#jasp.er jan2025 press tour

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A moment that will keep Joong Archen awake at night for the next decade 😭 SUDSAPDA - JASP•ER PRESS TOUR, 9JAN2025

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Aou's reaction to the horrors of diet control at idol competitions SUDSAPDA - JASP•ER PRESS TOUR, 9JAN2025

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JASP•ER talking about toxic people on the internet SUDSAPDA - JASP•ER PRESS TOUR, 9JAN2025

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JOONG ARCHEN AYDIN: On his first steps in the entertainment industry, how to lie to idol factories that are trying to control your weight, and his impressive resilience in the face of tragedy

Joong: Actually, I moved to Thailand when I was 16. The reason I moved was I wanted to finish school quickly so I could get a job quickly. I really wanted to grow up. I wanted to live my own life because back then I thought being an adult was great. Right? So I started working as an actor. I was actually walking around Siam and then I went to a casting and got the role.

That's really how it happened! In the early days, I participated in a fashion show and accidentally got the first place.

Aou, Santa, Pond: Oooohhhhh!!!

Joong: And then I became more confident and someone just happened to see me. I was walking around Siam, I was in the middle of Siam Square, and a person just pulled me away. They were like: "Are you interested?" I was wearing really nice clothes that day. It was an Abercrombie t-shirt and Gucci jeans.

Yeah, I borrowed them from a friend.

Anyway, I remember going to the casting. Everyone had their hair and makeup done, some already had fans. We all sat down. The line was very long, there were multiple rows. This one guy just stood up, went up to his fans, and started waving. He was saying "thank you", "thank you for your encouragement" and things like that. We were all waiting to go up to the slaughter room.

No, really, they call it "the slaughter room". There was like twelve of us. They weren't saying much, they were just kind of looking at us, and then they told ten people to leave. The only two left were me and another person. They told us: "Ok, you passed". I was asked to do this one bit and then sent home. I came back for the final round, which was like an acting round, and then I finally got to play. I got to be in a series, I became an actor. It was my first drama, I might not have played very well, but I got some fans! My followers on Instagram went from 5.000 to 500.000. So I started as an actor first but then an opportunity came up. I never thought about it before, but I did like idols, I was a fan of many groups. It was BigBang first, then BTS... When I was in Türkiye, even before coming to Thailand, I already liked them. I used to record dance videos with my siblings at home and upload them to the internet.

"Fake Love" [starts singing a little]. Yes, at the time I was obsessed with it, I really loved it. Then I got an opportunity with a Chinese company. They suggested I go to China and join a TV show contest. At the time, I was weighing my options - I was doing pretty well in Thailand, should I stay here? Eventually I decided it would be better for me to move to China. I wanted to try something new and it was an opportunity to do just that. Since I was an actor, I already had events where I sang and things like that, but I never...

Pond: Danced?

Joong: Yeah, I never danced there. Well, maybe just a little. I took only a couple of dancing lessons. Everyone else is like "oh, I've been dancing since I was a kid", but I started when I joined the contest in China. I was training for about two months and it was very stressful, because I had to study both the language and how to dance. And in comparison to the friends I was training with, I was quite inexperienced because some of them had sung and danced before, they had a solid background.

Personally, I was becoming more and more handsome at the time.

Aou: Ooooohhhhh!

Joong: Before that I was still a kid.

So, two or three months passed, we actually went to China to train there. We were meant to go on for two or three more months, then filming would start and the program would air. It was quite fun, because I got a chance to go with friends from Thailand and there were also trainees from other countries - China, Korea, Japan, it was very international. I got to know a lot of people. We were training together and it was a very warm environment. Because we were practising together, living together, waking up together, eating together.

Food was bad, it was food for trainees. Broccoli and fish, stuff like that.

Interviewer: So it wasn't tasty food, it was healthy food.

Joong: Yes, everyone on the show was on a weight control diet. We had to weigh ourselves and then report back every single day. We also had to send video clips, so they could check what we're eating. They were actually looking at our food. They were asking us about our bodies, how we "build discipline".

But hey, let me tell you. There is a trick to weighing yourself. For example, like I weigh what? 77kg or something. If I touch my finger to the wall, it becomes 75kg!

Santa & Pond: Really?????

Joong: And if you press real hard, it will be 70kg.

The food they gave us was Jian Fei food, diet food, but if you think about it, it takes a lot of energy to practice as much as we did. So I ate a lot. I ate a little in secret.

Santa: Just a little?

