Eurovision Asia 2026: Meet Laos' Thinla
Laos is preparing to make its Eurovision Asia debut, with singer Thinla set to represent the country at the inaugural Contest in Bangkok, Thailand.
But who is the artist behind the name, and how did she earn the chance to represent her country?
Here’s everything we know about Thinla's journey to Eurovision Asia 2026.
Who is Thinla?
Formerly known as Thinlamphone, Thinla is a Lao singer whose music combines traditional Morlum with pop, R&B and dance influences.
She has previously toured the United States and represented Laos at the Round Festival in Busan, South Korea. Thinla has also performed at major regional events including the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits.
Her selection gives Laos an established performer for its first appearance on the Eurovision Asia stage.
Thinla's most-viewed song on her YouTube is ຮັກແທ້ກໍເຂົ້າມາ (ฮักแท้ก็เข้ามา) ("If it's true love, come on in") ft. Anon, amassing 3.6 million views with catchy choreography and traditional-pop infusion.
Her most streamed song on Spotify is หมาผ่านทาง ("A dog passing by"), a heartfelt duet with Thai singer P.Santa with nearly 4 million streams.
Thinla will become the country's first Eurovision Song Contest Asia representative and will travel to Bangkok for the inaugural contest.
About the song Bae
Thinla will represent Laos with Bae, a mixed English-Lao pop track about finding someone you find attractive and making them your bae, bae, bae, bae, bae, bae, bae....
Bae pairs infectious dance-pop production with upbeat electronic rhythms, catchy melodies and a bouncy, club-ready beat. It's energetic arrangement and playful vocal delivery spur the listener to grab the karaoke microphone and give it a burl.
The word 'bae' is sung 84 times across the exactly 3-minute entry. If you cannot recall the title of the song by the end, then I don't know what to tell you.
Bae was written by DonutDropIt, Johan Gustafsson, Rebbi James, Sam Intharaphithak and Thinlamphone Mahavong (Thinla).
Of particular note is Johan Gustafsson, a prominent Swedish songwriter whose credits include work with major international artists such as The Pussycat Dolls, TWICE, Armin van Buuren, Girls' Generation, Red Velvet and Timmy Trumpet, among many others.
The Aussievision team ran a poll among our writers, with Bae narrowly finishing second in our pre-selection vote.
How was Thinla selected for Eurovision Asia 2026?
Thinla was announced on September 13 as the representative for Laos' debut year at Eurovision Asia.
Unlike many other Eurovision Asia selections, Laos internally selected Thinla as their artist and instead utilised a national final to choose her song.
The selection process Sieng Lao: The One had Thinla perform three songs in contention for selection: Bae, Star and Water. The show was aired on local TV network VTE9 and the official Eurovision YouTube channel on September 23.
Voting was open for 24 hours after the show for the general public to decide on their favourite entry for Thinla. The final result consisted of 40% voting from the Lao public, 20% voting from viewers outside Laos and 40% from a professional jury.
The next day on September 24, the upbeat and catchy Bae was announced as the winning entry set to represent the small and mighty nation.
Laos will compete in the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia on 14 November 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.
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