee-Wasan

Asanee-Wasan

Asanee-Wasan is a Thai rock band fronted by brothers Asanee "Pom" and Wasan "Toe" Chotikul. Among the band's hits is a 1989 song that puts into verse the lengthy ceremonial name for Bangkok, "Krung Thep Mahanakhon" . The elder brother, Asanee, is known for his guitar solos and his wild, "rock...

 Micro, Ploy, The Innocent most successful during the 90s. their artist include Christina Aguilar

Christina Aguilar

Christina Aguilar is a Filipino-Thai descent and one of Thailand's biggest artists. With her debut album "Ninja", Aguilar was the first female artist in Thailand to sell over 1,000,000 copies. Following with several albums, Thais name her as the Thai "Dancing Queen". She is always considered as a...

, Tik Shiro, J Jetrin

Jetrin Wattanasin

Jetrin Wattanasin or "J Jetrin" is a Thai pop musician and actor. He got his first major break in the music business when he secured heavy promotion by the Thai entertainment company, GMM Grammy. Since 1991, he has produced numerous commercially successful music albums, and continues to tour...

, Boyscout, Nuvo

Nuvo

Nuvo may also refer to:*NUVO , a newspaper in Indiana*NUVO , a Canadian lifestyle magazine*Nuvo , a liqueur.*NUVO , Network Unaffiliated Virtual Operator...

, Lift-Oil, Joey Boy

Joey Boy

-Biography:Born into a Thai-Chinese family, Joey Boy started listening to hip hop when he was 14 years old and skateboarding. In 1994, he was signed to Bakery Music. His first release was a self-titled EP. He recorded nine more albums with the label....

 and Tata Young

Tata Young

Amita Marie Young , better known under her stage name Tata Young, is a Thai singer, model actress and dancer....

,

String pop took over mainstream listeners in Thailand in the 1990s, and bubblegum popstars like Tata Young, Bird Thongchai McIntyre and Asanee-Wasan became bestsellers. Simultaneously, Britpop

Britpop

Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...

 influenced alternative rock artists like Modern Dog

Modern Dog

Modern Dog is a Thai rock band, formed in 1992. They issued their first album in 1994, selling 500,000 copies. The band has issued five studio albums, selling a total of 2 million copies....

, Loso

Loso

Loso is a Thai rock band fronted by singer–guitarist–composer Seksan Sukpimai . The band was formed in the mid-1990s in Bangkok, Thailand. Its name is derived from a play on hi-so, Thai slang for socialites and the upper class , and is meant to reflect the group's humble origins...

, Crub and Proud became popular in late 1990s. In 2006, famous Thai rock bands include Clash

Clash (band)

Clash is a rock band from Thailand, It was founded in 2001 by Preeti Barameeanant , Thanapon Rokesomput , Thapana Na Bangchang , Sukrit Sripaoraya , and Anan Dapphetthikon...

, Big Ass

Big Ass

Big Ass is a Thai rock band. It was originally a pop rock band but the music moved toward hardcore punk in some of the band's recent works. Big Ass latest release is Love, their sixth album.-History:...

, Bodyslam and Silly Fools

Silly Fools

Silly Fools is a Thai rock band . Their music can be described as modern rock.The band worked with Bakery Music, an independent label, and released an EP named Sampler. The band then moved to More Music and released their first full length album, I.Q...

.

At present,Group of Indie or independent artists and records which produces music for non-commercial purpose also found in Thailand: Bakery Music

Bakery Music

Bakery Music is a Thai record label founded in 1994. It pioneered the independent music industry in the 1990s, being the most successful of its time, and inspiring the creation of many other indie labels. The company is now a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Thailand.-History:Bakery Music was...

 (now under Sony Music Thailand), Smallroom, FAT radio, City-Blue, Coolvoice, Dudesweet, Idea-radio and Panda Records

Artists

• Bie The Star
  Sukrit Wisetkaew
  Bie or Sukrit Wisetkaew is a Thai pop singer and actor. He was discovered on the third season of a Thai television talent contest The Star. After winning the position as the first runner-up in The Star 3, Bie became one of the hottest rising singers and gained immense popularity after his debut...
  