Joong: Yes! At the time, I was thin. But yeah, everything else was going well - the environment, the friends I made, and all that. The teachers gave me a lot of encouragement because... I was good at dancing, but when I went there, people were on another level. The guys from Japan were dancing so fiercely, the guys from China were like... wow! Some of them had been dancing since they were twelve, others had just started. I realised we are not the same at all. Like let's say there is a close up, right? I wouldn't have been able to dance as fast as my friends.

I felt really bad. Because I was giving my best, but it wasn't good enough. I couldn't remember every move. And there were people who were really good there! Let's say there was a hundred people - one outstanding person received an award from the teacher. Out of a hundred people, one would get a star. Literally. The teacher would take a star and stick it on that person. Me? I never got it! It was both discouraging and tiring. I woke up early to go training at 7 a.m., came back at 11 p.m. every day. Kind of similar to Santa.

Santa: Yeah.

Joong: But still, things were going well. And then, like three days before filming:

COVID.

Aou: Oh no...

Joong: So suddenly it's all over? Honestly, when we first heard the news going around, no one believed it. Everyone was like: "What? No way! The training has been going on for months and hundreds of people are participating, from so many different countries. How could it all just collapse?" But I went back to the dorm and got on a video call with the company. They said: "Listen, kids. The plane tickets will be arranged and then you can go back in about a month. You'll have to quarantine for around 15 days". So I was just stuck in a room for 15 days. It wasn't like I went back to Thailand and was just sitting around feeling sad. I came back to sit alone in a room and cry for 15 days. And it felt like I left everything behind in Thailand and went to China, but then I returned.

It's not just that I was sad....

Pond: But what would happen now that you were back.

Joong: I wasn't part of anything because my contract stated that if I didn't have a show, I was basically independent. I came back and everything just felt so empty. I was like: What should I do? I don't know what to do! There is no way forward. Did I have any money? No. I only had around 50.000 baht left before going to China. And I spent a lot of money there too. I don't know what I was so confident about, but I spent a lot of money. For some reason I was just so sure that somehow, no matter what, I would gain something from this whole experience. It had to have been worth it, someone had to have noticed me. That was my mindset at the time. So, I came back, COVID was happening, and then my dad died.

I have no money. My dad died. COVID.

My dad died, I can't do anything. When my mom called me, I was shooting an MV with my friends. We were supposed to shoot for three days and my mom told me dad passed away on the first day.

Pond: That's awful.

Joong: I cried the first day. I was putting on makeup, crying while putting on makeup by myself because it was a self-made project.

Interviewer: So it was a self-made project with your friends?

Joong: No, with the label. But we did everything on our own, we paid for it on our own, because we wanted to give back to all the fans supporting us in Thailand somehow. We had no shows, no songs, no nothing, so we decided to make it ourselves and pay for it ourselves. Even though we didn't have much money at the time. It was tough.

Interviewer: How did you get through it? What did you tell yourself? You were disappointed, you had no money, someone you love passed away...

Joong: The thing is, I had no one to rely on anymore. If I couldn't rely on myself, there was no one else to help me. I had to survive, my siblings had to survive. So I just fought and kept going. I had to find a way, somehow. I announced that I have no label and just started over. I told my manager at the time, who was taking care of things slowly, that if they had any work, I was prepared to take it. Or maybe I could just go out there and try to find something on my own? Because I was just sitting around doing nothing. At the time, I had this person to take care of me, right? But maybe because of COVID or something like that, they couldn't find me a job. So I thought: Should I keep going like this? If they aren't giving me anything, can I try to find something on my own? Go out there and fight by myself? So I became a freelancer. But in just two weeks, I was contacted by a label, so thankfully I didn't have to stick to freelance for long.

[projectjasper]

JASP•ER being chaotic and cute during the MellowPOP interview 🥹🫶 MELLOWPOP - JASP•ER PRESS TOUR, 9JAN2025

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POND NARAVIT: On his rocky start in the entertainment industry and believing in yourself even when you don't succeed

[PART. TRANS. CREDIT]

Pond: Basically, in the five years I've been in the entertainment industry, I've never talked about this anywhere. This will be the first time I talk about it, now that I got a chance to finally debut with my friends.

The reason why I want to be a dancer/artist is because that's what I've always wanted, even before entering the entertainment industry. Going back around six years ago, in 2018-2019 - that's when I started dreaming about this. But I didn't dare tell anyone, because I was afraid people would think it's funny or something like that. Like "is that even possible?", so I've never told anyone. It was my passion and I was just trying to do it by myself.

