Born in Maryland in 1972 and raised in Queens, New York, by Thai immigrant parents, Metinee Kingpayome moved to Bangkok on her twentieth birthday in 1992.

Having visited Thailand only twice as a child, she entered and won the Miss Thailand World pageant a few months after arriving.

That same year, she represented Thailand at the Miss World competition and was named Continental Queen for Asia and Oceania. 

Kingpayome built a career in modelling, television and film in Thailand.

She has appeared on the covers of Thai editions of Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar, acted in films such as "Mercury Man" and others, and served as a judge and mentor on several seasons of a popular modelling competition show. 

In later years, she founded Muse by Metinee, a modelling academy and agency offering runway coaching and confidence training across all ages and for diverse communities.

She remains a prominent presence in Thailand’s fashion and entertainment industries and considers Bangkok her adopted home.