Since making their debut in 2021, Thai boy group ATLAS have come a long way, especially musically. Five years of working together have given them plenty of opportunities to discover their strengths, try different sounds and learn what it takes to keep a group moving forward. Their early releases introduced us to seven young performers with a common ambition, but their music has since grown to include everything from energetic dance tracks to gentler songs. Now performing as six members, ATLAS are approaching another important stage in their career, bringing with them years of experience, a better understanding of their individual abilities and plenty of ideas about where they want to take their music next.

ATLAS debuted with MAYDAY MAYDAY under XOXO Entertainment, the Thai record label also home to girl group 4EVE. Before their official debut, they had spent time training under 4NOLOGUE, preparing for the challenges of becoming professional performers. As their discography expanded, so did the variety of their music. LOLAY brought a fun side to their repertoire, while MR. LONELY, BOYS DO CRY and ONE DAY gave them room to explore romance and vulnerability. These releases also let the members develop their individual vocal styles and show us that ATLAS had much more to offer than impressive choreography and upbeat pop songs.

The beginning of 2026 brought some important changes for ATLAS. Following Muon’s departure at the end of 2025, Junior, Jet, Poom, Nice, Erwin and Tad continued as a six-member group, determined to make the most of everything they had learned together. Their single MOVE YA BODY, produced by NINO, was a confident return to a stronger hip-hop sound, with energetic choreography that played to the group’s strengths as performers. Junior even describes the release as feeling almost like a second debut. They followed it with Tell Me Now, produced by JAP of The Richman Toy, a song that brought a different musical flavour and gave the members another chance to challenge themselves vocally. Both releases show a group that still enjoys trying new things, while becoming more comfortable with the kind of music they want to make.

Speaking to ATLAS, it’s easy to see how much each member brings to the group; Junior values their different voices, Erwin believes in expressing genuine emotion through music, Nice takes an active role in shaping their performances, and Poom hopes their songs can bring people comfort. They obviously respect one another’s talents and understand how important each person is to ATLAS, especially now that they are continuing as six.

On 24 October, ATLAS will perform at The A Festival in Paris, where they hope to win over new fans with fresh arrangements of their songs and some changes to their choreography. Ahead of the festival, View of the Arts caught up with the six members to talk about their music, working together, their future plans and what audiences can expect from their Paris performance. As Poom says, he simply hopes everyone leaves with a smile and a desire to get to know ATLAS better.

View of the Arts: ATLAS have explored many different sounds since “MAYDAY MAYDAY”, from energetic dance tracks to softer pop and more emotional songs. After almost five years together, what do you think makes a song unmistakably an ATLAS song?

Junior: I think it’s our unique voices. Each member sounds different, so when we sing together, it gives our music depth and makes it special. We’ve tried many different genres, but our main goal is always to make people have fun and really enjoy our songs.

Erwin: Personally, I think this also applies to the way we sing. Not every song needs perfect vocals or impressive vocal techniques. For us, it’s more about expressing emotions through our voices and making sure those feelings reach the listeners, so they can feel exactly what we’re feeling. I think that’s something we always try to bring into every song. Some songs need raw, honest emotions that come across clearly and directly, while others are more about style, attitude, confidence, or even a little playfulness. And I think that’s what really gives each of our songs its own unique identity and personality.

VOA: “MOVE YA BODY” opened a new chapter for ATLAS this year with a very confident, performance-driven sound. Did you feel that you needed something powerful like this to introduce this new era of the group?

Junior: “MOVE YA BODY” almost feels like a second debut for ATLAS. We wanted this song to begin our new chapter, and the response was everything we expected. People see our true identity more clearly, and we’re excited to bring everyone along for the fun and show them more of who we are.

Erwin: I think it’s really important in many different ways. Starting off the year with a song that clearly represents who we are and where we’re heading in the future creates excitement and makes people look forward to what’s coming next and where we’re going to take them. But at the same time, I think having a diverse range of songs, especially high-energy tracks like “MOVE YA BODY,” gives us more options when it comes to performing at different events. The songs we choose for each show can really affect the audience and the overall atmosphere, and “MOVE YA BODY” has actually become one of the songs we perform most often.

VOA: Your single, “Tell Me Now”, was produced by JAP from The Richman Toy. What did working with him bring to ATLAS musically, and was there anything about the song that challenged you to perform differently?

Junior: This is actually one of my favorite songs; maybe it’s because the key fits my voice really well, so I feel confident singing it. It’s definitely a very challenging track because it’s hard to sing and dance at the same time. But I have so much fun every time we perform it, and I feel like the fans really enjoy having fun along with us too.

VOA: ATLAS are known as a performance-focused group, but songs such as “MR. LONELY” and “Boys Do Cry” have also shown a softer side of you. As artists, which is more challenging: delivering a powerful performance or making an audience believe the emotion in a quieter song?

Junior: I think both are challenging in their own way. What really makes the audience feel it is our attitude when we sing and perform. If we genuinely feel that a song is sad, the listeners will feel it too. And if we’re truly having fun on stage, the audience will feel that energy even more.

Poom: For me, I don’t think one is harder than the other. I think we’re not just trying to show one kind of emotion, but we’re trying to show what it means to be human through our music. Because as humans, we’re not always strong, and we’re not always sensitive either. We all have different feelings at different times in our lives. And I hope ATLAS’s music can be like a friend to everyone. Whether you’re happy, sad, or going through something, I hope our music can always be there for you.

