Cherprang Areekul facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cherprang Areekul
เฌอปราง อารีย์กุล
Cherprang at a public forum on the reentry of the Tiangong-1 space station, Bangkok, 29 March 2018.
Born	(1996-05-02) 2 May 1996 (age 29) Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
Education	Mahidol University International College (BSc)
Occupation	Singer actress group manager
Musical career
Genres	Thai pop J-pop
Years active	2017–present
Labels	iAM
Cherprang Areekul
Thai	เฌอปราง อารีย์กุล
RTGS	Choeprang Arikun

Cherprang Areekul (Thai: เฌอปราง อารีย์กุล) was born on May 2, 1996. She is a talented Thai singer and actress. She was a member of the Thai idol girl group BNK48. This group is a sister group to the famous Japanese idol group AKB48.

Cherprang was one of the very first members of BNK48. She was also the group's first captain. Now, she works as the general manager for the group.

Before joining BNK48 in 2017, she was known for cosplay. This is when people dress up as characters from anime, comics, or video games. In 2018, she started acting. She played a main role in the movie Homestay.

While studying at Mahidol University International College, she focused on chemistry and physics. She even worked as a research assistant. She helped write a science paper with her teachers. Cherprang has also taken part in many science events in Thailand and other countries. In 2019, a picture of her was sent into space on a satellite!

Her Journey as an Idol

Performing at National Stadium, Bangkok, 3 February 2018.

Performing at Cat Expo 4 music festival, Bangkok, 25 November 2017.

Cherprang first learned about the 48 Group from an anime called AKB0048. This anime was based on the real idol group AKB48. She loved the anime, and when she found out the group was real, she became a fan of them too.

In July 2016, Cherprang, who was 20 years old, saw that BNK48 was looking for new members. BNK48 was a new sister group of AKB48 in Thailand. At first, only girls aged 12 to 18 could apply. But later, the age limit was changed to 22 years. This allowed her to apply.

When asked why she wanted to be an idol, she said, "I'm a fan of AKB48. I wanted to know what my idols went through to become famous." She also shared that her father was not happy about her becoming an idol at first.

About 1,500 people applied to join BNK48. After the first auditions, 300 girls passed. Then, 80 girls passed the next round. Cherprang was one of the 29 people who passed the final audition. She became a trainee for BNK48 when the group was announced on February 12, 2017.

When BNK48 officially started in June 2017, Cherprang was chosen as one of the 16 main members. These members are called senbatsu members. She was also made the captain of the group. The group's musical director said Cherprang had great leadership skills. This is why she was chosen as captain. Cherprang also speaks Japanese, so she helped coach Rina Izuta. Rina was a Japanese member who moved from AKB48.

On December 24, 2017, Cherprang became a member of the group's first team, Team BIII.

She took part in the 2018 general election for AKB48. This event helps find the 100 most popular 48 Group members. These members get to be part of AKB48's 53rd song. It was the first time members from outside Japan could join. The election results were announced on June 16, 2018, in Nagoya, Japan. Cherprang performed the song "Koi Suru Fortune Cookie" with other 48 Group members. She received 26,202 votes and placed 39th. This meant she could join the song as part of the Next Girls unit. The song was released on November 19, 2018.

On April 9, 2023, Cherprang announced she would be leaving BNK48. Her farewell ceremony was held on October 29, 2023.

Her Acting Roles

Cherprang got a main role in a thriller movie called Homestay. This movie was made by GDH 559 and came out on October 25, 2018. The movie was directed by Parkpoom Wongpoom. Filming finished in May 2018.

She also starred in One Year: The Series. This show was also made by GDH 559 and aired in late 2019. It was her first time acting in a TV series. She acted alongside some of her fellow BNK48 members in the show.

About Cherprang's Life

Cherprang was born in Hat Yai, Songkhla, in Southern Thailand. Her family lived on a hill. Her grandparents were Chinese, and her family gave her the Chinese name "Liu Xiumin" (Chinese: 刘秀敏). Later, she moved to Bangkok.

For her high school education, she went to Roong Aroon School in Bangkok. This was an alternative school. She said she grew up like a normal girl, not knowing what she wanted to do with her life. After talking with her mother, she chose the alternative school to understand herself better. At this school, she found she was better at math and science than art. She really enjoyed science experiments. Her science teacher inspired her to become a scientist. She was also chosen as the school's drum major and cheerleader every year.

After finishing high school in 2013, she went to Mahidol University International College. There, she studied chemistry as her main subject and physics as her minor. She said she loves physical chemistry, quantum chemistry, and space science. She hopes to continue studying these subjects for her master's and doctor's degrees.

It was at this college that she also became interested in cosplay. She started taking part in Japanese culture events as a cosplayer. Her cosplayer name was 'Runo Mochi'.

During her second and third years of college, she worked as a research assistant. She helped write a research paper about the blue bottle experiment. This paper was published in a science journal in November 2017.

Because of her science background, she has been invited to many science events. For example, she spoke at a discussion about the reentry of the Tiangong-1 space station on March 29, 2018. She also attended the tenth anniversary of the Synchrotron Light Research Institute on June 1, 2018. At this event, it was announced that her photo would be carried on a GISTDA satellite launched into space in 2019. She also joined the Thai team for the FameLab competition in the UK in 2018 and 2019.

In 2018, she reported to the police that someone had badly edited one of her online pictures. She did this to protect her privacy.

In 2019, she gave a speech at Sophia University in Japan. She talked about "Youth Commitment to Sustainable Development Goals" with other representatives from the United Nations.

Her Popularity

Cherprang is one of the most popular BNK48 members. She often had the longest lines at fan handshake events. Many people see her as the face of BNK48.

In August 2017, when Northeastern Thailand had bad floods, eight signed pictures of Cherprang and other BNK48 members were sold to raise money. Her photo alone sold for 77,000 Thai Baht. The auction raised a total of 246,000 Thai Baht for the flood victims.

She placed 39th in the 2018 AKB48 general election. This was the highest rank for any BNK48 member. This election is held every year to find the 100 most popular 48 Group members.

Awards and Recognition

On September 20, 2017, which is Thailand's national youth day, Cherprang received a special award. It was a juvenile award from the Rotary Club of Chatuchak.

She was also named the Buddhist ambassador for Māgha Pūjā Day on February 22, 2018. This was given by Thailand's National Office of Buddhism.

On March 9, 2018, Cherprang, along with Kaew and Satchan (other BNK48 members), were recognized as role models in education. They received awards from Princess Soamsawali at the EduLife Expo 2018 in Bangkok.

In 2018, her fans raised money to build a science library with computers. It was built at Ban Pa Daet School in Santi Suk, Nan, in Northern Thailand. They named the library after her.

Her Works

AKB48 Group Election Results

Any member of the AKB48 Group who meets the rules can join the general election of AKB48. Cherprang first took part in the 10th AKB48 World General Election in Japan in 2018. She ranked 39th. Her first election in Thailand was the next year, which she won. Here are her results:

BNK48 Senbatsu General Elections

AKB48 General Elections

Music Releases

BNK48 Singles

BNK48 Albums

AKB48 Singles

Movies and TV Shows

Films

TV Series & Dramas

Awards Received

Note: Awards for BNK48 as a group are not listed here.