Loso facts for kids

Loso (Thai: โลโซ) was a famous Thai rock band. The band was led by singer, guitarist, and songwriter Seksan Sukpimai, also known as Sek Loso. They formed in 1994 in Bangkok, Thailand.

The band's name, Loso, is a fun play on the Thai slang word hi-so. Hi-so means "high society" and refers to rich or upper-class people. Loso chose their name to show that they came from humble beginnings. Loso was one of the first Thai bands to become successful around the world. They played at big music events like South by Southwest and Glastonbury Festival. A record producer from the Western world even helped them make their music. The band released their first demo in late 1995. Loso broke up in 2003, and Sek Seksan continued making music as Sek Loso.

The Story of Loso

Starting with Their First Album

Within a year of forming the band, Sek had already written 10 songs. He teamed up with drummer Kittisak "Yai" Khotkam and bassist Apirath "Rath" Sukkhajitr. They recorded all the songs in one night in late 1995.

They sent their demo tape to Asanee Chotikul, who was part of a popular Thai rock duo. The demo tape was called Lo Society. It was released as an album in 1996 on Asanee's independent record label. GMM Grammy, Thailand's biggest record company, helped distribute it. This first album sold an amazing 1.5 million copies!

Becoming Famous

Loso went on to release eight more albums. Each of these albums sold at least 1 million copies. Some even sold 3 million copies, which is a huge success!

One of the band's most popular songs is "Som Sarn" (Thai: "ซมซาน"). This song means "Hesitant." It starts with a special acoustic guitar intro that almost everyone in Thailand recognizes. Another big hit was "Pantip." Its catchy chorus, "ja mai pai Pantip," means "I won't go to Pantip." The song tells the story of a man taking a woman shopping at places like Central World Plaza, MBK Center, and Siam Square. But he refuses to take her to Pantip Plaza because his ex-girlfriend has a shop there!

The band's members mostly stayed the same. For a short time, Apirath was replaced by Nattaphon "Klang" Suntharaanu. Klang Loso played bass on the Rock & Roll and Losoland albums and toured with the band. Later, Apirath Loso returned to play bass until the band broke up.

Most of Loso's albums came with a karaoke VCD. These VCDs had music videos for their songs. Sek Loso often wore sunglasses and appeared in commercials for the M-150 energy drink. Because of this, he became a cultural icon in Thailand. He even made fun of his own fame in the 2005 Thai action movie, Tom-Yum-Goong. A lookalike of Sek made a quick appearance in the film. The song "Teh Yang Thai" ("เท่อย่างไทย"), which means "Cool Like Thai," was used in the M-150 commercials and became another hit ballad.

Sek Loso Goes Solo

After their live album Loso Concert came out in 2002, Loso decided to break up. Sek Loso then started his own solo music career. Kittisak and Apirath formed a new band called Fahrenheit.

Sek released his first solo album, 7 August, in 2003. He also sang a duet with the famous Thai pop and luk thung star Bird McIntyre. Their 2004 album, Bird Sek, was a huge hit. They even played sold-out concerts at Bangkok's Impact Arena.

Sek had big dreams beyond just the Thai music scene. He wanted to become famous internationally. He read books about his rock hero, Jimi Hendrix. Sek decided that to become a global star, he needed to go to England, just like Hendrix did. In 2004, Sek moved to London. He went to an ESOL school to learn English. After six months of hard work, he could speak English with a British accent. He started writing songs in English. He even put ads in the music magazine NME looking for a bass player and drummer to form a new Loso. He would audition musicians by having them play the entire Jimi Hendrix album, Are You Experienced.

A Short Reunion

The original members of Loso had a brief reunion in 2020. They came together to celebrate Seksan's wedding.

Loso's Music Albums

Studio Albums

• Lo-Society (1996)
• The Red Bike (1997, movie soundtrack)
• Entertainment (1998)
• Rock & Roll (2000)
• Losoland (2001)
• The Red Album (August 2001)

Compilation Albums

• Lo-Society (Bonus Tracks, 1996)
• Best of Loso (CD, 1999)
• Best of Loso (Karaoke VCD, 2001)
• Loso: Concert for Friends (VCD, 2002)
• Loso: Best Of Collection (30 April 2013)

Images for kids

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  Loso

See also

In Spanish: Loso para niños