Dreams finally came true for Singaporean fans of Thai actor-pop prince Chawarin Perdpiriyawong – better known by his nickname NuNew. He was in town on 12 July for his very first concert in Singapore, which has been a long time coming.
NuNew opened the concert with covers from his favourite Disney film Frozen – “For The First Time In Forever” and “Let It Go”. The unabashed Frozen fan (whose favourite character is Elsa) sang flawlessly, even smoothly interchanging between languages during the song – Mandarin, English and Thai!
Close Your Eyes, Open Your Heart and Let’s Dream Together
Titled “Dream Catcher”, NuNew shared the concept of the show was an invitation to fans to embark on a magical journey together to chase his dreams together. He playfully teased “Even though you are in my dreams, do not fall asleep just yet. You can, but if you close your eyes you won’t see a very special show (that I have prepared).”
“Ready to dream?” Setting the mood, he dived into the first of many hit singles that night, “Anything” – A light, and romantic song befitting of his soft and gentle image complemented by his angelic vocals.
A Star With A Multitude Of Talents
NuNew presented a variety of originals and covers in different languages – There were songs from Thai to Mandarin, Korean, and even Japanese. He made sure to cater to his fans who were an international mix. Of course, the fans swooned.
This first cover, we called it! – He chose King of Mandopop Ballads, JJ Lin’s “修煉愛情 (Practice Love)”, flaunting accurate intonation of the language. Knowing that he self-learnt basic Mandarin to interact with his large Chinese following, we predicted that he might just throw in a cover in the language, and maybe one by our very own local home-grown singer – since he did the same at his most recent concert in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
He continued to impress with his language abilities with the performance of Korean-English collaboration track – “Blooming Just For You” with Ballad King Paul Kim – effortlessly covering Paul Kim’s parts in Korean. He then smoothly transitioned into his first Japanese single release, “渋谷のBARで初めてのデイト (First Date At Shibuya)”.
Going back to the language he is most comfortable with – Thai, his spoken language, fans were pleasantly surprised when he started singing the first line of the all-time classic “เธอยัง” (Tur Yang)” by legendary Thai rock band Potato. Revealing the reason for choosing the song, he said he heard that it was popular in Singapore. NuNew sure did his research and thoughtfully planned out the concert setlist for each country, making sure that it was special for each country’s fans.
Languages aside, he also scored points in the dance department. Fans already know he can sing and act, but what they rarely often see is him dancing – and he is actually a pretty decent dancer. He delivered in his song and dance covers of Tyla’s sultry track “Water” and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” with just the right amount of sass and sexiness in his style.
So if you thought NuNew had only just a soft boy image, you were wrong!
Revisiting The Career Milestones
Fans were taken on a journey of his career milestones, or as we see it – The shows and songs where they knew him from.
Definitely basic knowledge among any NuNew fans, it was his acting debut as Kuea in 2022 Thai BL (Boys’ Love) series “Cutie Pie” which was a huge hit domestically and internationally that led to his soaring popularity – It was no exception in Singapore. He was paired with actor Pruk Panich (Zee) and their chemistry both on-screen and off-screen earned them the affectionate couple name, ZeeNuNew. He performed his hit OST tracks from the series – A ballad medley of “How You Feel” and “Will You Still Love Me”, to upbeat track “My Cutie Pie” that had a cute dance.
Next up was one of his most iconic singles, “True Love”. NuNew even introduced it as the song that made people know him more. Along the same lyrical sentiments of unwavering love, “Unforgettable” and latest single “Forever” were the perfect songs to follow – Three heartfelt ballads that highlighted his warm vocal tone.
“Since there are songs from the “Cutie Pie” OST, there needs to be songs from “The Next Prince,” NuNew quipped before going into his OST from the show “ABOVE”. As the concert was held on a Saturday, perfect timing – It was the day when a new episode of the show gets released, which NuNew cheekily self-promoted, “After the concert, please go watch the episode when you get home!” The currently airing Thai BL series sees the favourite couple ZeeNuNew being paired up once again, taking on the main roles.
Surrounded by Love – From Fans & Family
With July being NuNew’s birthday month, fans had a special surprise event planned. A fan video was played on screen, and just as NuNew was about to react after it ended, cue part two of the surprise. His parents were in on the plan too and entered the stage with a bouquet of flowers and a pastel tiered cake with the words ‘HDB NUNEW’ on it.
They took turns to say a few well wishes to their son who was visibly touched and still very much caught off guard. He humourously reacted “This is the earliest birthday celebration I ever had!”, taking the chance to share his own wishes before thanking fans once again for the sweet gesture.
Leaving The Dream but Living In It
Alas, the time came for fans to leave the 120-minute long dream with NuNew as he returned for his final song – crowd favourite “Your Season”. He did a simple outfit change into a sky blue regal top and was looking even more prince-like than ever, just like his character in “The Next Prince”. Reluctantly closing the show, he shares his hopes to be back in Singapore for another concert to meet fans again before leaving.
We left the concert charmed, and endeared by this star who at only 23 year-old young is already living his dreams as both a singer and actor. The way we see it, he has only scratched the surface and it is just the beginning for him. With a voice and talent like this, the road ahead for him is shining bright – we are definitely rooting for him and cannot wait for his future projects!
A big thank you to FriedRice Entertainment for the invite!
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