At home with Meng Keopichda, Singer

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Soeun Say
Wednesday, 03 December 2008

Cambodian pop singer Meng Keopichda lives in Khan Meanchey district in Phnom Penh with her husband, Moung Khim, deputy director of the Central Department of the Ministry of Interior's judicial police. Married in 2005, they have one son and she is now five months pregnant with their second child.

Born in 1976 in Treang district, Takeo Province, to a farming family, Meng Keopichda began her singing career as an 11-year-old in 1986. Since then, she has recorded more than 3,000 songs on CD and VCD. On a tour around her villa, which she and her husband built between 2006 and 2007, she gave Prime Location an insight into the homelife of an iconic Cambodian pop star.

My favourite parts of my home are the living room, the bedroom, the family room and the study, in that order. But my favourite place to relax is in the living room with my husband and my children, where we sometimes watch TV.

I relax by cleaning my home or by making clothes. I make my own designs. I also like to spend time in my garden. I often buy small plants from the market to plant in the garden. I am a big fan of cooking and, naturally, I like to listen to music and sing karaoke. My husband likes to relax by feeding our animals. We have a family dog, plus ducks and chickens.

I don't have much time to entertain because I am so busy with my job. When I can, I like to throw parties on the weekends for my friends and relatives. I like to ply them with wine and beer and cook nice food. Because my home is still new, my guests tend to want a tour of the house, and I am happy to oblige. I also like to sing songs or listen to music with them, which we usually do in the family room.

My decorating style incorporates Khmer and modern elements. I love decorating and have taken care of the interior design of the house myself. My house is made of wood, so it looks very beautiful. I like to keep things simple, without creating too much clutter. I also have many pictures on the walls, mostly of the countryside and my family.

My home is just how I like it, although I always have plans to change things like my tablecloths, bed coverings and rugs. However, I am so busy I don't know when I will find the time.

I like to live in this area because it is so quiet. Living here fills me with happiness, and I don't want to ever move to another area.

In the future I want to build another modern villa. I don't want it to be too big as I don't have the time to keep a big house clean and to design the interiors. But I want to have modern things in my villa, as well as a swimming pool, garden and gazebo.