My apologies to Shakespeare for shamelessly ripping off his line. You know, I think Will would have appreciated Boys’ Love series. No, I have no idea about his sexuality or anything related to that, but just imagine the incredible stories he could have told if he had had eight, ten, twelve, or more hour-long episodes to craft a tale.
Not only would Will have had ample time to spin a story for us, he would have gotten the bonus of great music to enhance the experience for viewers. Boys’ Love series are known for drawing on their multi-talented actors to deliver memorable songs for the original soundtracks.
It would be understandable to think that BL actors and the musicians and songwriters of the OSTs occupy a limited niche in the world of music. Readers might assume these artists are B-listers who can’t find work in mainstream productions.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Not only do many BL actors have successful careers in music outside of BL but they came to acting only after achieving star status as singers. Similarly, most songwriters who contribute works to OSTs of BLs also create songs for non-BL movies and series or perform their own pieces as solo performers. All are considered top tier talents, in any genre.
In past months, I have presented dozens of music videos from BLs, here, here, and scattered elsewhere among our group’s stories. This time I want to showcase the non-BL musical works of some of these talented people who have contributed so much to our genre.
Let’s take a look at their mainstream output — and their links to our genre — below the break.
Our mission statement
The Trump regime wants to erase LGBQT people from public life in the US and eliminate access to information, resources, and cultural heritage for our youth. Most LGBQT adolescents never see stories about people like themselves enjoying love and romance. In our current reality, watching a Boys’ Love or Girls’ Love series or movie might be the only means for young people to see models of how their own relationships could start, develop, and successfully grow.
It’s also an act of subversion … so watch an episode, share it with others, and resist!
“Don’t Wanna Please The World” performed by Mew Suppasit (Thailand)
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This haunting song is a re-imagining of the story of Ophelia from Hamlet (now you know why I had Shakespeare on my mind when I titled this story). Mew is not only the singer but also the songwriter of this piece. An accomplished composer and vocalist, Mew also plays a number of instruments. How he manages his busy career as an actor — mostly in non-BL movies and series — and as a mainstream singer-songwriter is impressive because he is simultaneously completing his PhD in engineering.
In short, Mew was born to make the rest of us look like slackers (just kidding, I love Mew!).
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BL connections: Mew has acted in a number of BLs, including as Tharn in the very popular series TharnType. In addition, he has contributed numerous original compositions to the OSTs of BL series.
Mew is engaged to Tul Pakorn, his longtime boyfriend who is also a BL star. Interestingly, they have never been coupled as romantic co-stars in any series that they have been in; maybe not working together is a key to their romantic success?
Kim Thitisan, the main actor in this music video, was one of the key characters in the BL series I Feel You Linger In The Air and has acted in other BL series as well.
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“One Last Song” performed by lol (Japan)
| lol is an unusual group among the national “pop” scenes (K-pop, J-pop, T-pop, etc). Most groups are single-sex, either boy bands or girl groups; lol has three female singers and two males. This is a very emotional song about loss and the group members have to show a lot of acting skills, not just singing talent, in the MV. |
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BL connections: Yusuke Sato is the lead singer of lol and the main actor of the video — he’s looking at photos on the bed at the start. He starred in a Japanese BL rom-com, Mr Unlucky Has No Choice But To Kiss, which I will review here in two weeks.
After ten years together, lol disbanded in July of this year. Yusuke seems to be doing fine, taking on some non-BL acting roles and becoming a spokesmodel for Dior. With his extra free time now, we can hope that the powers-that-be will greenlight a sequel for Mr Unlucky and give us more of Yusuke’s character, Naoya, a dream come true as a boyfriend.
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“I Lost You” performed by Daou Pittaya and Tor Saksit (Thailand)
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Daou is of mixed Thai and Chinese heritage. As a child, he learned to sing in the distinctive style of traditional Chinese opera by listening to his mom, a Chinese opera star.
In this song, Daou uses that skill gained in his early years to sing the song in the way it was meant to be sung, very different from the pop styling we normally hear from him. This is part of a series where Tor invites popular singers to perform with him.
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BL connections: Daou is one half of a very popular BL “ship” (professional acting relationship) with his partner Offroad Kantapon. Together, they have appeared in both comedy and drama BLs, such as Love In Translation and Century of Love.
