Star2 – One of a Kind

By starrymag | February 17, 2025

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) I am a melodic rapper but am also in the pop lane. I sing love ballads and specialize in breakup songs that get people in their feelings, but I also love traditional rap songs.

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) I am influenced by staple hip hop artists like Tupac [Shakur] and Polo G. But also hip hop/pop artists like Post Malone and Kid Laroi. Lately Mexican artists like Dee Baby and Asian rappers like $tupid Young and MB Nel. I have had a wide range of collabs with Soulja Boy, Lil Poppa, Mozzy, HoodTrophy Bino, Luh Kel, $tupid Young, Sprite from Thailand and my Ka-ren brothers – we are a persecuted minority group from Myanmar all born in Thai ref.

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “One of a Kind.”

A) “One of a Kind” is a spy-thriller. Sprite and I are secret agents who are hired to free a rich businessman’s daughter who has been kidnapped. We go full ninja in the video and fight it out to release her. The music video is really like a movie. We escape in a long boat on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. It’s the dopest video I have made.

Q) How did you come to connect with SPRITE on the song?

A) Sprite is a big pop artist in Thailand. I loved his music and reached out to him. I travel back to Thailand and wanted to collab. I had just completed a song with his favorite U.S. artist Luh Kel. He always loved his song “Wrong.” He asked if I could introduce them. As it turned out, Luh Kel was touring in China, and I was doing shows in Thailand and visiting refugee camps. Luh Kel decided to fly in on the way home and we ended up spending almost two weeks together — in Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai. I wanted to show him around Thailand where he had never been. We had a blast. We visited an elephant sanctuary outside of Chiang Mai where I have an adopted baby elephant. We went go-carting and hit all of the night food markets. We went to the Muay Thai kick-boxing tournaments. We met up with Sprite in Bangkok in the studio. I recorded and filmed two music videos – one with Sprite and one with Sprite and Luh Kel. Kel and Sprite filmed two videos of their own, recording a total of three songs together. We all became great friends.

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

A) Fans connect with the spy theme but also the collab between my people who have been in Thai refugee camps and a Thai pop star is epic. Ka-ren/Thai unity is big. Sprite raps his verse in Thai.

Q) The video is pretty epic as a duo of assassins! What was your favorite part of filming for it?

A) The fights scenes were hella fun! Also being on the river in the long boat and really being in Thailand.

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) Usually I listen to beats – upbeat, sad or in certain genres – and vibe to them. I do this in the studio and let the process unfold. Other times I have a melody or rap in my head. The lyrics usually follow the music. Although there have been times where I dream about a song and wake up and write the lyrics.

Q) For SPRITE’s part, did you let him craft his own lyrics based on your song concept?

A) Yes, Sprite had full artistic control. He loved our idea. We share similar backgrounds. He has a lot of pressure to make money to support his family. He has been working since he was a child. Both of us had stolen childhoods and grew up before we should. His lyrics on both songs that we did touch on the pressure and loneliness of this business.

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?

A) I am very hands on. I like to be in the studio. I also like to get feedback from the other artists on the track when we go from the mix to the final master.

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

A) I have an EP coming called “No Place Like Home.” It has the Sprite and Luh Kel tracks and others with Ler Mu Dex and Chinatown Runner and Tae Tae. It touches on my dual identity – home is in Thailand but also California.

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

A) We visited seven of the nine refugee camps on the Thai-Myanmar border. We performed at schools in the camps when we visited and also went back for full shows. We went to Myanmar in the war-zone and performed for the soldiers fighting for our freedom. These shows were unforgettable. I have also performed at Ka-ren New Year in Bangkok two years in a row which is a great honor.

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) I am producing an album with all Ka-ren artists. I want the world to know about our people and introduce them to a greater audience. I am also waiting for my collab with Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber!

Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

A) I am digging Dee Baby and SieteGang Yabbie. Great beats and they go hard!

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) I am grateful for the support. Music is my passion and my life. It is an honor to share my journey with my fans and share the story of my people’s struggle.