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[title]Ahead of his Bangkok return, Yung Kai talks mango sticky rice, the joy of playing Wildflower live, a possible rock turn and exploring more of Thailand
‘I think I had at least, like, five or six.’
That’s Yung Kai’s mango sticky rice count from his first trip to Thailand. He bought a bunch, took it back to the hotel and tucked in.
‘It was very sweet,’
he says,
‘and just, I don’t know, it just tasted, like, different, like really good.’
He’s back on Sunday, November 1, playing Sphere Hall at EmSphere on his stay with the ocean, i’ll find you: Asia 2026 tour. When we speak, it’s 7.30pm where he is and 9.30am in Bangkok, and the trip is clearly on his mind. ‘I can’t wait,’ he says.
The plan, as far as it is, sounds much like last time.
‘I like to just, like, walk around and just go wherever life takes me. I’m not really good at planning, but I love shopping.’
On stage, he’s more decisive. Ask which track he most wants Thai fans to sing back and he goes straight to Wildflower.
‘Most of my songs are, like, slow,’ he says, Wildflower is ‘one of my, like, faster songs’, which makes it a live favourite.
‘I really like to see just fans, like, jump and just scream the words. It’s so fun to play that song, you know, because most of my songs are, like, slow.’
He’s keen to pick up the pace elsewhere, too, though a change of direction is still an idea rather than a plan. ‘I don’t really have, like, a plan for it right now. But I do want to, like, switch it up eventually, maybe some more hype, maybe some, like, rock or something.’ Asked whether he’s still in the same era he started in, he allows himself a little progress: ‘Maybe I grew a little bit, you know, but still somewhat in the same world.’
Thailand was an early stop in his performing life, too.
‘My first ever show, I believe, was in Thailand,’
he says.
It was a festival in March, a little hot but ‘okay’. He barely had time to look around. ‘I didn’t have too much time to explore.’ Meals were whatever was nearby, including chicken rice ‘right downstairs in my hotel’ that he remembers as ‘so amazing’, though he never caught the name. He loves pad Thai and had eaten it just three days before we spoke. He can handle ‘a bit spicy’, and when we mention pad kra pao, a basil stir-fry with chicken or minced pork, he says he wants to try it.
His collaboration wish list is short and ambitious.
‘Honestly, maybe, like, Lisa,’
he says.
We point out that this would mean visiting more often. He’s on board. ‘I really want to explore, like, a lot more because last time I didn’t have too much time.’
Back in his room, there’s plenty to keep him occupied. During a call, he glances around for something fans might not know about him and settles on something he suspects many already do. ‘I play way more games than I should. Like, I play
more games than make music, you know?’ Mostly, that means Roblox and Valorant with friends, plus a Discord server where he sometimes hosts events and plays with fans.
Asked to describe his music in three words, he says ‘Fall in love.’
And if Bangkok were to inspire a song? He doesn’t have to think about it.
‘I would call it, I love mango sticky rice.’
Will we hear it? ‘Maybe one day, yeah.’
Details
What: yung kai – stay with the ocean, i’ll find you: Asia 2026
When: November 1 2026
Where: Sphere Hall, EmSphere, Bangkok
Tickets: General sale opened August 16 at 10am. Tickets are sold exclusively through ticketmaster.co.th as e-tickets only, with no counter sales.