Photos by Varuth Hiranyatheb and courtesy of BNK48

BNK48 have arrived and they’re here to stay.

Their debut single “Aitakatta: Yak Cha Dai Phop Thoe (I Wanna Meet You),” released in August, was a huge hit. And their live performances are attracting bigger and bigger audiences. Fans just can’t get enough of their cute pop.

Now BNK48, the Thai sister group of the Japanese idol band AKB48, are back with a follow-up single, “Cookie Siang Thai.” The song is a Thai version of the AKB48 hit and features 21-year-old Pimrapat Phadungwatanachok (Mobile) as the main vocalist.

S Weekly recently caught up with Mobile and three other BNK48 girls - Warattaya Deesomlert (Kaimook), Patchanan Jiajirachote (Orn) and Kanteera Wadcharathadsanakul (Noey), all 21 - to chat all about the new single.

You recently performed at the Cat Expo music festival. How was it?

Orn: It was actually our first time playing at a music festival. We normally do our own roadshows, so Cat Expo was an exciting experience for us all.

Kaimook: At first we were a bit worried if the indie crowd would like us.

Noey: But the audience gave us a very warm welcome. And we really appreciated it.

What do you do if you feel nervous before going on stage?

Kaimook: I try to hypnotise myself. I keep saying things like, “I want to perform now. I can’t wait to go out there.”

Noey: I usually pray and pay respect to the stage. [Laughs].

Can you tell us a bit about the new single “Koisuru Fortune Cookie”?

Mobile: It’s our second single and I was chosen to sing lead. The original Japanese version was one of AKB48’s most popular songs, so I’m very proud to be part of the Thai version. It’s about a teenage girl who dreams of being in love and decides to seek help from a fortune cookie. It’s a very cute song!

Has the Thai version been translated word for word from the original?

Orn: Maybe 90 percent of the original Japanese lyrics are there. But there are a few parts that had to be changed in order to suit Thai culture better.

Can you explain the idea of the senbatsu and the centre?

Kaimook: We have 28 members in the group, so not everybody can be in each song. The members that get chosen to be a part of the song are called the senbatsu, which means “selection” in Japanese. We all have to try our best to be part of the senbatsu.

Orn: The centre is the main singer of a song. They’re chosen by the management or by election due to their performance in the group.

Noey: Mobile was chosen to be the centre for “Koisuru Fortune Cookie” because her character fits best with the theme of the song.

In your fan meetings you meet and shake hands with your most devoted fans. How do you feel about it?

Kaimook: The handshake event means so much to me. We get to meet our true fans in person and see how important we are to them. It encourages me to do my best in the group.

Orn: At first I was kind of shy to meet fans and shake hands with them, because they’re complete strangers to us. But now I’m used to it, I enjoy the event a lot.

Can you tell us something funny about your bandmates?

Orn: Mobile is a big crybaby. Once, she lost her wallet in a mall and she just fell on the floor weeping. [Laughs.]

Kaimook: Noey has so many Line accounts. We don’t understand what she has them all for. She often misses band meetings because people send her messages to the wrong account.

Mobile: Kaimook has the weakest legs ever. [Laughs.] She always falls during rehearsals and sometimes even during live shows.

Noey: Orn is the sulky one in the group. Whenever she gets in a bad mood and wants to go home, she always says that she has to go feed her cat. Everybody makes fun of her for it.