L Khun Yi အယ်လ်ခွန်းရီ | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lazum Khun Yi |
| Genres | Burmese pop |
| Occupation(s) | singer, actress |
| Years active | mid-1970s to mid-1980s |
Lazum Khun Yi, better known as L Khun Yi (Burmese: အယ်လ်ခွန်းရီ, pronounced [ɛ̀l kʰʊ́ɰ̃ jì]), is a Burmese singer, and is considered one of the pioneers of modern Burmese pop music. The ethnic Kachin singer of the Lazum clan[1] was known for her Burmese language covers of 1970s Western pop songs, particularly ABBA songs. Many of her popular songs of the era were again covered by successive generations of singers like May Sweet, Tun Eindra Bo, and Yadanar Oo.
She was born to Lazum Khun Hpan, a brigadier general in the Burmese army, and Nyunt Nyunt Ma, a schoolteacher, and is the eldest of six brothers and sisters.[2] She was attending the Rangoon Institute of Education when she began singing, attracting the interest of Burmese entertainers like Playboy Than Naing. However, she went on to finish her degree, graduating with a bachelor's in education and working as a schoolteacher in Meiktila thereafter. L Khun Yi only debuted after getting married, as her father had requested.[2]
Her father was assassinated in a roadside ambush by the Kachin Independence Army in 1985.
She is an aunt of popular singers L Seng Zi and L Lun War.[3]