Both started out as singers in the T-pop group LAZ1 and now have busy careers with international concerts as soloists as well as as a duo, along with their acting duties. Together and separately, both Daou and Offroad have delivered many songs for BL original soundtracks.
During one interview, when Daou was asked where he sees himself in twenty years, viewers expected a response about his plans as an actor, singer, or perhaps producer or director in the future; instead, he immediately replied “With Offroad.”
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“River” performed by Bain and Minseo (South Korea)
| This performance was on a Korean television competition show, similar to American Idol except the contestants were already professional singers. For this episode, singers were paired up so they could do a duet and Bain (of the K-pop group Just B) and Minseo (of the group B.D.U.) selected the song River by Bishop Briggs. Their powerful and soulful version of it left the judges with their mouths agape. |
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BL connections: Bain sang the plaintive ballad My Fault for the 2023 Korean BL Sing My Crush. The song is a heart-wrenching plea for forgiveness.
Two years later, while onstage in LA at the end of Just B’s international tour, Bain came out as gay; his announcement was greeted by cheers of support from his fans and his bandmates. He’s one of the relatively few K-pop idols who have come out.
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“Ghost” performed by Jeff Satur (Thailand)
| This song is part of a movie soundtrack but it’s not a BL. The Paradise of Thorns is a heartrending story about a man, played by Jeff Satur, who has built a life and a living with the guy he loves on a farm in rural Thailand. When his partner suddenly dies, he finds that he is left with nothing because Thailand at that time did not recognize same-sex relationships; everything goes to his lover’s mother. He will undergo harrowing struggles that he never imagined he would face. |
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BL connections: Jeff is on his way to becoming a musical legend in the BL industry. He has composed soundtracks for nearly a dozen BL series. Starting off as a singer and songwriter of mainstream music, he branched out into acting, including roles in a number of BLs, among them the iconic series KinnPorsche, for which he also composed and sang its signature song.
He has won a multitude of awards for both acting and music (composing and performing).
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“I Think They Call This Love” performed by Khunpol BUS (Thailand)
| If you didn’t know better the first time you heard this song, you’d swear it was written in the do-wop era of the 1950s or early 60s. In reality, it was composed less than two years ago by a talented English songwriter named Elliot James Reay. It’s sung by a member of the Thai T-pop boy band BUS as his solo project. |
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BL connections: Khunpol and all of BUS have participated in BL music. For the BL series Gelboys, the group performed the song Confident Status. The four principal cast members sing and dance with BUS in the music video, everyone styled in the bold and boisterous fashions of the series.
Additionally, Khunpol acted in a major role in two classic BL series, I Told Sunset About You and I Promised You The Moon.
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“Best Mistake” performed by Vash Hsu (Taiwan)
| Lushly orchestrated, the music of this song meshes perfectly with Vash’s pure melody. Songs sung by Vash always tease me with hints of years gone by, the eras of swing and big band music … but just hints, something that feels nostalgic. Trigger warning: violence near the end of the video. |
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BL connections: Vash performed I Know I Am Sorry — one of BL’s most loved songs — for the soundtrack of DNA Says Love You.
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“Somewhere Only We Know” performed by Marckris and Tor Saksit (Thailand)
| Starting delicately, Marckris and Tor build the song to a dramatic conclusion. When Marckris asks to go “somewhere only we know”, is it a geographical space, a shared feeling, or a memory built with each other? Composed in 2004, this song was a hit for the English band Keane. |
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BL connections: Marckris is the lead vocalist of the T-pop group BUS, mentioned above. In addition to the previously noted BL connections of BUS, Marckris sang Fall And Fall In Love for the OST of the BL series Your Sky.
He also starred in the charming music video of the song alongside its BL stars, Thomas and Kong.
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“What’s Up” performed by Bugoy Drilon (Philippines)
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The first time that I heard this version of What’s Up, I was so surprised that it’s a wonder my jaw didn’t actually bounce off of the floor. The original — composed by Linda Perry and performed by her and her band, 4 Non Blondes — was an angst-filled scream into the void. Released in 1993, it expressed the frustration common to the grunge rock movement.
