Exploring musical hybridity in fusions of lukthung and Thai pop
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Abstract
While both belong to popular music in Thailand, lukthung and Thai pop represent distinct types of songs in the eyes of contemporary Thai music audiences. This article explores the potential to enhance the impact of Thai popular music in the increasingly competitive global music market by fusing lukthung with Thai pop to reach a broader audience. Based on a case study of the JOOX 100×100 project, this study employs a mixed-methods approach that combines comparative analysis of selected lukthung fusion songs with a semi-structured questionnaire that examines participants’ preconceptions of lukthung and their responses to the selected songs. By evaluating the relationship between the reception and features of hybrids of lukthung and Thai pop, it proposes three hybridisation strategies that can be observed in lukthung fusions, namely Compensatory Blending, Sonic Masking, and Stylistic Transgression, arguing that the perception of the hybrid depends on the appeal of the interobjectivity within the hybrid and the genres involved. Ultimately, this article suggests how musical hybridity may effectively refashion lukthung, attracting more diverse attention to the genre and generating new interest in Thai popular music. In addition to providing directions for creating successful lukthung fusions, the findings are expected to enrich discussions on musical hybridity, which more often concern hybrids between musical styles from different countries or within Western genres.
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