A new Thai pop song, a co-project between two famous songwriters and singers, has become a phenomenon as it answers a question left unresolved two decades ago in a hugely popular movie.
I'm ok // not ok by Cheewin "Boyd" Kosiyabong and Thanachai "Pod" Utchin surpassed 1 million views in less than eight hours after its premiere on YouTube on Wednesday. It has remained a top search on Google ever since, easily surpassing the 2-million-mark the next day.
"I'm touched," Pod, best known as the frontman of the rock band Modern Dog, told Channel One 31 about the success of the project.
Boyd thanked everyone involved in the project, from the actor and actress to all the production and creative team members.
I'm ok // not ok features Pod as a singer, collaborating with another famous singer and actor, Putthipong "Billkin" Assaratanakul.
It is unique because the music and lyrics were not written explicitly for the 20th anniversary of Dear Dakanda, a megahit film from 2005. However, project director Thason Boonyanate perfectly picked up on the unanswered question left in the film as a storytelling element in the music video.
The movie, Dear Dakanda, ends with two close friends and classmates at Chiang Mai University living separate lives simply because they do not speak their minds about how they feel. The box-office hit stars Sunny Suwanmethanont as Khaiyoi and Siraphun "Noon" Wattanajinda as Dakanda.
Project director Thason sensed that viewers of the film wanted to know whether Khaiyoi and Dakanda were still okay after two decades had passed.
He brought Sunny and Noon back to star in the MV, although neither knew they would be in the same studio, each in different rooms. They met near the end of the video to find out if Khaiyoi and Dakanda were okay after all those years.
"The project is a perfect mix between the film (from two decades ago) and today's music," Boyd said on One 31.
"The song isn't meant for everyone to sing. It's meant for everyone to cry," Pod added.
