RFA Lao Program
June 22, 2006

Lao pop star Alexandra Bounxouei, 19, was born in Bulgaria to a Lao father who was studying music in Eastern Europe and a Bulgarian mother. The family moved to Laos in 1988, where she was raised. Her music, which she describes as a combination of traditional Lao and contemporary hip-hop, has earned her glowing reviews in Southeast Asia. She released her second album, titled “Forget It,” in early 2006, and first performed in Laos in 2002 to wide acclaim, and she has now performed worldwide. Currently majoring in English at the Lao American College of Vientiane, Bounxouei records and performs music with a strong anti-drug message. Following are excerpts from her interview in May 2006 with Lao broadcaster Chaleunsouk:

“My dad, Bounthavisay Bounxouei, wrote a lot of the songs [on this album], such as ‘I’d Like to Tell You’… Somsavath Songvilay with the Lao Ministry of Culture, he wrote music for me too. And I wrote one, and there is a singer who is getting ready to release an album, Sam Intharaphithak. He’s studying in Australia, and he wrote two English songs for my album. It was like a family effort, because now I have a recording studio at home. Overseeing it was my dad and my mom and me, all three. On this album there are love songs, there are songs about friends, love between friends, and songs kind of like warning songs, like ‘Narcotics.’”

“I’ll certainly shoot a music vid, and there has to be a karaoke version because so many people have asked, have called for it… I said okay, we’ll certainly do it, but be patient and wait, because I’m finishing my studies, my bachelor’s degree this coming May. I have to finish my studies first and then I’ll start laying out the concept for a music video.”

“I’m traveling constantly, to Japan, to Thailand for programs, putting on concerts in Laos, maybe going to different provinces, I have so little time to study so I have to use my time most effectively…. A lot of people have said, ‘Oh, this time you’re older, your voice has changed, it’s a more mature voice and your songs have words that show more mature thinking…than the first album.’ Because I was only 15 years old when I recorded that first album.”

“The way I see it, these songs should be popular with teens, because this album is unusual.”

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