Thai K-pop singer Sorn, who calls herself the “Nirvana Girl,” has been steadily pushing the map of her solo adventures since 2021. For her latest artistic adventure, she forged a new professional partnership with J. Tajor — the hitmaker behind the viral track “Like I Do.” Releasing her latest solo tune with a catchy twist, “BAD4US,” worldwide through her agency, Wild Entertainment Group, on July 26, the ’96 liner reestablishes that she has no plans to limit herself to a single-minded approach to her discography.
Also known as K-pop lead singer Girl group CLC member Sorn has remained fully committed to the group’s future, even after its members split from their former company Cube Entertainment. Having risen from the front in the early 2010s, the Thai singer has earned remarkable relevance as one of the most promising Southeast Asian artists to emerge. Sorn spent her formative years solidifying her artistic origin story in the K-pop industry. Nearly a decade later, she still has no plans to slow down and is all set for the “rollercoaster ride” of her life.
In an exclusive interview with HindustanTimes.com, Sorn opened her cards, revealing her ambitious collaboration with J. Tajor for “Bad4Us”, her plans for this year, and her potential wish list as a singer. Also sharing how different it has been to perform alone on stage with her fellow CLC members, Sorn confirmed that even at this stage of her career, getting “all the CLC girls” back together is her ultimate “dream collaboration”.
Sorn talks about his latest partnership with J. Tajor and his dream collaboration
HT: First, I would like to ask you about your upcoming collaboration with J. Tajor. Why did you feel he was the right person to partner with at this time, specifically for “Bad4Us”?
Sorn: I have always been a huge fan of his music and when we became friends online, I knew he was the perfect person for this song. He was the perfect person to make the song even better and bring out the sexy R&B vibes from the song.
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HT: Before collaborating with J. Tajor, you previously released songs with Hong Seok (of Pentagon) and even your fellow CLC members. There have also been a few music cover collaborations with other artists in the past. How important is it for you to have these diverse partnerships as part of your discography? What makes you decide whether a particular song would be better as a duet with another artist or as your solo song? Are there any other dream collaborations you would like to make possible?
Sorn: I always love working with my friends. It’s always more spontaneous and it’s much easier to bounce ideas back and forth because you know each other so well. When I have friends on a song, I feel like it becomes less of a ‘you’ collaboration on ‘my’ song and more of an ‘our’ song which makes it more fun and less pressured.
The next dream collab for me would be to get all the CLC girls together again. I think this has been a dream collab for all of us from the beginning.
Change of his artistic direction and return as a solo artist
HT: “Crazy Stupid Lover” and “Bad4Us” depict different kinds of love. On the other side of the spectrum, your break-out song is “Nirvana Girl,” which details your adventures as a solo artist while establishing a message about freeing yourself from expectations — in a way, an expression of self-love. Which of these themes affects you more on a personal level? Moving forward, what other messages or topics would you like to address through your songs, given that you also brought up horoscopes in your song “Scorpio”?
Sorn: I like songs that talk about what I’m going through at the moment. I think my songs are like my diary. I like to tell my listeners what I’m going through so that there’s a connection between me and my audience. I don’t think there’s a set theme for my songs, I’ll just keep releasing music based on what’s going on in my life and just go with the flow. I don’t want to give myself any set ideas that force me to work in a box.
HT: I imagine performing solo must bring extra pressure, which can be balanced by your fellow members sharing the stage with you. How do you keep yourself calm in such stressful situations? How has your experience been as a solo artist? Do you prefer it over being a member of a group?
Sorn: Performing with a group is much less stressful, but performing as a solo artist is also a lot of fun. I still get nervous every time I step on stage, but it’s only for a little while. Once I’m on stage, I feel the adrenaline from performing. The energy from the audience also helps me calm down.
Sorn reveals about CLC’s possible reunion
HT: As mentioned earlier, you’ve already reunited with some of CLC’s members as solo artists. Do you think the whole group could officially reunite in the future?
Sorn: The girls and I talk about it more often than people think, and we would love to find an opportunity to get back together. I guess we have to wait for the right time because everyone is busy with their own work at the moment. But we are sure that one day we will definitely get back together!
What helps Sorn move forward despite the ups and downs of her life?
HT: As someone who started out in Bangkok, held his first solo concert in Singapore (your agency is also based in Singapore), but has been primarily connected to South Korea as a musician and has gone to LA for the music creation process, your life is clearly a rollercoaster ride. How do you deal with the constant rapid changes in your life? Is this something you enjoy, or have you become desensitized to it over the years during your professional journey? What advice would you give an aspiring artist who may not be prepared at first to handle such major adjustments and compromises?
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Sorn: I really love travelling. I think travelling and meeting new people inspires me, so I think I am lucky to be on this rollercoaster ride. Although it gets tiring sometimes because I am hardly at home and I hardly get time to recharge myself, but travelling inspires me.
At first it took me a while to get used to this life where I am constantly traveling, but now I am very used to it. I am a very positive person, so I think the fact that I can still travel and do all this is a blessing for me.
For people who are just starting out in this industry, I want them to keep in mind that a lot of people don’t get the freedom to do what they love as we do, so we should always remember how lucky we are and keep working hard whenever we can.
HT: It’s been over a decade since you started the “K-pop Star Hunt” journey. What remains your source of inspiration or motivation even after all this time? What keeps you up every morning to create new music and achieve more? Is there anything beyond your professional work that keeps you grounded in your everyday life?
Sorn: It has to be my family. I work hard because I want to make sure I can take care of my family in Thailand. They are my inspiration and they push me to be better.
What things come easily to him? What’s on Sorn’s artistic wish list?
HT: Is there a particular style of music that you feel most connected to or that you feel more comfortable embracing?
Sorn: I think I am most comfortable singing pop songs. At the end of the day, I love singing and dancing and doing concept-driven songs and I think pop songs define me the best as an artist.
HT: One of your previous ambitious projects included releasing an anthem for the Valorant Champions Tour. Is there anything else on your wishlist that you want to work on the soundtrack for?
Sorn: I would love to sing a soundtrack for a movie or drama. I would love to show my soft romantic side through that soundtrack. It doesn’t matter what language it is in! Hopefully I will get that opportunity one day.
HT: You have a new album coming out and you regularly update your channel with vlogs. What else can fans expect from you this year?
Sorn: Right now I’m focused on releasing my album in the next few months. Hopefully there will be more projects coming next year!
Note to new and old fans
HT: For someone relatively new to K-pop, what songs from your solo catalog and CLC’s discography would you recommend they listen to first?
Sorn: I would like them to check it all out [CLC’s] Girl crush concept songs, such as ME, Black Dress, Hobgoblin and NO. As for me, I’m very proud of everything I’ve released so far, so please check it all out!
HT: Any final message for the fans?
Sorn: I would like to say thank you to all the people who have been so supportive of my music. I would also like to say thank you to all the people who have been a part of my life. I am looking forward to showing you all what I have to offer in the coming times.
