In Thailand’s music industry, there are songs that just stick: Tracks tied to long drives, karaoke nights, and heartbreak. For many Thai listeners, COCKTAIL belongs to that category. Over two decades, the rock band built a catalogue defined by emotional storytelling and cinematic scale, becoming one of the country’s most enduring musical acts.
Late last year, as the group prepared to close its chapter after more than 20 years, a younger generation of Thai musicians revisited their legacy through an entirely different lens. The result was Ours Ever – Tribute to COCKTAIL, a nine-track project that saw emerging artists reinterpret the band’s most iconic songs through Spatial Audio on Apple Music. Rather than reproducing the originals, these artists reshaped them by layering nostalgia with experimentation.
The project also revealed something larger happening within Thai music at the time: Younger artists were building music differently, from the Notes App on an iPhone, to a MacBook Pro on a long commute, to Logic Pro sessions assembled between rehearsals and late-night ideas.
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Among the artists involved, Jung Wikorn Buranapinyo, best known as Jung of PERSES, represented this transition particularly well. Part idol, part creative thinker, and unexpectedly methodical in the way he approached artistry, Jung’s path into music was never straightforward. Before joining PERSES, he studied engineering—a path that was practical and structured. “I’ve always been someone who likes trying things, making mistakes, and learning from them,” he admitted.
After graduating university, Jung had plans to launch his own business. He had products prepared, a direction mapped out, and every expectation of entering a more conventional adult life. Then G’NEST, a Thai music label under GMM Grammy, reached out. At his audition, he missed the assignment entirely: “I thought I was auditioning to be an actor,” he laughed. Instead, he found himself singing. Then dancing. Then training. And somewhere within that process, the idea of pursuing a career in the music industry seemed within reach. “The more I trained, the clearer it became that this was where I belonged."
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For Jung, the hardest part of being a musician is timing. He entered a world where many around him had already spent years refining their craft. “I had just graduated, while my friends already had stable jobs. I felt like I was starting from zero," he shared. That sense of comparison became a motivator, and the discipline he learned through engineering became an unexpected advantage. “Engineering taught me how to stay calm when things get complicated,” he said.
His analytical mindset also shaped the way he approached creativity. Jung thought carefully about the process, the intention behind it, and about building something layer by layer. It is perhaps why he felt especially suited to a project like Ours Ever – Tribute to COCKTAIL, where reinterpretation mattered as much as performance.
For the tribute album, Jung took on “ลั่นทม” (“Plumeria”), one of COCKTAIL’s most emotionally rich songs. “When I was invited to be part of the project, I felt honoured,” he said. For a song that carried so much emotional weight for fans, Jung's challenge was to navigate the delicate balance of preserving familiarity while creating something that felt distinctly personal.
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“What drew me to the song was how beautifully written it is,” Jung explained. “The storytelling is so vivid that you can picture every scene. I wanted it to feel like someone quietly falling in love in their own world.” In this new reinterpretation, the emotional architecture remained intact, but the atmosphere shifted: Jung's version leaned softer, drifting toward synth-pop rather than rock.
To successfully produce this track, Jung used the MacBook Pro. Ideas began casually, often in Notes on the iPhone before moving into Logic Pro on Mac—a very important component in post-production. “Logic Pro is user-friendly, especially when working in Spatial Audio,” he said. “I can visualise where every sound belongs.”
Fragments of lyrics, references, moods, and arrangement ideas were collected in real time. And because the ecosystem synced naturally, there was little interruption between inspiration and execution. “Everything feels seamless. It allows me to focus entirely on creating."
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For Jung, Ours Ever – Tribute to COCKTAIL also marked his first experience working in Spatial Audio, which changed how he looked at music almost immediately. Instead of thinking only about instruments, Jung began thinking about placement, movement, distance, and texture. "It made me think differently about the arrangement. I had to think more about space and direction,” he said. The result was a listening experience that felt less more immersive. “It feels alive."
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Projects like Ours Ever – Tribute to COCKTAIL reflected something larger than nostalgia. They revealed how Thai music was evolving, and how a younger generation of artists are no longer just performing songs. The boundaries between performer, producer, songwriter, and creative director continued to blur with technology. But for Jung, staying true to himself remained crucial. Even within commercial frameworks, he looked for ways to preserve individuality.“ Authenticity means being honest about who I am and what I want to express,” he said.
Despite PERSES’ growing profile, Jung still feels that as a late bloomer, he has yet to reach the pinnacle of his career. And that has given him a certain groundedness: “I’ve learned to appreciate small steps,” he said. What matters most to him is intention. “I’m learning to let go of the pressure to be perfect. It's about the sincerity behind what I do."
As Thai music continues expanding beyond borders, artists like Jung sit at an interesting intersection. They grew up surrounded by legacy but create through technology. They honour the past while speaking fluently in the language of now. And their creative tools have evolved in tandem with their artistry: MacBook Pro became the studio, while Logic Pro became the framework, and Spatial Audio became another layer of storytelling.
For Jung, the experience had already changed the way he saw his future work. “Creating in Spatial Audio made me want to explore more immersive production,” he shared, hinting that new PERSES music was already in development.
And if Ours Ever – Tribute to COCKTAIL signalled anything, it was that Thai music’s next chapter would not simply sound different. It would feel different, too.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.