  
• Bird McIntyre
  Bird McIntyre
  Thongchai "Bird" McIntyre is a Thai pop singer who released his debut album in 1986. He is also sometimes known as Bird Thongchai, Pe Bird or simply Bird....
  
  
• Blood Of Youth(B.O.Y)
• Buddha Bless
• Candy Mafia
• China Dolls
  China Dolls
  China Dolls are a pop music singing duo from Thailand. The group was composed of Pailin "Hwa Hwa" Rattanasangsatian and Supachaya "Bell" Lattisophonkul.- Career :...
  
  
• Chutapatr Laothamatas (Plub)
• Chinawut Indracusin
  Chinawut Indracusin
  Chinawut-Stéphane Indracusin also known as Chin, is a Thai singer, born on August 13, 1989 from a French mother and a Thai father...
  
  
• Christina Aguilar
  Christina Aguilar
  Christina Aguilar is a Filipino-Thai descent and one of Thailand's biggest artists. With her debut album "Ninja", Aguilar was the first female artist in Thailand to sell over 1,000,000 copies. Following with several albums, Thais name her as the Thai "Dancing Queen". She is always considered as a...
  
  
• Endorphine
  Endorphine (Thai band)
  Endorphine is one of the most popular Thai rock bands in Thailand today. The band consists of Da, Kia, Bird, and Bomb.Current members are :* Thanida Thamwimon : lead vocals...
  
  
• G-Junior
  G-Junior
  G-Junior is a project by the artist development department of GMM Grammy, Thailand's biggest entertainment company. The project was founded in May 2002 to recruit, develop and train youngsters that are capable of becoming new artists.- G-Junior 1 :...
  
  
• C-Quint
• Gam The Star
• Grand The Star
• Golf & Mike
  Golf & Mike
  Golf & Mike, more often credited in Thailand as Golf-Mike , is a Thai pop duo artist consisting of brothers Pichaya "Golf" Nitipaisalkul and Pirat "Mike" Nitipaisalkul, formed under Thailand's biggest entertainment company, GMM Grammy....
  
  
• Koh Mr. Saxman
• Kong Saharat Sangkaprichya
• Katreeya English
  Katreeya English
  Katreeya "Kat" English is a British-Thai Singer, actress, model. She is a Eurasian or Luk kreung, with British father and Thai mother, and is also fluent in both Thai and English.-Interesting facts:...
  
  
• Lanna Commins
  Lanna Commins
  Lanna Commins is a Thai singer. She is the daughter of an Australian father and Thai mother, Soontaree Vechanont, who is a notable folk singer in Thailand. She spent her early years in Malaysia and Australia, before finally settling down in Chiang Mai, Thailand...
  
  
• Mai Charoenpura
  Mai Charoenpura
  Siriwimol "Mai" Charoenpura, , is a Thai singer and actress.-Early life:Born in Bangkok, Thailand, she is one of four daughters of Thai actor Surin Charoenpura and Winee Sontikool. She has three sisters, Venic White, Ploy Charoenpura and Vipavee Maguire, and a half sister, actress Intira Jaroenpura...
  
  
• Marsha Wattanapanich
  Marsha Wattanapanich
  Marion Ursula Marsha Vadhanapanich born 24 August 1970, is a Thai pop singer and actress. Her mother is German and her father is Thai. She is a Buddhist, and has one son with her first husband, Thai singer Amphol Lumpoon.-External links:* * *...
  
  
• Nicole Theriault
  Nicole Theriault
  Nicole Theriault , known as Nikki, is a Thai singer who became popular with her hit albums Ka-Po-Lo Club and Funny Lady.- Biography :Born in California, Nicole Theriault is the daughter of an American father and a Thai mother. Her father is a radio announcer, her mother a business woman...
  
