MANILA — There was a point in Sorn's life when she felt like other people were constantly telling her "what to do and who to be," but these days, the 25-year-old Thai singer is feeling freer.

With this newfound sense of freedom, Sorn is trying to learn more about herself as an artist, she said, adding that she hoped to inspire others with her journey to self-discovery that is captured in her new song "Nirvana Girl."

"['Nirvana Girl'] basically talks about how I feel like I wasn't really myself as much and I felt like people were telling me what to do and who to be, and now I'm trying my best to get out of that," Sorn told ABS-CBN News ahead of the song's Sept. 14 release.

This is why there is a line in the chorus that goes, "I'm on my way to be Nirvana Girl," which she said "implies that I'm more enlightened now, I'm more comfortable with myself now."

"I'm still not in my perfect, full nirvana state yet but I'm on my way to be," she said, referring to the Buddhist term that pertains to a state of perfect happiness.

Prior to becoming a solo singer, Sorn was a member of K-pop girl group CLC, which debuted in 2015 under Cube Entertainment.

The agency announced the 7-member act's disbandment just last May, but even prior to the split, CLC had long been inactive, with its last release being the single "Helicopter" from September 2020. Four members, including Sorn, also left the company even before the announcement.

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Sorn alludes to her K-pop career in the music video for "Nirvana Girl," sporting a hairstyle and donning an outfit that resemble her look for CLC's single "Black Dress" — a styling reference that she later confirms in a behind-the-scenes clip.

"Nirvana Girl" also serves as a testament of the CLC members' enduring friendship, as it features rapper Yeeun while dancer Seungyeon contributed to the choreography.

• Thai singer Sorn reunites with K-pop bandmates for 'Nirvana Girl'

"It's been great because we [still] have the chemistry of CLC," Sorn, who is now signed with Wild Entertainment, said about working with her former bandmates.

"They knew exactly what they want to do and they knew exactly the vibe that I want without me having to explain it to them," said Sorn, who is hands-on with the entire creative process of her releases, from the song production to the music video filming.

Sorn said "Nirvana Girl" allowed her to bond again with Yeeun, whom she flew to Singapore so they could work on the track together.

"Because I've been flying back and forth quite a bit, I didn't really have time to meet up with my members," she said.

"So while [Yeeun] was in Singapore, we were able to catch up and talk about life, talk about the next projects that she has, and the goals that I have for this year and next year," she recounted.

"Nirvana Girl," Sorn's fourth single this year, is a stark departure from her previous release, the emotional pop ballad "Save Me."

Sorn explained that she chose to do a dance track in preparation for possible tours by the end of the year or in early 2023.

"I realized that, not a lot of my songs, people can really dance to as much, so I wanted to do something that people can really groove and dance to," she said.

Asked what makes her music "uniquely Sorn," the singer replied: "All of my music on its own, it's super personal."

"[And] more than music, I'm pretty open about the whole process of how I release each of my singles, so I think the uniqueness of all of my music is the behind-the-scenes story of it," she said.

Sorn — who is also an internet celebrity with millions Instagram and TikTok followers — admitted that she does not set goals, such as getting a certain number of views, whenever she releases a new song.

For her, the high number of views will come "automatically" as long as she keeps releasing music.

In fact, Sorn is already working on another track that she is hoping to release "towards the end of the year or the beginning of next year."

"I just try my best to release something that is better from the single or song before that, because I'm a big believer that I really wanna improve myself and become a better version of myself every time I release new music," she said.

More K-pop interviews from ABS-CBN News:

• K-pop group Lightsum wants to spread positivity, hope
• K-pop group Pentagon on more mature image
• K-pop group Lapillus looks back on debut, teases first comeback