Phoulin Kousalivong (Lin), 24, born in Phonsavanh village, Paek district, Xieng Khouang province. He graduated from Dongkhamxang financial institute in 2006. Before fully entering the music industry, Lin used to be the member of "Raza brand" which belong to Lao-American college. In 2004, he participated in the music contest organized by the Quest college and was the winner in that time.

Later on, he separated himself from the band and established a small dancing group names: "Street brea kerz" or "B-boy dancing", in which Lin and his friend, Anousa, were the trainer for this band. One day during the practices, Lin had his right arm broken and had to stop his duty as a trainer.

Lin started to have an interest on the music and used to compose Lao song and proposed to Airsavanh, the executive of S.D music industry LTD. Finally he was accepted to be the new singer and had a chance to performe his first concert at Lao ITECC in 2004 under his first album entitled: "Rap Taohou"...more info

At present, Lin is now preparing to debut his full album called "The Zest". There are 3 members in the band: Lin, Luly and Tim. All the preparation is going well and the band is just waiting for Tim, who is now studying in Malaysia and will return home in April this year. The album is now 60% completed, in which, Lin composes all the songs and lyrics by himself.

The inspiration of Lin is from himself and one of his close friend, Bounhiep Bandith, who used to be the member of the Zest.

Lin's dream is to have his own business "CD shop" in the future. He revealed that he may not be able to rap when he gets older.

At present, the Zest joined many concerts organized by the S.D studio. Lin wants everyone to listen to his musics and he believes that everyone will love his songs as much as he does.

Source: ecom
Quick translation by Samakomlao fanclub

(KPL) A leading mobile phone network company Millicom Laos (Tigo) last Sunday held a concert to present big New Year gifts to its customers through the entertainment programmes by popular singers from local and foreign music companies.

The local artists were from Indee Record including Sam, Nalin, Souk, Modern Dance, LOG and Princes, while the famous artists from the Republic of Korea were Ahn Jin Kyung, Yang Eun Ji, Han Ae Ri, Hwang Yun Kyung and Myung Sa Rang from “BABY VOX Re.V”...more info and photos

BABY V.O.X was established in 1997 and their first single album (“Haircut”) ranked top ten on Korean music charts.



The girl band BABY V.O.X’ second album, Baby VOX II, was a much bigger success, hitting on the Korean pop charts.

On December 26, DR Music unveiled the members of the new Baby V.O.X, “Baby V.O.X. Re.V”.


L.O.G joined the concert

Like the original group, there is one lead vocalist, three “sub-vocalists”, and a singer.

The group made its debut in January of 2007, with the lead singer “Shee”.
Compared to the other groups, however, Baby V.O.X. Re.V has a more mature, sexual image, much like the original Baby V.O.X.



This group made its debut in January and has visited various countries.


Princess joined Baby V.O.X


Sam joined Baby V.O.X


Overdance vs Baby V.O.X


Source: kpl
Photo: Indee

Indee Records, the most popular music industry in Laos, officially released their new artist, Nalin Daravong, to the public on 11th December 2007.

Young talented Narin, 19, is now studying at the faculty of Economic, National University of Laos. She loves singing and has been singing since she was very young for many occations. The most outstanding of her performance was during the "Close up music contest award 2006" where she had to compete with more than 100 contestants and she was the winner in that time.

Her first single album entitled "Wao Bar Bar" or "Why Do You Say That?" draws inspiration from modern punk, 90s alterna-pop, 50s rock and the music of the Caribbean. The song composers for this album was Lao producer "Mee Sourinthone" in collaboration with versatile Indee artists such as Aluna, Silvia, Tou and the Cells.



Info: ecom & Indee

Well known Korean pop group Baby Vox Re.V will hold a concert to welcome in the New Year at the Lao-ITECC in Vientiane this coming Sunday.

If you have ever heard the hit songs “Never Say Goodbye” and “Shee”, or watched one of their spicy videos, you will no doubt know the name of the most famous girl band in Korea, Baby Vox Re.V - the sexy creators behind the self-titled album Baby V.O.X. Re.V.

