From the 80s to today, girl groups have been key in shaping T-pop music – whether it was Sao Sao Sao who broke new ground in the 80s, or Zaza taking 90s and Y2K to a new level, or BNK48 with their bubblegum pop prowress.
It’s clear T-pop girl groups are here to stay, and will only grow in numbers. This International Women’s Day, ChaPop looks at the girl group’s ready to take T-pop to a new level.
4EVE
The seven-member group is arguably one of Thailand’s biggest pop acts, with two sold-out solo concerts, an ever-growing list of brand endorsements, and a growing international presence (including comparisons to K-pop’s Blackpink!)
4EVE was formed from the idol survival show Girl Group Star in 2020 and made their debut amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, they’ve released two studio albums and a special album and are regular fixtures at music concerts across the country.
The XOXO entertainment group is steadily growing international popularity: in early 2024 they performed in Singapore as part of the 555 Music Festival. The group is now working with labelmates ATLAS on a live musical set to show in July.
PiXXiE
PiXXiE was formed in 2021, under LIT Entertainment. Their name is a play on the ‘Pixie’, with the double Xs representing the chromosones that identify the female sex.
They made their debut with the single Ded, but followed up with the wildly successful Mutelu. The group are also set to make their international debut in China, when they host their first fan-meet in Chengdu in April.
PRETZELLE
If there was a girl group that has weathered (almost) it all, Pretzelle might just be the one: the group’s debut in January 2020 was delayed by several months thanks to the pandemic.
Then they were hit by the exit of not one but two members over the span of less than a year.
By 2022, with a refreshed slate, the group was back on track, scoring critical success with songs like U R Mine. This culminated in their first solo concert in January this year. However, member ‘Ice’ Irawadee Sajjaphanitchkul announced she would not be renewing her contract with the group after February.
BNK48
It takes a bit of effort to fully track the who’s who in BNK48, but one thing is certain, and that is the group’s longevity.
BNK48 started in 2017 as an international sister group to the globally famous AKB48 from Japan.
Since then, it has seen four generations of members and several sub-groups. In between that, BNK48 members have also starred in movies and took part in reality TV shows.
ALALA
Probably the only T-Pop girl group now to have a name that spells the same backwards and front, ALALA burst into the scene in October 2022.
Their debut single Not A Chance is produced by hip-hop maestro UrboyTJ, who would later produce most of the group’s songs, including their latest single To The Top.
The group has said that their name is a reference to the Greek war-cry meant to scare the enemy and give each other courage.
MXFRUIT
One of the newest girl groups to hit the T-Pop stage is MXFRUIT, signed under ILY LAB, a unit of Tada Entertainment focused on girl groups.
In a switch-up from the usual practice, MXFRUIT chose an English song – Strawberry Ice Cream – as their debut single in 2023. The five-member group followed it up with three Thai singles through the rest of the year.
Fun fact: The group made their debut on 8 March 2023, which coincidentally is International Women’s Day. Talk about girl power.
VIIS
Even younger is VIIS, the five-member girl group signed to GMM Grammy unit GNEST. They made their debut in September 2023 with the single Barbie (Oops! Oops!).
Proving they are no one-hit wonder, VIIS dropped their follow-up single Don’t Mind less than a month later. In March this year, the group released their third single Thoughtless.