  
• Palitchoke Ayanaphutra (Peck)
• Palmy
  Palmy
  Eve Parnchareun , better known by her stage name Palmy, is a Thai pop singer. She has recorded and released several albums including concert DVDs on the GMM Grammy label beginning with her self-titled solo debut, Palmy, in 2001...
  
  
• Patiparn Pataweekarn
  Patiparn Pataweekarn
  Patiparn Pataweekarn , is a Thai film and television actor and pop singer from GMM Grammy.-Profile:*Real Name: Patiparn Pataweekarn — changed from Tangsopon at 15 years old*Nickname: Mos*Birthplace: Bangkok, Thailand...
  
   (Mos)
• Pol Nopvechai (Pete)
• Pongsak Rattanapong (Aof)
• Pornchita na Songkhla
  Pornchita na Songkhla
  Pornchita "Benz" na Songkhla is a Thai actress, model and singer.-External links:*http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1847399/*http://wiki.asianfuse.net/index.php/Benz_Pornchita_Na_Songkhla...
  
   (Benz)
• Saranyu Winaipanit
  Saranyu Winaipanit
  - Profile :Saranyu Winaipanit was born on September 12, 1984 . He is the son of two Thai teachers. Winaipanit is most commonly known by his fans as Ice Saranyu or Prince of smile. In 2006, Ice released his debut album Ice along with the single "Kon Jai Ngai" under the label Thai GMM Grammy...
  
   (Ice)
• Saturday Seiko
• X.I.S
• Zaza
  Zaza
  Zaza may refer to:* The Zaza people, an ethnic group in eastern Anatolia * The Zazaki language, spoken by the Zaza, also called Dimili, Dımılki, Dimli, Kirmancki-People:* Karim Zaza, a Moroccan goalkeeper* Neil Zaza, a guitar player...
  
  
• Zhen  (Eric C /Ocean Voice-Foreign New Age)

• Dan and Beam (formerly D2B
  D2B (group)
  D2B was a Thai boy band from the Thai record label, RS promotion. The name "D2B" was created from the first letters of the members' nicknames, Dan, Big, and Beam, in which one name started with a "D" and 2 names started with a "B". "D2B" was one of the hottest boy bands in Thailand...
  
  )
• Film Rattapoom
• Lydia
• I..nam
• Girly Berry
• Four-Mod
  Four-Mod
  Four-Mod is a Thai pop duo consisting of two girls, Four and Mod, formed in 2005.In 2004, Four Mod released their debut single/song "Hai Jai Pen Tur", which stayed at number one for several weeks, ensuring their debut success. Since then, they have been releasing a string of consecutive number one...
  
  
• Joni Anwar
  Joni Anwar
  Joni Anwar, also known as Joni Raptor is a Thai pop singer and actor. He was born in Bangkok. Thailand and has Indonesian-Scottish ancestry...
  
  
• Sornram Teppitak
  Sornram Teppitak
  Sornram Teppitak is a Thai actor and Thai pop singer. He has appeared in several notable lakorns, including: Dao pra sook with Suvanant Kongying which he played the role of Phak. He began acting at an adolescent age. His films include Garuda and First Flight. He is the highest paid Thai actor...
  
  
• Ponglang Sa-on
  Pong lang sa on
  Pong Lang Sa On is a band from Thailand, founded in 2005. Their career was helped, by winning a talent contest on TV, in Thailand.Their style of music can be referred to, as folk music from Thailand, with a strong influence of pop and rock....
  
  
• Parn
• Lao Loam
• Nice 2Meet U
• FFK
  Faye Fang Keaw
  FFK is a Thai pop trio consisting of Faye, Fang and Kaew formed in 2007.In 2007, FFK released their debut single "Na Krub". Since then, they have been releasing a string of hits songs that have topped the Thai charts. Faye also formed a group called Seven Days with fellow label mates Jinny, Pim,...
  