Bugoy Drilon took it and did the unimaginable: he turned it into a joy-filled anthem of optimism. From its hard rock roots, it’s been transformed into an upbeat ska tune, splashed with elements of reggae and calypso.
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BL connections: Bugoy’s voice took the OPM (original Pilipino music) world by surprise. Competing on a broadcast talent show, his humble origins endeared him to fans and his vocal talents amazed the judges. Bugoy has remained a person who understands that being on top means being in a position to offer others a hand up. He sang the theme song for the BL movie The Boy Foretold By The Stars and appears in its official music video.
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“I Like Us” performed by Billkin (Thailand)
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This is an endearing music video, the story of a straight guy falling for a gal he meets. It will put a smile on your face.
Billkin is a popular concert performer in Asia as well as an actor in mainstream films. Most recently, he starred in How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, which was shortlisted for best picture at the Academy Awards.
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BL connections: Billkin starred with PP Krit in a pair of BLs that have become beloved classics of the genre, I Told Sunset About You and I Promised You The Moon. His latest BL, also with PP, is the 2025 movie The Red Envelope.
In addition to acting, Billkin and PP Krit contributed songs to the soundtracks of their BL productions.
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“Number Boy” performed by Holland (South Korea)
| In this music video, Holland demonstrates resolve and courage in the face of disdain and hostility due to homophobia. His willingness to be “in your face” but at the same time show his vulnerable side reminds me greatly of Troye Sivan. |
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BL connections: Holland has starred in two BL series, Ocean Likes Me and Taming The Bad Boy. He was featured in a third, Roommates of Poongduck 304, which starred two K-pop idols. One of them, Ji Woong of ZeroBaseOne, appears in this video, sitting across from Holland at 2:01.
Holland is openly gay and Korean K-pop companies refused to sign him so he self-funded his debut single, which became an overnight hit. As K-pop’s first successful out gay idol, Holland has opened up the industry, one reason why we now see so many idols willing to cross over and take on starring roles in BL series or contribute songs to their OSTs.
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“I Have Nothing” performed by William (Thailand)
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Our final video today literally brought me to tears the first time I watched it. I’ve seen many singers take on the challenge of Whitney Houston’s signature ballad and do well. But none have ever come close to her legendary performance … until now.
For many singers, the required vocal range of this song presents a potential issue. It’s common to hear a singer straining to hit the high notes and many listeners interpret that obvious effort — and uncertainty if the note will be reached or not — as passionate emotion … but it’s really only a voice being pushed to its limit.
William, like Whitney, makes no such pained efforts. His vocal control is immaculate, even when he flips up near the end, adding even more to the song’s range. We hear the anguish through his interpretation, not through borderline vocal failure, as with less skilled singers.
Shot via fancam (that is, cell phone of an audience member), the image and sound are not studio quality (the image becomes good after about 10 seconds). Even so, William’s rendition is epic in its power and its projection of emotional pain. I imagine Whitney, wherever she is, looking on, softly clapping, and whispering “Bravo, William, bravo.”
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BL connections: At just 20 years old, William Jakrapatr is already a powerhouse in the entertainment industry. As the lead singer of the T-pop group LYKN, he and his bandmates performed the theme song for the heartbreaking BL drama Last Twilight, about a young man going blind.
He starred as Thame in the very popular BL series ThamePo Heart That Skips A Beat and the other LYKN members played supporting roles. You Maniac, his next BL venture, will premiere in 2026; it co-stars his onscreen “ship” Est Supha.
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Coming up …
Next week, Flying Pig Dog be covering Touring After the Apocalypse, a story about two girls exploring the world after the end of everything. Join us next Tuesday at Boys’ Love and Girls’ Love.
BoysLove and GirlsLove group publishes stories every Tuesday at 1 pm Eastern / 10 am Pacific. We are looking for authors to join us. Please contact Krotor if you want to write stories for our group!
Watch these videos below before upcoming stories about them so you can avoid spoilers and participate in discussions in the comments section.
When possible, we include links where you can watch the videos for free (click here to read our story all about how and where to watch Boys’ Love and Girls’ Love content).
BL series and movies in upcoming stories
| Story date |
Series or Movie |
Episodes |
Where to watch |
| Dec 16 |
Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But To Kiss |
8 episodes, approximately 24 minutes each |
Viki
Bilibili
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