The Hotwave Music Awards is a Thai music competition for high school bands. I participated in 2023 as the guitarist of Clover, a four-person band. I brought up the idea of signing up our already existing band. We practiced and filmed an audition for the first round. In practicing to film the audition round, we rehearsed more than ever.  We were more refined than ever and spent over 10 hours getting around 7 minutes of content. Signing up for the audition round allowed me to produce music better than ever. 

Four hundred bands auditioned for the first round, with the competition accepting 12 bands. Clover became one of them. The feeling of hearing our name among the top 12 bands was indescribable. Our most significant commitment to music has paid off so far.  Now bound for the next round, we went back to practice more and attempted to design the best live performance of our lives to date. We practiced four times a week, three hours per practice for three months, much more than what I’d ever done. For the first time in any competition, we practiced stage blocking and coordinated movements within songs. This was a new skill I gained and still use in performances, thanks to this competition.

Unfortunately, we had a disappointing finish, not making it past the 12-band round, and as a band, we were not signed by any music label (though our singer alone was!). Despite this, Hotwave is an experience I will treasure for the rest of my life. 

Music has always been a large part of my life. Hotwave is the largest manifestation or product I have accomplished of music. Throughout the experience, I improved as a musician due to increased practice and exposure to a higher level of music than I had ever seen before.