New York welcomed Thai singer and actor Chalongrat Novsamrong -- more commonly known as FIRST -- for his first fan meet, "MY FIRST'S DATES IN THE CITY," followed by Dallas where fans celebrated his birthday together.
FIRST (เฟริสท์ ฉลองรัฐ นอบสําโรง) made is acting debut in 2017 in Mutang's short film "Ruk Tur Hai Noy Long," which depicts that emotional journey and healing process of a break up -- where he took the role of Boat. In the following year, he would be cast as the role of Joe in the 2018 "Social Death Vote" series, and debut as a dance member in JomeFam's boy group -- Cute Chef (คิวต์เชฟ). When the group disbanded, FIRST chose to focus solely on his acting career where he would gain the attention of fans during appearances in a variety of films and dramas, including popular Thai BL series "TharnType 2: 7 Years of Love" (2020) and "Don't Say No" (2021) -- casted as Fiat. FIRST's global recognition only continued to grow as he was casted as Gun in the 2022 series "Remember Me," and Achi in the 2023 series "Be Mine Superstar."
It was no surprise -- the amount of support and excitement -- when OMO Studios and Starstruck Media made the announcement of FRIST's Fan Meet that fans would take to social media to express their excitement of FIRST making his U.S. debut! The New York events were cleverly titled, "MY FIRST'S DATES IN THE CITY," and included a variety of options such as a museum, bowling date, paint and sip, or lovely picnic date with FIRST. Each event was created to give fans a unique and unforgettable experience, as well as the opportunity to talk and interact with FIRST. Some dates even gave FIRST the opportunity to choose who would be on is team, or playing in the activities.
Sunday afternoon's 'Lovely Picnic' event was moved to the indoor art studio on the account of cold weather. However, this didn't stop FIRST or the fans from creating some of the best memories during their time together. The event began as any other where fans entered the venue, take a moment to interact with each other and discuss the many admirable qualities of FIRST, and what draws them to him. For most it was his role in "Don't Say No," and for others it was his most recent role in "Be Mine Superstar." When it was time for the event to start, fans were greeted by the lovely hosts of the Let's Talk BL Podcast Ayla and Beth Ann -- the MC's for the day's events. They took a moment to teach fans the phrases, "Do you want to play some fun games?" and "Nong FIRST, where are you?" in Thai before introducing the main star of the event.
As FIRST entered the room, fans cheers filled them room while finger hearts and waves of hello were exchanged amongst the actor and attendees. Throughout the event FIRST would take time to walk around, and continue to interact with fans -- taking note of the only male attendee and stopping to talk to him before proceeding to make his rounds to the other side of the room. He was greeted by fans who expressed their love for the songs that were playing, fans who were fluent in Thai, and even one fan who asked what series he was working on next -- to which he responded,
Ah, you'll have to wait. It's coming soon, so stay tuned!
Throughout the event, there were a few games that fans would participate in with alongside of FRIST such as Thai/English match up where fans would be given a set of cards that had English words on it, and a set of cards that would have the corresponding Thai word on it. FIRST was found at the end of the table to assist game participants by giving them the word and physical cues. As participants would make a correct match, FIRST would acknowledge it with a thumbs up, or a nod. When reviewing the participants matches, FIRST would take a moment to explain what each chosen Thai word meant, and fans in the audience would then determine if the English word was a match. The next game was a game of Jenga with a twist -- some of the Jenga blocks had questions and fan requests written on them. One participant's Jenga block requested a joke from FIRST where he took a moment to apologize because he felt as though it wouldn't be as funny in Thai, so instead he happily obliged in pick up lines to fans. For one he asked a fan to slide slightly to their right, and once she did, he responded,
"... so that our hearts could be aligned."
which generated cheers, embarrassed "ooooh"'s , and several shrieks of excitement from the crowd. Next, FIRST got to chose a Jenga block, and with much effort and concertation, the tower fell. However, a block was chosen with the question, "What is your favorite accessory?" "Necklaces," responded FIRST. He continued to tell fans that he feels as though the necklace he chooses for that day aligns with the personality he is trying to define and display. He then showed off the necklace and bracelet he was wearing for that day -- gifts which he received from fans. Before proceeding to the final game, FIRST picked one final lucky contestant to choose of the three remaining Jenga blocks, and with a little assistance, that fan was awarded a selfie with FIRST. The final game to be played was Pictionary, where FIRST would pick the contestants to play against him. During this game we were able to see the many facial expressions of FIRST from questioning fan's guesses, to excitement when fans guesses were correct, to concentration on guessing the fan's drawings, and more smiles -- which filled the day with much brightness and the hearts of fans with love.
Before parting ways to greet fans in Dallas, it was time to say goodbye, as FIRST expressed his gratitude to everyone who took their time to meet him. Fans gathered around him for a group photo, and short celebratory clip before lining up for thier selfie photos or short 30 second clips with FIRST.
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K Fuse would like to give a big shoutout and a huge thank you to the teams at Starstruck Media and OMO Studios for allowing us the opportunity to provide coverage for FIRST Chalongrat's first U.S. Fan Meet! What an honor it was to watch this group of amazing individual's make this event come time life!
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