  
• Gear Knight
• Hyper
• Neko Jump
  Neko Jump
  Neko Jump is a Thai pop duo, composed of twin sisters Warattha and Charattha Imraporn - History :When Warattha Imraporn and Charattha Imraporn were in primary school they were in singing and dancing classes. Impressing their teacher, they joined many more contests and continued to practice singing...
  
  
• K-OTIC
  K-Otic
  K-Otic, is a Thai pop boy band consisting of five members; two of which are Thai-Japanese mixed and one who is Korean. The band debuted with the single, "Ya Wai Chai" in March 2007, releasing the premier album later in October.-Members:...
  
  
• KamiKaze
  Kamikaze (record label)
  Kamikaze is a record label based in Thailand. It was formed in early 2007 by Sutipong Wattanajung under RS Entertainment allowing teenagers aged between 14 and 22 years to publish their songs. One of the first artists of this record label was Four-Mod. Eversince Kamikaze debuted the first album '...
  
  
• Alize'
• JNE
• 7days (Project on Kamikaze with Faye, Jinny, Pim, Jam, Waii, Meen and Mila)
• Etc.

• 7thSCENE
• Armchair
• B5
• Ben Chalatit (Chalatit Tantiwut)
• Bo (Surattanawee Suviporn)
• Boyd Kosiyabong
• Cake (Uthai Poonyamund)
• Crescendo
  Crescendo (band)
  Crescendo are a Liverpool based Electronic Pop band. The band are made up of duo Dan Akerman and Jonson Walker,...
  
  
• Flure
• Groove Riders
• H
• Joey Boy
  Joey Boy
  -Biography:Born into a Thai-Chinese family, Joey Boy started listening to hip hop when he was 14 years old and skateboarding. In 1994, he was signed to Bakery Music. His first release was a self-titled EP. He recorded nine more albums with the label....
  
  
• Kristin
• Moderndog
• Nadia Suttikulpanich
• Niece
• Nong (Pimluck Kamolpechara)
• Nop Pornchamni
• Oil Shocking Pink
• Ornaree Chularatana
• P.O.P.
• Pause (band)
• Pixyl
• Project H
• Pru
• Rik Wachirapilan
• Rudklao Amratisha
• Saichon Radomkij
• Scrubb
• Sepia
• Soul After Six
• Sugar eyes
• SWEE:D
• T-Hop
• Tea for Three
• Thee Chaiyadej
• The Singular
• ToR+ (Saksit Vejsupaporn
  Saksit Vejsupaporn
  Saksit Vejsupaporn , popularly known by the nickname Tor , is a Thai pop singer and pianist.-Biography:Saksit was born on 20 January 1984. His father, Nakorn Vejsupaporn, was lead and guitarist for the Thai band Grand Ex', which was active during the 1970s–80s.He is Catholic...
  
  )
• Trai Bhumiratna
• Triumphs Kingdom
• Waii
• Yokee Playboy
• Mr. Sister
• Mr.Z (Somkiat Ariyachaipanich)

See also

• Thai rock
  Thai rock
  Thai rock is a genre of rock music from Thailand. The music genre of rock emerged in the 1980s in Thailand and became widely popular in the 1990s. The sub-genre of string and pop rock began to flourish in the 1980s with bands like Asanee-Wasan and Micro...
  
  
• Music of Thailand
  Music of Thailand
  The music of Thailand reflects its geographic position at the intersection of China and India, and reflects trade routes that have historically included Persia, Africa, Greece and Rome...
  
  
• Thai contemporary art
  Thai contemporary art
  Thailands contemporary art encompasses some of the most diverse and versatile art in Southeast Asia. Thailand is well positioned in the global world of contemporary art with its international and liberal outlook and almost lack of censorship, which plague many countries in the region...
  
  
• Culture of Thailand
  Culture of Thailand
  The Culture of Thailand incorporates cultural beliefs and characteristics indigenous to the area known as modern day Thailand coupled with much influence from ancient India, China, Cambodia, along with the neighbouring pre-historic cultures of Southeast Asia...