Q&a / Thai dream pop sensation Hybs on accidentally going viral, new album Midnight Moo Ping and stanning The Beatles, ahead of the foodie duo’s Taiwan, China and South Korea concerts – interview

Sep 7 , 2023

Hybs pose exclusively for Style, wearing custom made Painkiller band uniforms, at the second day of Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s Music & Art Festival at Central Harbourfront, in March. Photo: Dickson Lee

Move over, K-pop – Southeast Asia is having a cultural moment and 2023 looks to be the year of Hybs, aka former models Alyn Wee and Karn Kasidej, performing across Asia this autumn

The two old friends reconnected during Covid-19 to create a couple of songs and Instagram Reels in their bedrooms, which turned into their debut album Making Steak

It’s starting to feel like 2023 is Hybs’ year. Formed amid pandemic boredom in 2021, the dreamy, wistful Thai pop duo quietly dropped their snappy sepia-tinged debut album Making Steak barely a year later – complete with irresistible, slow-burn earworms “Ride” and “Dancing with My Phone”, breakout hits with a combined 100 million Spotify plays and counting.

The ever-sharp duo – model-turned-singer/songwriter Alyn Wee (29) and model-turned-actor Karn Kasidej (26) – just gave us a taste of its follow-up (spoiler alert – believed to be dubbed Midnight Moo Ping – see below) with new single “Tip Toe”, dropping on vinyl on October 16 (grab it quick – LP copies of their debut album now sell for between US$40 and US$100).

Thai pop duo Hybs, as spotted on their Instagram. Photo: @hybsband/Instagram

Despite being a direct result of the dreaded C-word, the duo are now breaking free from its clutches and making up for lost time with a string of big live dates – in Taipei (September 8), at Head in the Clouds festival in Guangzhou, China (September 23-24) and South Korea’s Busan International Rock Festival (October 7-8) – which mark Hybs’ second regional tour this year.

This earlier outing included a stop at Hong Kong’s Clockenflap festival, where we caught up with the pair – donned in matching all-in-ones custom-made by Bangkoki brand Painkiller – to hear the whole story, and settle the debate about their head-scratching name once and for all.

It must be good to finally get out and play these songs you made in your bedroom to actual human beings.

Alyn Wee: Oh, it feels like such a pleasure.

Karn Kasidej: It’s not just the two of us dancing in silhouette in our homes any more!

So let’s rewind. You guys knew each other way back when, fell out of touch, and reconnected during Covid-19, right?

AW: We were old friends – nine years ago we were in the same modelling agency and that brought us together. We both liked music, so back then we jammed a little bit, but we didn’t do anything serious. For me, back then, I was already a musician, he was an actor, and we were both doing modelling as a side job.

Backstage during Style’ interview … Hybs on show on the second day of Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s Music & Art Festival at Central Harbourfront, in March. Photo: Dickson Lee