VOA: You’re now entering a new period in ATLAS’s career as six members. Rather than focusing on the past, what excites you most about what the six of you can achieve together in the future?

Junior: I feel like we have much more experience now and a clearer identity. That makes everything we create next so exciting and really true to who we are. What excites me most is that whatever comes next, we’ll face it together, enjoy the journey together, and keep doing what we love and believe in.

Jet: I feel like we’ve experienced many areas within this field, but not all. We would love to explore new areas and genres because every time we try new things, we always discover small intriguing factors that often surprise us. Additionally, we would love to explore other areas of the world and discover how different audiences from different parts of the world respond to our sound.

VOA: T-pop is becoming increasingly visible outside Thailand, and ATLAS are now getting more opportunities to meet international audiences. Do you ever think about how someone who doesn’t understand Thai will experience your music, or do you trust that the emotion and performance will communicate for you?

Junior: I’ve always believed in that. I’m actually not very good with languages myself, but whenever I go to a concert or listen to global artists, I don’t always understand the lyrics, but I can still feel the music. Once I learn the true meaning of the song later, it proves to me even more that music can really connect people regardless of any language barrier.

Jet: We always believe that music is a universal language. It has always been our goal to pass on our soul through our sound and music. Hence, we envision that the attitude and personality that each of us puts together to create each individual song will be able to reach all the listeners and remove all the language barriers.

VOA: You’ve spent years performing together, so you must know each other’s strengths extremely well by now. Going one by one, what do you think each of you personally brings to ATLAS that would be missing without you?

Junior: Right now, I feel like we are truly one, and we can’t miss a single member. I can’t even imagine what it would be like if one of the six of us were gone. Everything we’ve been through together brought us to this point. So for me, every single member is irreplaceable both in terms of their role in the group and our bond as a family.

Jet: In terms of personality, since I am one of the more mature members of the group, I often provide calm and grounded feelings towards the band. Through all the busy and crowded atmosphere, I will bring calmer and more comforting energy to the group.

Poom: Besides singing and dancing, which we all work hard on together, I think what I bring to ATLAS is positive energy. We all face stress and pressure almost every day, so I always try to bring smiles and happiness to the members. I believe that when you’re in a group, being happy together is really important. And I hope I can always be someone who makes others smile, even on the hardest days.

Nice: Most of the time, my role is to look at the overall picture of our performances. Whenever ATLAS has to adjust a show to fit a different stage, or add a new solo part to a song, I’m usually the one who takes care of that. And once in a while, I also get to come up with choreography for new songs, or help make some changes to the existing choreography to make everything flow better. But honestly, if I wasn’t there to take on this role anymore, I think the group would still be totally fine. Things might take a little longer, but I really believe everyone could step in and do what I do. We’ve been together for five years now, and everyone has grown and improved so much. So I genuinely believe that every single one of them is capable of taking on this role.

Erwin: My main role in the group is mostly focused on the music side of things, like putting together setlists and sometimes helping with song arrangements. Since I also produce my own music and have a background in music college, I often give the other members advice and share my thoughts on anything music-related. But when it comes to the group as a whole, I honestly feel like none of us could do it without each other. Of course, singing and dancing are the foundations of what we do, but I believe every member has their own hidden talents and unique skills that somehow always come in handy, no matter what situation we’re in. Having each other to rely on like this genuinely makes both my everyday life and my journey with the group so much easier, happier, and more meaningful.

Tad: I think everyone brings something really different to ATLAS, and that’s what makes us work so well together. P’Junior is our leader, someone who always guides us in the right direction. P’Poom brings so much positive energy and always keeps everyone’s spirits up. P’Jet has incredible resilience and discipline, and I think his work ethic really sets a great example for all of us. P’Nice is amazing at dancing and always helps us improve as a group, while Erwin is incredibly talented musically and constantly pushes us to explore sounds and ideas that people might not expect from ATLAS. As for myself, I think I bring a creative perspective to how ATLAS presents ourselves to the audience. I like paying attention to the little details that make our group special and give us our own charm. I’m always thinking of new ideas, whether it’s through our performances, social media, or the way we interact with fans, to help people see different sides of ATLAS. I guess I just enjoy finding ways to make our group more memorable and connect with people.

VOA: On 24 October, you’ll perform at The A Festival in Paris. For some people there, it will be their first time experiencing ATLAS – and perhaps even T-pop – live. Going one by one, what can each of you tell us about what you’re bringing to Paris, and what do you want people to remember about ATLAS when they leave?

Jet: We’ve prepared new arrangements of our songs for this show, and I’m proud to say that not many people have heard these versions before. We’ve also made some changes to the choreography, so there will be something new for both us and our fans. More than anything, we want people to remember ATLAS and our music. We believe our performances have something different to offer compared to other boy groups, and we hope the energy we bring to the stage will leave a lasting impression on the audience.

Poom: I don’t really ask for much. I just hope everyone leaves with a smile and remembers us as Thai artists who brought them happiness. And of course, it would make me even happier if our performance makes them want to get to know ATLAS a little more.

Written and interviewed by Maggie Gogler

Featured image © XOXO Entertainment

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to film, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. As we continue to grow, we aim to deepen our coverage of Asian music while remaining committed to exploring and celebrating creativity across the global arts landscape.}