As time went by, I tried more and more. But to be an artist, you have to have training and skills, which you need to constantly perfect. At the time, my family let me earn money on my own. I went to work part-time. It was some coffee shop, it was a while ago now. I worked there every day during school break. I worked until I saved some money.

Then, in the evening, past 6 p.m. I would go to dance classes. I didn't care that I had to wake up early, because this was something I really wanted to do. I thought that one day I could succeed at this, so I went to dance classes every evening. For about two or three months, I went there every day. But it was expensive and - what's more - time-consuming. Because, with dancing skills, it's not like you can do it for a couple of days and become good. At the time, I'd been going to dance classes for two months, but it wasn't enough to go to an audition or anything like that.

So I kept practising, but I also got into university and had to study hard there. I didn't really have an opportunity to go to dance classes as much because I had to focus on studying. We were poor. But there was an audition held somewhere and I decided to try. At first, I was very excited. But I didn't even go past the first round.

It was 2019, I was a kid, and I was like "What am I doing?" At first, to be honest, I was quite disappointed and really sad, because I remember trying very, very hard, waiting for this opportunity for so long, and then it just didn't happen. But though I was sad, I wasn't upset, because I felt like I just hadn't reach my full potential yet.

Then I tried to send an audition tape somewhere. The person contacted me back. I was so happy. At the time, it was like the greatest thing I've ever experienced in my life. Things went smoothly for a while, I almost got it, but there were certain circumstances that made it impossible to move forward at the time. They said: "Oh, the situation isn't right yet" or something like that. "Let's wait until everything is resolved, and you'll be contacted again".

I remember I was really sad about this because I thought they were just trying to be nice and comfort me. I was devastated, I was crying a lot. Because things went quite far, but then they ended up saying it couldn't happen because of the "current circumstances". And I just had to "wait until they contacted me again". I was so sad, I cried and I couldn't dance either. I basically stopped dancing for like a year. I felt really hurt.

Joong: [leans over to look at Pond]

Pond (to Joong): Don't cry, don't cry.

Pond: So there was a period when I just couldn't dance, I would think about it and I'd just get really sad. I couldn't do it. I couldn't even watch or otherwise consume anything dance-related. I just stopped completely, disappeared from the circle of friends who danced with me for a while. For almost a year. At that point I've been trying to do this for almost three years and it hadn't gone anywhere, it didn't work, so I just disappeared because i was devastated. I was so sad. Any time I thought about dancing again, I just thought about what happened. When those friends called me, I kept saying I was busy and making up other excuses.

But then something happened, exactly a year later. I got a call and they said: "Do you remember when we promised we'd contact you?" They really did, they called me back. All this time, I thought they were just trying to console me when they said that.

I was shocked. And I looked back at what I've been doing the past year and thought I shouldn't have stopped dancing. If I didn't stop, all my skills would still be there. But because I did, they started disappearing. They were gone. I had to practically start over with my dancing skills. I was also trying to sing, but that skill worsened too. As for rapping, I never practised it continuously in the first place. And oh, I was so stressed about it all. They told me: "See you in two weeks!" And I was sitting there, thinking to myself: oh no, what am I supposed to do? I can't do anything. So I was practising my dancing skills every day.

Pond: [points at Joong] You know this, you know.

Joong: Ooooh yeah! Woke up early and immediately went dancing!

Pond: I was dancing every day, I was dancing so much that my body could barely handle it anymore. I was working and studying hard at the time too. There was so much on my plate, my immune system was in bad shape. But I just felt like it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I wanted to do it. I didn't know what would end up happening, but I really wanted to do my best. I was ready to practice even until I died if necessary.

And with time, things were going okay, they were getting good. I was contacted again and they said they want to meet up. They wanted me to prove my talent one more time. And in the end, it didn't happen. I was so upset at the time, but then I thought: oh, that's alright, at least I've grown up during this experience. I wasn't going to cling to those missed opportunities anymore. If I focused on regret and stopped dancing again, the skills that I worked so hard for would deteriorate once more. And that's the story!

I want to tell everyone that no matter what your dream is - I want you to have this mindset. If it doesn't work the first time or something goes wrong, don't be sad or blame yourself. Don't blame others. Don't get so discouraged that you abandon everything. Think about it carefully. It's okay, just try again. Even if that one thing didn't work out, something better will come up in the future. But just prepare yourself, because if I didn't stop for an entire year back then, I might have even gotten that opportunity in the end.

