Alexandra Bounxouei: The Lao Princess of Pop

Chances are, unless you are Lao (like me) or Bulgarian, you've never heard of Alexandra Bounxouei (pronounced boon-soo). As her title indicates, Alexandra or Sandra for short, is currently the reigning Pop Princess of Laos. Ask any citizen of Laos and he or she will tell you that Alexandra is, "the Jewel of Laos." She is multi-talented in all aspects of music, as she can sing, dance and can also play guitar, piano, and violin with some of the best. In her interview (on the immediate right) she explains much about herself, as many believe that she is now on the move and is on the cusp of international fame. Please watch her interview as it serves as a viable precursor to my hub.

Alexandra's Videos

I realize that the videos here are NOT in ENGLISH as they are in fact in Lao (with some Thai mixed in there as well). My intent in writing and sharing this hub is not to alienate anyone! I too am a music lover and believe that that there is all sorts of great music in this world, regardless if we understand its lyrics or not. Music is in fact universal and can be deciphered by all as whether or not it falls under the category of favorable or unfavorable music. Hopefully, you'll agree that Alexandra's music is the latter! Should you have any questions, please ask me in the COMMENTS section of this hub. Please enjoy!

Background

Alexandra Thidavanh Bounxouei was born on May 28, 1987. She was born and raised in her native Laos. Her father is Lao and her mother is Bulgarian which explains why she speaks both Lao and Bulgarian. Music is literally in her blood, as both her parents graduated from the Music Academy in Bulgaria and both work for the Ministry of Information and Culture. In addition to speaking Lao and Bulgarian she also speaks English and Thai (Lao and Thai are very similar) and is currently in Japan where she is studying for a graduate degree in media design while learning Japanese—typical pop star!

Living a Dream

Her debut album is titled, "Dream" which was produced by Lao Art Media. The album was released when when she was only sixteen years old. On the day her album was in fact released, she truly believed that she was living a dream, because all through out her life, she aspired to one day become a singer. The trusted source of news and information site VOANEWS.COM (Voice of America) claimed her as being the "New phenomenon in the entertainment scene in Laos. The website, Laopress.com says this about Laos' jewel:

"The most well known, young, beautiful, poignant, articulated, talented diplomat of Laos is Alexandra Bounxouei. She has toured across continents - Europe, America, and Asia – Laos, Thailand, Korea, Japan, China [while] representing her country as well as herself [while] performing her music. Thus she puts her country on the world map [and] people are noticing."

Beyond Music

In addition to being a singer, she is an all-around musician as she can also play piano, guitar, and in the majority of her songs, she plays violin; she usually does her own solos. She’s also known to write her own songs too. Alexandra also starred in a Thai television comedy series titled, Pleng Ruk Rim Fung Khong, in which she is the lead female in the show and Weir Sukollawat Kanarot, a Thai actor and singer is her male counterpart. A few of her songs and videos are posted here, titled, Bor Luem Sun Ya and Bor Hoo Pen Yung. I've posted two versions of Bor Luem Sun Ya: One live and one that was made into a video.

Moreover, it's important to note that while Alexandra is not in school studying, recording, writing music, or practicing music, she is raising money throughout the world. As Laopress.com had pointed out, she has traveled throughout the world not only to tour, but also to raise money for children back in her native Laos. Even now with Laos' growing popularity, it's still considered a very poor country and is in much need. She gives back just as much as she receives. Alexandra wholeheartedly believes in her cause and so continues to raise money for it--no wonder she is loved by millions. She's relentless in her charity.

Hobbies and other Musical Interests

Although with all of her fame and fortune, she still considers herself "confident but shy." She still holds true to herself and tries to live a normal life. Alexandra's hobbies include dancing, skating, swimming, reading mysteries, shopping, watching TV and listening to music of all genres, including and not up to classical music, namely Vivaldi and Mozart. Her message to her fans is, “Do what satisfies you and do it your best.”