It’s time to refresh the playlist! To add a new set of chill songs to my Spotify playlist is on my to-do list for the first quarter of 2023 but it takes forever for me to find tracks that would fit my choice of music, especially those that I can listen to while I work or study.

Luckily enough, just last weekend, I came to Wonderland: The Comeback to watch and cover some of the performances from Korean artists that are part of the line-up. However, I ended up falling in love with the music of a Thai Indie Pop Duo named HYBS.

This is the first time I’ve heard of the group and we thought that the duo are Western artists because all their songs are in English but it turns out that they are actually Thai. HYBS means “Have You Been Shrimp?” In an interview released by Scoutmag Philippines, they shared that the duo got their name from a Prime Video show where a Thai guy randomly ask people if the “Krill is the same as a shrimp?”

In the Thai language, Krill translates to “Have You Been?” Thus, most of the people they asked would mishear and understand the question “Have You Been A Shrimp?” HYBS, also read and pronounced as ‘haybs,’ could also be a combination of vibe and hype.

Debuted in 2021, Alyn Wee and Karn Kasidej of HYBS produced their first digital single Ride (2021) followed by Dancing With My Phone (2021), Go Higher (2022), and Killer (2022). They also released the studio album “Making Steak” in 2022 which features the tracks Run Away, Would You Mind, Rockstar, and Prettiest to Me.

A reunion between two long-lost friends gave birth to our new favorite songs. This is one of the few good products of the pandemic, the lockdowns brought us closer to our families and got reconnected with our friends. This smoothly described what exactly happened with Alyn and Karn.

HYBS members are also the writers, arrangers, and producers of their song Ride, Dancing With My Phone, Killer, and Go Higher. They also wrote, composed and arranged, and produced Bright Vachirawit’s song “Lost and Found” and Fluke Gawin’s “Counting Stars.”

Go Higher

Even if I am into loud parties, EDM, or K-pop tracks, I just found the sparks I am looking for in their music. Their soul and pop songs give off an upbeat yet fun sound. Their lyrics also best describe how millennials to Gen Zs actually feel. Thus, despite being new to the industry, they already made thousands of followers already, which they are truly deserving of.

Karn (Kasidej Hongladaromp)

Aside from being a singer-songwriter and producer. Karn is also an actor. He starred in the Thai series The School (2015), Views of Love: Grey Rainbow (2016), End of Love: This Is Love Story (2020), Dear Doctor, I’m Coming for Soul (2022) and an upcoming drama Don’t Touch My Dad. He also won the 24th KPN singing contest.

Alyn Wee

Thai-Singaporean Alyn is a talented actor, singer, and songwriter of indie-alternative music. He originally debuted in 2016 with his digital single “Mot Rak.” He also graduated at Bangkok University, Faculty of Communication.

Follow HYBS:

Facebook: Hybs Band
Instagram: hybsband
Instagram: @karnkpn and @alynwee