The five member group, consisting of Ahn Jin-gyeong (lead vocalist), Yang Eun-ji (sub vocalist), Hwang Yeon-gyeong (sub vocalist), Kwon Ae-ri (sub vocalist), and Myeong Sa-rang (sub vocalist/ rapper), will perform songs from their latest album and, some may say more importantly, titillate audiences with their stimulating Korean-pop styled dance moves...more info>>

Sunday's performance is made possible by special invitation from the telecommunication provider Millicom Lao Co Ltd., commonly known as Tigo.

The company will host the concert to say goodbye to the old year and welcome in the new, and as an expression of gratitude for the continued support of its customers.

A fantastic line-up of local artists, including the newly formed punk-rock band Punky Dolls, rappers LOG, pop group Princess, and the latest pop star to emerge onto the Lao music scene, Nalin, will support the international headline act.

According to a Millicom Lao Co Ltd spokesman, there will be no public ticket sales.

“People who want to attend the concert will have to use our phone service called Easy Load. Phone numbers that have credit of 16,000 kip or more will go into a lucky draw to select the numbers that will receive a ticket. Those who don't want to risk missing out on a ticket in the lucky draw can also simply load 100,000 kip into their phones and they will then receive a ticket,” said a company spokesperson.



Baby Vox Re.V's debut album was unveiled in December 2006, and the group made its smashing debut onto local charts in January 2007 with the lead single “Shee”.

The brand new girl group, a ‘descendant' of the original Korean girl band Baby Vox, was to be called Baby Vox 2, but was instead named the enticingly more cryptic Baby Vox Re.V. The “Re.” in the name is said to derive from the word “Renaissance” which it was hoped would imply a sense of resurrection of the original, and the “V” stands for “voice” meaning that the group will bring new sounds and a new voice to the music industry.



The original Baby VOX first appeared in 1997, when the captivating group was made up of five singers Jang Shieun, Jang Hyunjun, Yumi, Lee Heejin and Kim Eiji.


By PHOONSAB THEVONGSA
Vientianetimes

Atsaphone district in Savannakhet province is an area
of extreme poverty and receives few holidaymakers, but popular Taiwanese celebrity, Mr Wang Lee Hom, saw the area differently when he visited last week.

Although the district is without any modern facilities, Mr Lee, a World Vision Sponsorship Ambassador, found the area beautiful, rich in nature and memorable. He also said he would like to return to Laos one day with his family.

“I met many children, whose lives are different from other places such as Taiwan and New York ,” he said during an interview with Vientiane Times on Friday, after spending almost a week in Savannakhet province...more info>>

He travelled with a World Vision team to the province from November 24 to 28 to inspect development projects and meet local children and communities; the trip aimed to raise funds and encourage others to sponsor needy children in Laos .


Photo: Mr Wang Lee Hom runs with children in Atsaphone district, Savannakhet province.

In the villages he visited, the people did not scream out when he approached like in Taiwan and other countries in Asia where he is considered a popular star.

He said that because of poverty, the children he met had a difficult lifestyle. They live in a rural area where they are always working in the rice fields.However, he said that he really enjoyed his time with the children.

“I followed them into the rice fields and experienced first-hand how they live,” he said.



Mr Lee said that the Lao children had wonderful personalities and generous hearts. “But they need help from groups like World Vision.”

He said that he personally sponsored 10 children by donating 188,000 kip (US$20) per month for each child, adding that he will continue his assistance until it is no longer needed.

He explained that he had decided to support the children when he saw a media campaign about Lao children in need and he knew he could trust the organisation so he started making donations.

“World Vision has a good plan for the way that it helps to develop these villages, not only giving them food but working towards long term sustainability.”

He said that he likes to help the poor; he wants to make them smile, which makes him smile too.

