Thai artist James Alyn, London-based pop band PREP team up

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Song marks their first-ever collaboration

THAI MUSICIAN James Alyn, known as one-half of the pop duo HYBS, has released his latest single as a solo artist, titled “Don’t Worry,” featuring the British pop band PREP.

The track was born after Mr. Alyn opened for PREP for their Taipei concert in May last year. They jammed for a bit at the home studio of Kuo, a member of the Taiwanese synth-pop band Sunset Rollercoaster.

“We didn’t really aim to write anything together. I recorded our jam session on my phone and forgot about it. A year later, I opened this voice memo from that day and then I thought, ‘oh, this is pretty cool,’” he said at a virtual press conference on Dec. 16.

Combining PREP’s usual smooth blend of soft pop, funk, and soul with Mr. Alyn’s warm, emotional tone resulted in the heartfelt track “Don’t Worry.” For them, it’s a reminder to “keep faith through difficult moments,” and is dedicated to their fans.

The song is also a step forward for the former HYBS member, now embarking on a solo career that he hopes will encompass a wide range of musical styles. It will be part of his debut album.

“I’m always trying to push my boundaries and work with new people. Being in a duo really pushed that type of collaboration into my working routine, so I’m working with different producers right now,” he shared.

Still, songwriting always starts with one person. “I’ve always liked to write songs on my own first, intimately, with just the guitar or an idea that I record on a voice memo. In that sense, it’s always stayed the same,” Mr. Alyn said.

He detailed the genres that he’s been listening to that may work their way into his body of work — shades of funk, a little bit of rap, and pop and jazz from the 1960s to the ’80s.

“It’s a work in progress,” he explained. “I’m getting a little bit more into weirder chords. But the genres now are very blurred. I’m not very serious about what exact genre I want to work on. I’m just always searching for something that sounds fresh, new, unfamiliar.”

Questioned on which artists he wants to work with in the future, Mr. Alyn immediately said Sunset Rollercoaster — since he and PREP had jammed in their studio. “I’m really open to working with people that I admire and I’m just a big fan of theirs,” he said.

As for Filipino artists, he expressed admiration for pop musician Zack Tabudlo, whose song “Binibini” he had covered before.

Mr. Alyn previously performed in the Philippines as part of the HYBS duo in 2023. He told the press that he would love to go back, this time as a solo artist.

“I really enjoyed my time in the Philippines,” he said. “My fans were so nice to me, the crowd was awesome, and the food was good! Any chance I can go back, I would.”

“Don’t Worry” is out now on all digital music streaming platforms. — Brontë H. Lacsamana