Joong: One door closes but another opens.

Pond: Exactly.

BONUS: Five years later, he has achieved what he set out to do! 🫶

[projectjasper]

ON THE CONCEPTION OF PROJECT JASP•ER

Interviewer: You are all also actors at GMMTV, but now you are debuting as artists. How come? Joong: I think my friend would like to answer that question. Interviewer: Which one? Joong: [points at Pond] Pond: Well, this is actually something that all four of us wanted to do. It's our dream. We like to dance and sing. Usually, we have the opportunity to do that at concerts, at fanmeets. But when we found out we'll be doing this project, we were very happy. Joong: And let me say, we were already friends before this. We danced and hung out outside of work. <...> And then the higher-ups saw it and felt like it was a good opportunity. So, at first there was only Pond, and then there was Joong and Pond. We got to perform at concerts together, but at the time it was only the two of us. So we didn't dare to do anything about it yet, but there were discussions. Then Santa joined and the idea started becoming a clear picture. Then there was the concert... Aou & Pond: We Are Forever Fancon. Joong: And everyone saw P'Aou can dance as well, he's really good at it. So he also joined. Pond: At first, when I talked to the company, they were planning to put the three of us together, right as Santa joined. Santa: Right. Pond: But we were still looking for a fourth member to make it... how should I say? Complete. And then everyone got to see P'Aou dance at We Are Fancon, and I felt like: that's the one, that's the person we need, of course, it's him.

EFM STATION - JASP•ER PRESS TOUR, 9JAN2025 [PART. TRANS. CREDIT]

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PROJECT JASP·ER: A sweet message to each other

(The boys were given four pieces of paper with names, each one got another random member's name and had to say something to them / about them).

JOONG >>> POND

Joong: First of all, I want to say that I love my friend very much.

Pond: Awww, cute!

Joong: How do I put this? I don't want my friend to overthink. Because he is a very meticulous person. And he cares so much... how do I say? He cares about people around him a lot, which makes him overthink sometimes. So don't think too much.

Pond: Okay.

Joong: Chill out. Well, my friend is actually a very chill person, but he just cares so much, maybe too much about the people around him, so he gets stressed out. Also, I want to say that I love my friend a lot. We talk to each other very directly, we can always talk about anything.

Pond: Yes, yes.

Aou: Tell him that, if he has something to say, it's better to send a voice message.

Joong: Yeah, don't type, ok?

JASP: [laughing]

Pond: Things go wrong sometimes! I type very curtly. I type one way but then it seems very confrontational. It's all in the delivery. You could say "[softly] You don't like this?" or you could say "[rudely] You don't like this?" It really changes the meaning.

Joong: Right, right... And then you have to fight back.

Pond: We didn't understand each other until we talked on the phone. "Oh, I see. That was how you meant it?"

Aou: Until someone called me and complained...

Joong: "P'Aou, Ai'Pond is fighting with me!"

Aou: [whiny] "P'Aouuu, Ai'Pond is fighting with me!" I've never seen this side of Joong before!

Joong: Well, I've never seen this side of Pond either!

JASP: [laughing]

AOU >>> JOONG

Joong: Joong, please.

Aou: Right, Joong. Our band needs support in many different ways, right?

Pond: Yes.

Aou: Like for example... how should I say?

Pond: Let's be direct, in terms of character and style.

Aou: Exactly, yes. Like the image, the image of our band. And also... [clicks fingers, trying to think of a word]

Pond: In terms of content.

Aou: Yes, content! That we can leave to you, Joong.

Pond: Yes, yes.

Aou: Because, to be honest, I'm not very good at that. But I know like: Oh, Joong, I can definitely rely on him. He has a really great personality and a good image. He is so creative. Joong is a very talented person. I saw that he was serious from the very beginning, as soon as we started to dance together, and I was happy that we got to work together.

Joong: [squeezes Aou's arm] Thank you very much.

SANTA >>> AOU

Santa: Right, I got P'Aou! Let me start with a compliment, you are a very brave person.

Aou: Huh?

Pond: [giggles]

Santa: I mean, how should I say?

Pond: Passionate rather.

Joong: Bold!

Pond: Daring enough to get outside your comfort zone.

Santa: Hmmm.... You know like, that day we were filming the MV, right?

Aou: Yeah.

Santa: You were so brave when you did that somersault.

Santa & Pond: "Don't people need to practice that first?"

Pond: Last time he did it was for 'We Are [Fancon]', for 'Beast Inside'.

