After the massive hype surrounding 2gether: The Series, its official soundtrack featuring the music of Thai crossover sensation Scrubb, continues to dominate streaming platforms such as Spotify with an average of four to six entries a day on the Philippines Viral Top 50.
Their back catalog, which features previous hits, “ขอ (Wish),” “ทุกอย่าง (Everything),” “รอยยิ้ม (Smile),” and “ใกล้ (Close),” has consistently charted on the local digital and streaming services for more than a month. Its success in the Philippines and the Asian region is propelled by the publicity it received from the smash series, which currently airs on Thailand’s GMM 25 and Line TV, as well as the YouTube account of GMMTV.
“The author is one of our fans who started writing this story as an online fiction inspired by our songs,” recalls Scrubb’s Torpong “Ball” Chantabubpha on how their infectious set of melodic guitar pop tunes made its way to the Original Soundtrack (OST) of the Boys Love (BL) hit. “Then it got published as a book. Finally, the series came out, which encouraged more people to listen to our songs. We have to thank Jitti, the author, for putting our songs in the original story and making all of these things happen.”
Scrubb’s songs have somehow aided in championing a narrative that supports the unique romantic experiences of the LGBTQ+ community. Their involvement in the official soundtrack of a pop culture behemoth encourages visibility and representation in mainstream media, which has long shunned stories that go against societal norms. “As an artist, we have no specific audience,” shares Muey Thawatpon Wongbunsiri, the other half of Scrubb. “Our songs are our diaries. It’s a way for us to keep the good memories from that period of time. I think the listeners can also relate to the song as they face similar situation or atmosphere. We are happy when anyone can enjoy and get inspired by our song no matter who they are.”
Aside from their contribution to the 2gether soundtrack, the Smile duo has recently released their new single “ธรรมดา (Everyday)” earlier this year with a music video directed by prolific filmmaker Domu.
To date, the folk-pop duo has been receiving offers to play a number of shows abroad from international promoters. Ball adds, “Our plans to tour outside Thailand are forced to stop because of COVID-19 outbreak. At the moment we are writing, rehearsing, and preparing to be back on stage once again once this pandemic is finally over. We also hope that we’ll get a chance to be there and play for our fans in the Philippines soon.”
The songs from the official soundtrack of 2gether: The Series, which prominently feature the music of Scrubb, are now available on all digital and streaming platforms worldwide via Sony Music.