After experiencing the rural lifestyle, he said he feels changed, adding that he had travelled to many places around the world that were poor. But this was the first time he felt that he had a good emotional connection with the people he met.

He shared their home and daily life, eating sticky rice with them.

He said that he was happy to help Lao people, because in helping others he was also helping himself.

His philosophy holds that a donor should not provide the poor with only food and money but also teach them how to make a better living because, if one day the help stops, they can manage on their own.

He added that World Vision Laos shares this philosophy.

By Ekaphone Phouthonesy
Vientianetimes
Photos: BluemarkTW

MORE Photos>>
http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=98894&p=3&topicID=14341883



wang lee hom
Laos, Savannakhet

Asia Sounds announces song contest

Lao singers and songwriters who have been harbouring dreams of becoming a star may have a chance for their big break soon, through a new television talent quest.

A team from Asia Sounds, an Australia-based music and media company, is currently touring Southeast Asian countries to promote its 2008 Asian Song Contest.

The team, led by the company's Executive Vice President of Marketing, Ms Adrienne Smith, met Lao Information and Culture officials in Vientiane on Monday to discuss the contest.

“We're in Laos to seek permission to invite musicians here to enter our competition,” Ms Smith said during an interview...more info>>

“We want to invite everybody to apply for the contest, which is open to all,” another member of the team, Mr Biag Occhino, said. “I hope that maybe someone in Laos wins it.”

As part of the music project, entitled Sutasi , which stands for “Sources of Unsigned Talents in Asia”, the team is looking for exceptional musicians and artists from throughout Asia .


According to the organisation's press release, Sutasi is an “Asian-level platform for discovering quality music and talent, with the aim of launching new-found talent to the Asian market and beyond.”

Winners will receive more than US$1 million in cash and prizes.

“We cannot say who will be the winner. Maybe they'll like the Lao music style, and we might win the hearts of the judging panel,” said Lao graphic designer Mr Praseuth Banchongphakdy, who is coordinating the competition in Vientiane .

“This competition is a good opportunity for Lao songwriters and singers.”

Songs to be entered in the competition can be written in the contestant's native language or can be a mix of languages, including English. The important thing is that the lyrics and melody are modern and appealing to listeners, Mr Praseuth said.

The company will choose 12 singers and 12 performers from the 11 countries in Southeast Asia , but those chosen will not be distributed evenly across the region.

“We might end up with five contestants from Laos or two from Singapore ,” Ms Smith said, adding that “the main criterion for success is quality,” and that she wanted as many people as possible to apply for the contest.

“It is not too late, and it's not important to us which country the contestants come from. It's more about the quality of singing and the performance,” she said.

The contest will begin in February in Southeast Asia, followed by East Asia in April and South Asia in August.

The contest is divided into two sections: a talent show in search of a star performer, and a song contest, to find an outstanding songwriter. For the final performance, songs written by songwriters who are not themselves singers will be given to skilled vocalists to perform.

According to the news release, the grand finale, scheduled for October next year will bring together the winning songwriter and singer from each region. The winners will be judged by a new panel of music professionals and via public votes throughout Asia .

Applications have been open since September 14; more people can apply by downloading the forms from www.sutasi.com. The closing date is November 1, but places are limited.

By MK. Vongsam-ang
Vientianetimes

Keota Xayyasing is now a very popular artist among teens across Vietnam, according to the top charts on many Vietnamese TV and radio channels.

Keota, age 22, is now studying Economic in Vietnam, debuted his first album in 2006. His song "Gửi làn gió" is in Vietnamese top charts for many months. To view photos and music clips from his concert, click:.


















To view his music clip, click here:.

http://samakomlao.blogspot.com

source: lao students in Vietnam

Congratulation goes to Alexandra Thidavanh Bounxoui, Lao super star, for her graduation. On top of that, Alexandra also received the golden key award from Lao America College (LAC), the award for the excellent performance on study. Alexandra is the role model for all Lao youth. She has devoted herself to many Lao social activities and Lao music entertainment.

Best wishes for future success !