Santa: Right! That day we were filming the MV, I turned to look at P'Aou and he had these worried eyes.

Pond: He did.

Aou: That day, I wasn't worried about anything else, I was worried only about that one moment.

Santa: I want to say that you are capable, very capable.

Aou: Thank you.

Santa: And I just want to say: you can get your old skills back, I'm rooting for you!

Pond: And don't worry, you have me, I'll help you.

Santa: Let me help too.

Joong: But also... you lack some confidence in yourself, think that you're not good enough. When in reality, you are amazing.

Santa: Right.

Pond: Yes! The fans, they all saw what you can do with their own eyes! No one else here can do it!

Santa: I don't want you to think that you are inferior. Everyone here is very good, actually.

Aou: Thanks so much.

Joong: You are the leader. Among us four...

Pond: ...there is no one like you.

Joong: Exactly.

Aou: [scared incomprehensible noises] Thank you!

Santa: Emotional.

Joong: It's true! No one else fits that role. This one [points at Santa] is still a kid, this one [points at Pond] literally never stops...

Pond: [points at himself, as if to say 'what? me?']

Joong: ...this one [points at himself] is too hot-headed, I'm afraid I'd forget myself.

Santa: I would like to thank P' for playing such an important role in our band.

Aou: Thank you.

POND >>> SANTA

Pond: Oh, I got my beloved Nong Santa! <...> I am so shy. But let me talk about my beloved Nong and then my other friends here too.

Joong & Aou: [excited noises]

Pond: Let's end it like this! I am so shy, I'm not going to look at you. [literally turns away to the side] So, Santa, we've probably known each other since like 2020 or 2021, so it's been 4-5 years. He was one of the people who would always be willing to dance with me. He knew about my dreams and we could always dance together. I know he has dreamt of being an artist too. Even on the days when he was tired, I was so proud of him. He has improved so much in terms of dancing and performance, it's clear to see. And most importantly, he is the kind of person who thinks about other people's feelings all the time. And he is like an example, he is the standard we all follow. I want to thank Nong for coming together with us, making Project Jasp·er complete and perfect. I hope you continue pushing forward with us. That's what I wanted to say. I'm shy now, I'll turn away.

Joong: Cute, cute, cute!

POND & AOU >>> THE GROUP

Pond: As for my other friends, let me just face this way. [turns his back to them]

Santa: But the mirror...

Aou: There is a mirror.

Pond: [notices, laughs, and turns back forward away from the mirror but doesn't look at them] Let me just say that I was not sure what the journey up to this point would look like, how things would turn out. But I have to say I am very happy this project happened and I get to work with these three people. I feel like I love these guys even more now that we've worked together for real. Just keep in mind that if you need anything, whatever it is, I'm always here and ready to help. Or if you want me to fix or change something, I am ready, I can adjust anything. Let's fight together! [silent pause] I'm so shy...

Aou: Listen, after the Starlympics concert, after the event everyone kind of disappeared for a bit. Then I get a notification from our group chat: "Let me just say, I love you so much, guys." [points at Pond, who sent the message] I'm really glad and proud to be able to work together like this. I don't really think of the guys as Nongs, they are my friends. And then, when we started working together - wow! they were all so dedicated! There was never a day, when we went to dance practice late at night and didn't want to do it. There wasn't a single day we didn't feel like practising. When we just met, everyone was trying their best, and we worked so hard to get to this point. And it just makes me feel like: oh! at least I'm not fighting alone! at least there are three other people by my side.

[PART. TRANS. CREDIT]

[projectjasper]

🥹🫶 SUDSAPDA - JASP•ER PRESS TOUR, 9JAN2025

[projectjasper]

Pond: Right now, P'Aou is very excited because this is his first time. Like I've said before, P'Aou is really great. JASP: [clapping] Aou: Ai'Pond! Pond: [laughs] Aou: Ai'Pond!!!!! Stop.

EFM STATION - JASP•ER PRESS TOUR, 9JAN2025

[projectjasper]

PROJECT JASP•ER PRESS TOUR - 9JAN2025

BONUS:

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JASP●ER signing their names at Mellow POP 💛

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PROJECT JASP•ER singing a bit from SADISTIC EFM STATION - JASP•ER PRESS TOUR, 9JAN2025

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"tomorrow i'm working with my jasp•er friends and i'm very happy 🥺"

reminder that tomorrow is project jasp•er's first press tour!!

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PROJECT JASP•ER AT EFM STATION

[projectjasper]

🫸💕💕💕.

🥹🫶.